Mason Jar Sizes: The Complete Guide from 4 oz to 64 oz

Mason jar sizes run from the 4 oz quarter-pint to the 64 oz half-gallon, with the 16 oz pint and 32 oz quart as the workhorses, each available in regular mouth (70 mm lid) or wide mouth (86 mm lid). This guide gives every size in ounces, milliliters and cups, explains the two mouth standards, and covers canning headspace and packaging uses beyond preserving.

Mason jar size chart

Milliliter figures use the exact factor of 29.5735295625 mL per US fluid ounce. Stated sizes are nominal fill capacities; brimful capacity is larger — a distinction we explain in our 4 oz and 8 oz container guide.

Regular mouth vs wide mouth

Every classic mason jar uses one of two neck standards. Regular mouth takes a 70 mm two-piece lid over an opening of about 60 mm — better for pourable contents and slightly cheaper lids. Wide mouth takes an 86 mm lid over a ~76 mm opening — easier to fill, pack and clean, and the default for whole fruits, pickles and food prep. The two systems are not cross-compatible, so a brand must choose one per SKU and stick with it across sizes; a mixed range doubles lid inventory for the customer.

From quarter pint to half gallon: what the names mean

Mason jar names follow US customary volume: the 16 oz jar is a true US pint (473 mL) and the 32 oz jar a true quart — unlike the spirits world, where « pint » and « handle » are only nicknames. The 4 oz quarter-pint and 8 oz half-pint anchor the small end; the 64 oz half gallon (1.89 L) tops the standard range. Between them, the 24 oz « pint and a half » exists mainly for tall vegetables. For metric markets the closest stock equivalents are 120 mL, 250 mL, 500 mL and 1 L jars — compared in our glass jar sizes guide — capacity families we compare in detail in the 4 oz / 8 oz guide.

Canning headspace by jar size

In home canning, headspace — the gap between the food and the rim — is what lets the lid pull down into a vacuum seal. The working rules: ¼ inch for jams and jellies, ½ inch for high-acid fruits, tomatoes and pickles, and 1 to 1¼ inches for low-acid foods processed in a pressure canner. Too little headspace forces liquid out under the lid; too much leaves oxygen that can prevent sealing. Half-gallon jars are not recommended for pressure canning at all. For validated processing times and methods, follow the National Center for Home Food Preservation — this article covers jar dimensions, not food-safety procedure.

Beyond canning: candles, food and cosmetics

Most mason jars sold today never see a water bath. The 8 oz and 16 oz sizes are staple candle vessels (the straight-sided variants avoid shoulder heat traps); 4 oz jars carry creams, scrubs and spice lines; 12 oz quilted jars signal artisan honey and preserves; pint and quart jars dominate meal-prep and dry-goods storage. For brands, the mason format brings a built-in heritage cue and a universally available closure — and the same B2B checklist as any glass container: nominal versus brimful capacity, neck finish, glass weight, case count and external case dimensions for pallet math. To convert any size to milliliters, use our mL to oz converter.

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What sizes do mason jars come in?

The standard range is 4, 8, 12, 16, 24, 32 and 64 oz — quarter pint to half gallon — in regular mouth (70 mm) or wide mouth (86 mm) depending on size.

How many mL is a mason jar?

118 mL for 4 oz, 237 mL for 8 oz, 473 mL for a pint, 946 mL for a quart and 1 893 mL for a half gallon, using the exact factor of 29.5735 mL per fluid ounce.

What is the most common mason jar size?

The 16 oz pint, closely followed by the 32 oz quart for canning and the 8 oz half-pint for jams and candles.

Are regular and wide mouth lids interchangeable?

No. Regular mouth uses 70 mm lids, wide mouth 86 mm lids; neither fits the other. Choose one standard per product line.

Can you pressure-can in half-gallon jars?

No — validated process times don’t exist for 64 oz jars in pressure canning; they’re recommended only for high-acid juices in a water bath, or for dry storage.

Is a mason jar pint the same as a beer pint?

A US mason pint is a true 16 US fl oz (473 mL). A UK « pint » is 20 imperial ounces (568 mL) — about 20% more — so the two are not equivalent.

What size mason jar for candles?

8 oz for votives and travel sizes, 16 oz for standard container candles. Straight-sided versions distribute heat more evenly than shouldered ones — flame-to-glass distance is the key specification.

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