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Containers

Sizes, and the pound line

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The catalog measures in milliliters and the regulation measures in pounds, so the conversion is yours.

The range

Fifty milliliters to 950 across 198 containers, which covers a single variety sample, a season’s packet and a bulk jar for a market grower. Jars rather than packets, which is a different product from the paper seed envelope.

The pound line sits inside this range

Whether a filled container is over or under one pound decides whether the germination percentage, the date of test and a lot number have to appear. The same jar is on either side depending on the crop.

Because seed density varies enormously

A jar of lettuce seed and the same jar of beans are not close in weight. There is no volume figure that maps onto the pound line, which is why the answer is a scale rather than a conversion table.

So weigh each crop in each container

Once, at the fill level production will use, and record it against the crop. That table is what tells you which label template a given product needs, and it does not change unless the fill does.

Small jars for high-value varieties

The lower end of the shelf suits a rare or expensive variety sold in small quantity, and it keeps you comfortably under the pound line. Label space is tight, which matters if a "Below Standard" disclosure is needed.

Large jars for bulk, with a lot number

Over a pound the label gains the germination figures and a lot number or other lot identification. That is more printing and it also makes traceability real, which a grower buying in quantity will expect.

Cost the format, not the milliliter

Filling, labeling, sealing and the test apportionment are close to flat per unit, so a small jar carries far more of each per gram of seed. Decide what each format has to earn rather than reading one number across.

References

7 CFR 201.29 and 201.29a. Vegetable seed in containers of 1 pound or less that equals or betters the 201.31 standard need not show the germination percentage or date of test; below standard it carries "Below Standard" conspicuously in type no smaller than 8 points plus the percentage and hard seed. Over 1 pound, every variety shows the germination percentage and hard seed. law.cornell.edu
7 CFR 201.25 and 201.30b. Vegetable seed in packets and larger containers is labeled with the required information in any form that is clearly legible, any tag securely attached, and additional information is allowed provided it is not misleading. Containers over 1 pound also carry a lot number or other lot identification. law.cornell.edu
Written from federal statute and regulation, not from a seed bench. Every state also runs its own seed law, and the Federal Seed Act reaches interstate commerce, so a local sale can answer to a different set of requirements. Nothing here certifies a package as hermetically sealed; that is a question about the package and the sealing process.