Where to Find Canning Jars

Updated September, 2023

It’s true, we’re in the midst of a food packaging crisis  and canning jars and other preserving and canning supplies are hard to find. The Washington Post even called us about it. Check out their article about pandemic canning. In this post we will help you find canning jars that are safe for home canning and are comparable to Ball brand jars. 

 

Ball® Jars , two-piece lids and bulk canning lids are in high demand.  We’ve been told that the team is working diligently to provide reliable stock.  In the meantime, take advantage of our “Notify me when this item is back in stock” button. Once signed up, you’ll receive an email notification when that product arrives at our warehouse. Please note – if the email goes out, but we run out of stock before you make your purchase, you need to sign up again. 

Depending on your preserving method, or planned use for your mason jars, you might consider some other options that we offer. Read more about where to find 2-piece canning lids.

 

The good news is, we carry other lines of canning jars that are also safe for home canning and have provided a few jar comparisons (listed below) to assist you in finding an alternative so you can keep preserving! You can see options for quart, pint, half pint, and 4 oz. jars below.

 

How Do Other Canning Jars Compare To Ball?

Generally, the price point is quite competitive even with the addition of the cost of lids.  It’s important to note that canning jars from other manufacturers do not come with lids. This offers a lot of flexibility in selecting your own closures. If you intend to use the jars for traditional two-piece canning, they work perfectly with regular mouth  two-piece lids.

It’s important to note that all of the canning jars we suggest below are recommended for water bath canning, but NOT for pressure canning. Currently, only Ball jars and their 2-piece lids are tested and approved containers/lids for use in pressure canning.

Many customers enjoy the smooth sides on most of these canning jars, as they can be more easily and creatively labeled.

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Regular Mouth Quart Jars

We have two regular mouth quart jars, that are safe for home water bath canning, and are comparable to Ball’s quart jars and regular mouth lids.

32 oz Mayo Jars (A32-12C)

Glass Wholesale Quart (32 oz) Economy Mayo Jars with a continuous thread finish. These jars can be used in hot fill (with regular mouth standard plastisol, or two-piece lids) or water bath canning with HI-Heat, RC3 Lids with the pasteurization Plastisol or two-piece canning lids. Jars are MADE in the USA.

 

 

32 oz Regular Mouth Anchor Hocking Jars (AH-222)

Anchor Hocking Quart Canning Jars are an appealing 32 ounce canning jar with a softened square shape, smooth sides, and shoulders that allow for easy labeling. These jars have the standard size, regular mouth opening. They can be used in hot fill (with the standard plastisol or two-piece lids) or water bath canning with HI-Heat, RC3 Lids with the pasteurization Plastisol or two-piece canning lids. The jars are MADE in the USA.

 

 

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Regular Mouth Pint Jars

There are three pint jar options we encourage you to consider in place of Ball’s regular mouth pint jars.

16 oz. Economy Jars (A16-08C)

This is a universal and great pint jar for BBQ sauces, pickled vegetables, jams and jellies, candles, and crafts. The smooth-sided Mason jar is our best-selling container because of its versatility. These jars have a 70-450 CT (continuous thread) finish, which is compatible with regular mouth closures.

 

 

16 oz. Regular Mouth Anchor Hocking Jars (AH-221)

These Anchor Hocking Pint Canning Jars have a softened square shape with smooth sides and shoulders that allow for easy labeling. The versatility of these jars is endless. Use these jars for jam, jelly, barbecue sauces, pickled vegetables, candles, or anything you want to store in a clear glass mason jar. These jars have the standard size, regular mouth opening, and are MADE in the USA.

 

16 oz. Square Mason Jars 70-450 Finish (G16-01C)

Tap into the nostalgic appeal of these square Mason jars with “Mason” and volume embossed to help your preserves stand out on the shelf; gradation is embossed on two adjacent sides. These jars are great for anything from sauces to pickled vegetables, the pint-size glass is one of our best-selling containers. With a 70-450 CT finish, it can be used in conjunction with the standard regular mouth lids.

