Bottling
What size jar for a pound of honey
Updated
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A one pound jar of honey is a 12 fluid ounce container, not a
16. Honey is sold by weight and containers are sized by volume, and honey is about half again as
dense as water, so the two numbers never match.
Net weight to container size
8 oz honey
~6 fl oz container
The common market size. Reads as small on a shelf and is not.
1 lb honey
~12 fl oz container
The default retail size, and the one most often ordered wrong.
2 lb honey
~24 fl oz container
Repeat-buyer size. Heavier to ship than it looks.
5 lb honey
~60 fl oz container
Bulk and bakery. Usually sold by weight with no retail label at all.
Why the numbers differ
Honey is roughly 1.42 grams per milliliter against water's 1.0. A container holding 12 fluid ounces of water holds about 16 ounces of honey by weight, once you allow the headspace you need to close the lid without pushing honey up the threads.
That is the arithmetic, and first orders often get it wrong. People buy 16 oz jars to sell a pound of honey and end up with a jar that is two thirds full, looks mean on a market stall, and costs more to ship.
Sizes by channel
Farmers markets sell 8 oz and 1 lb, because those are the prices people will pay on impulse. Shops want a consistent single size and a case pack. Bakeries and restaurants want 5 lb and do not care what the jar looks like.
The mistake is buying one size for all three.
What our containers hold, by weight of honey
5 fl oz · holds 7 oz honey · 38-400 · PET · to 120F
Sold as 5 oz, holds about 7 oz of honey.
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11 fl oz · holds 16 oz honey · 38-400 · PET · to 120F
Sold as 11 oz, holds about 16 oz of honey.
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22 fl oz · holds 33 oz honey · 38-400 · PET · to 120F
Sold as 22 oz, holds about 33 oz of honey.
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60 fl oz · holds 89 oz honey · 48-400 · HDPE · to 190F
Sold as 60 fl oz, holds about 89 oz of honey.
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References
Our own catalog. The containers, capacities, neck finishes, materials, temperature ratings and prices on this page are read from the products we actually stock, not from a published source. Where this page states a physical fact about honey rather than about a container, it is established on reading the moisture, which carries the source.
Specifications are the manufacturer's published values. Prices and availability were
observed 2026-08-14 and are checked again when you order. Verify fitness for your own product.