Recommended Containers for Home Use

Recommended Glass Jars for Home Use

Common Name	Capacity
	Fluid Ounces	Milliliters
1/2 Pint	8	236
Pint	16	473
Quart	32	946

Recommended Cans for Home Use

Common Name	Size	Capacity
		Fluid Ounces	Milliliters
1/2 pint (1 lb), tapered	307 x 200.25	8 oz	228 ml
Pint, tall salmon, tapered	301 x 408	16 oz	500 ml
No. 1	211 x 400	11 oz, (1 cup)	310 ml
No. 2	307 x 409	20 oz, (2 cup)	600 ml
No. 2, 30 oz	401 x 411	18 oz, (3 cup)	850 ml
No. 3, quart	404 x 414	33 oz, (4 cup)	1000 ml

Containers larger than quart glass jars or No. 3 cans are not recommended for home use because of difficulty of thorough heat processing. As a result some parts of the food might not be sufficiently heated and may not kill bacterial spores.

However, larger cans can be used for packing dry foods (peas, beans, coffee beans) that don't have to be sterilized. Commercial producers can afford to use containers of any size or shape as the recipes they use are drawn by professionally trained individuals. In addition, those plants work under the direct supervision of Food Safety and Inspection Service inspectors and every recipe is thoroughly checked for safety. A home canner should follow USDA guidelines for canning food in round cans or glass jars.

There is very little information on processing times for metal cans as the USDA has stopped providing this information. University of Alaska in Fairbanks has a very comprehensive program in canning meats and fish, both in glass and metal containers. Pint and 1/2 pint cans are used as containers of choice.