Filed under glass jars with lids; the moulds we quote for this are pictured at the foot of the page.
Airtight glass jars are bought wholesale as stock series: hexagonal, round, square and straight-sided, each sold with a matched twist-off or continuous-thread cap. Minimum quantities and prices are quoted per project, because they move with the mould, the cap, any decoration, the quantity and the freight terms. What you can decide before asking for a quote is the series, the sizes and the cap finish.
Stock jar series and what each is used for
| Series | Capacity range | Why buyers pick it |
|---|---|---|
| Hexagonal | 45–730ml | The usual jam and honey shape. Flat panels take a label easily, and the sizes share twist-off lid sizes, so one cap can serve several jars |
| Round food jar | 106–720ml | The most economical shape and the quickest to fill. The default for sauces, salsas and nut butters |
| Square | 120–500ml | Packs 12–18% more densely on shelf and pallet than round jars. Common for honey and spreads |
| Straight-sided storage jar | 250–1,000ml | Wide mouth with a continuous-thread (CT) finish for dry goods, coffee and supplements, usually closed with an aluminum CT cap and PE liner |
Common jar and cap pairings
The finish is the part of the jar mouth the cap grips. TO means a twist-off lug finish and the number is its nominal diameter. These pairings are typical of stock orders, in standard flint glass.
| Jar and cap | Capacity | Finish |
|---|---|---|
| Hex jar, black TO cap | 106ml | TO-43 lug |
| Hex jar, TO cap | 212ml | TO-53 lug |
| Hex jar, TO cap | 314ml | TO-63 lug |
| Round food jar, TO cap | 250ml | TO-63 lug |
| Square honey jar, TO cap | 380ml | TO-70 lug |
| Wide-mouth storage jar, aluminum CT cap | 500ml | 70mm CT |
| Wide-mouth storage jar, CT cap | 1,000ml | 89mm CT |
Honey, oils and other light-sensitive fills may be better served by amber jars supplied with lids than by flint.
How to put the order together
- Buy jar and cap as one item. Caps sourced separately are the usual cause of a finish mismatch. We ask the plant to quote the jar with its matched cap as a single tested SKU, with the application torque stated.
- Fill the container with several sizes. A 40'HQ takes roughly 45,000–60,000 mid-size jars. Hex 212/314/500ml can share pallets, and hex, round and square series can travel in the same box. Ask for a pallet plan listing cartons per pallet for each SKU so the warehouse receives labelled, sorted pallets.
- Set quality hold points in advance. The sequence we use is pre-production samples, a vacuum check on first articles, then a pre-shipment inspection at AQL 1.0. SGS, BV or TUV can carry out the final inspection at the buyer's cost.
- Protect the schedule at the two usual slip points. Book your filling-line trial before the samples arrive, and approve cap colour from physical chips off the production line, not from photos.
How we match a project to a plant and follow it through inspection is explained on the about page.
Documents to request for food-contact orders
US and EU retail chains often want the paperwork before they discuss price, so ask for it with the quotation. For airtight food jars the file normally contains:
- a food-contact declaration for the glass under the FDA 21 CFR and EU 10/2011 frameworks;
- migration test reports for the cap's plastisol sealing compound from an accredited laboratory;
- heavy-metal screening against California Proposition 65;
- a lot-traceability sheet tying your purchase order to the production date and line.
Private-label buyers can also have their SKU barcode recorded on the carton specification, so that receiving scans match the warehouse system from the first delivery. If your retailer requires a social-compliance audit such as BSCI or Sedex, tell us the scope before booking so we can check it against the plant.
Buyer FAQ
What is the minimum order for airtight glass jars?
It is set per project. The mould and the line it runs on decide the figure, so it differs between series and sizes.
How does volume affect the price?
Price is quoted per project and depends on the mould, decoration, quantity and freight terms. Send a size list and annual volume through the quote form to get figures for your mix.
Is the cap part of the quoted jar?
Yes. Jar and airtight cap are quoted together as one tested item with a torque specification, because a cap bought elsewhere can miss the finish by a fraction of a millimeter and fail to seal.
How long does a first order take?
Timing is confirmed per project once the mould, decoration and line schedule are known.