 

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Half Pint Regular Mouth Jars

Half pint jars are a common size for jams, jellies, and butters. We have two alternatives to Ball’s half pint (8 oz.) regular mouth jars. These are safe for home water bath canning and are often more popular than Ball’s jars.

Half Pint Canning Jars Mason Jelly Glass (R08-12C)

Show off your jams, jellies, sauces, and spreads in these half-pint tapered glass Mason jars. Straight sides without shoulders make them easy to fill up and empty. With a 70-450 CT finish, use these in conjunction with the standard regular mouth plastisol or two-piece lids for hot fill. If you’re using a water bath, pair with our Hi-Heat, RC3 Lids  or two-piece 70-450 (G70 or 70G) lids.

 

8 oz Straight Sided Canning Jar (A08-14C)

These half-pint canning jars have space for a nice label on the clear, smooth sides. Easy to fill with jams, jellies, sauces, and spreads and scrape out the last drop since there are no shoulders. Use these in conjunction with the standard plastisol or two-piece lids for hot fill. If you’re using a water bath, pair with our Hi-Heat, RC3 Lids or two-piece 70-450 (G70 or 70G) or regular mouth lids.

 

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4 oz. Regular Mouth Jars

The 4 oz. sized jars are great for low-sugar jams and jellies, freezer jam and are the smallest canning jar sizes we carry. These are safe for home water bath canning.

4 oz Tapered Mason Jars

The smooth sides of these small Mason jars make them easy to label and a great alternative to the traditional Ball quilted canning jars. The perfect size for jams, jellies, sauces. With a 70-450 finish, use these in conjunction with regular mouth standard plastisol, RC3 Lids or two-piece lids for hot fill.

 

 

4 oz Square Mason Jars

This square Mason jar features gradation/volume markings debossed on the container helping them to stand out on the shelf. The markings are debossed on 2 opposite sides, leaving the other sides clear for labeling. With a 70-450 finish, use these in conjunction with regular mouth standard plastisol, RC3 Lids or two-piece lids for hot fill.

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Be Careful Where You Shop!

If we aren’t able to fulfill your order, it’s okay. However, please be careful when shopping with unfamiliar companies. There are some sites taking advantage of people in their frantic search for canning lids & jars. Some of these look legitimate at a glance, but if you look for some key things, you may be prompted to do a little more research.

Here are some warning signs:

• Misspelling of basic terms used in canning- like “regular”, or “plastisol”.
• Run-on product names or descriptions that appear to be phrases copied & pasted from recognizable brands like Ball/Kerr/Newell.
• Images that are misleading, not accurate, or misrepresent the actual item for sale. Look at all of the images attached to a particular item. The jars options/designs that are compatible with Ball 2-piece canning lids are very recognizable. If you see something that looks more decorative, it’s not likely compatible.
• Use of important product components like silicone or plastisol used interchangeably.
• Look for a contact method – there should be a phone number that you can call. You might even want to call for clarification on the products you’re considering. Try googling the brand name to see if the business comes up. Some that we’ve noticed as recent as fall 2023 don’t seem to exist as businesses. That should be a strong warning sign.

 

When Will Ball Canning Jars & Lids Be Back In Stock?

If your favorite item is out of stock, we encourage you to stay patient and to sign up for our “Back In Stock” notifications. That is the absolute quickest way to get notified about product availability. When you sign up for Back In Stock notifications you will be notified as soon as our inventory is updated. It isn’t based on ETA’s, but on real-time, on-site, inventory. So, if you want to know the minute the product is back in stock, your best bet is to click on that red box on the product page of the item you need.

 

Where to Find Home Canning Lids

The shortage in supply of home canning lids, also known as 2-piece canning lids, flats, or lids & bands or rings that began in 2020 is not over. Read more about where to find canning lids.