Mason Jar Size Comparison Chart | Find The Right Fit

Choosing the right mason jar means matching its size to your project, from 4 oz minis for spices to 64 oz jugs for bulk storage.

For the full breakdown, see our best 1 Gallon Mason Jars guide.

Mason jars come in a wider range of sizes than most people realize, and picking the wrong one can mean wasted shelf space or a recipe that doesn’t fit. Whether you’re canning salsa, storing dry goods, or making a single serving of overnight oats, the size chart below gives you the dimensions and best uses for the most common jars. The regular mouth and wide mouth variants affect which lids fit and how easy the jar is to fill and clean, even when the ounce rating is the same.

Standard Mason Jar Sizes At A Glance

The most consistently repeated consumer sizes in US usage are 4 oz, 8 oz, 16 oz, 24 oz, 32 oz, and 64 oz. A 12 oz jar appears in some guides, and a 128 oz gallon jar exists but is more often commercial or bulk storage than a standard home-canning choice. The table below compresses the typical height and common use for each size across regular-mouth and wide-mouth guides.

Ball’s own selection guidance, available on their jar selection page, emphasizes matching the jar to the recipe type. Their guidance shows that 16 oz, 24 oz, and 32 oz jars are the workhorses for common home-canning projects like salsas, sauces, relishes, fruit butters, soups, and pickles.

Regular Mouth Vs. Wide Mouth: What’s The Difference?

The difference between regular mouth and wide mouth is the opening diameter, not the jar’s overall width. A regular mouth opening measures 2 3/8 inches (60 mm), while a wide mouth opening measures 3 inches (76 mm). This affects lid compatibility directly — a wide-mouth lid will not fit a regular-mouth jar, and vice versa.

Wide mouth jars make it easier to pack whole vegetables, scoop out thick contents, and hand-wash the inside. Regular mouth jars pour more precisely, which suits liquids and thin sauces, and they take up slightly less space on a shelf for the same volume. When a recipe or lid set specifies a mouth type, match it exactly.

What Size Mason Jar Should I Use For Canning?

For most home canning, the 16 oz pint and 32 oz quart are the go-to sizes. Smaller 8 oz jars work well for jams, jellies, and single-serving sauces, while the 24 oz pint-and-a-half handles soup and pickle batches that are bigger than a pint but smaller than a quart. The Ball canning jars page notes that these jars are versatile for preserving fresh recipes like salsas, syrups, sauces, fruits, and vegetables.

Skip the 64 oz half-gallon for routine pressure or water-bath canning. That size shows up in size charts, but it is positioned more for bulk storage, fermentation, and large batches than for standard canning procedures. If you’re testing a new recipe or canning for a small household, the 8 oz and 16 oz sizes are the most forgiving places to start.

Freezer Safety And Size Limits

You can freeze mason jars, but only under the right conditions. The size chart’s guidance says the 4 oz jar is not recommended for freezing, while 8 oz through 64 oz may be freezer-safe depending on headspace and orientation. The 64 oz half-gallon must be stored upright. Always leave enough headspace because liquid expands as it freezes, and too little room can crack the glass.

If you plan to freeze soups or sauces, choose wider jars when possible and never fill them to the brim. Leave at least an inch of headspace for most sizes, more for thicker liquids, and let hot contents cool completely before freezing.

FAQs

Why do the same size jars have different heights in different charts?

Different brands and mouth types produce slightly different dimensions for the same nominal ounce size. A regular-mouth quart may be a bit shorter and wider than a wide-mouth quart, and some sources round capacity differently — a 16 oz jar might be listed as 470 mL, 473 mL, or 480 mL. These minor variations mean you should measure your own jars when a project needs exact fits.

Can I use a wide-mouth lid on a regular-mouth jar?

No. The regular mouth opening is 2 3/8 inches, while the wide mouth is 3 inches, so the lids are not interchangeable. Always match the lid and band to the jar’s mouth type. If you bought a set of lids for one style, they won’t seal on the other.

Are 64 oz mason jars good for canning?

They can be used in some applications, but they are more commonly recommended for bulk storage and fermentation than for routine water-bath or pressure canning. For standard canning projects, 16 oz and 32 oz jars are the most practical sizes because they process more evenly and fit standard canning pots more easily.