Regular Mouth (70mm) and Wide Mouth (86mm) mason jars and lids have been made in the same diameter and thread pattern for over 100 years. But what happens when you've got a jar, and it's not either of those sizes?
Here we cover the basics of vintage jar mouth sizes and commercial jars and how to spot the differences.
Vintage "Standard" Jar Mouth Sizes No Longer In Production:
There are two sizes that we see that are no longer in production, Gem Mouth (78mm), and Small Mouth (63mm).
Most Gem Mouth jars were made between 1915-1965. They originally came with glass lids and deep bands. Bernardin made snap lids for Gem jars for a long time, but they announced in early 2022 that they would be discontinuing production of Gem size snap lids and bands.
Small Mouth Jars have the smallest diameter of any "standard" mason jar at just 63mm wide. The bands that go with these are very cute and delicate too. We will have some vintage small mouth lids and bands for sale soon.
Now let's talk about commercial jars
Some commercial jars work with Regular and Wide Mouth Lids, but not most.
In the world of commercial containers and lids there are literally thousands of options. First, you have to determine the diameter of your container, secondly the depth of the lid you need, and third, the type of closure.
Commercial jars that work as mason jars have the correct diameter of 70mm or 86mm AND a CT or Continuous Thread or Screw on Lid.
Commercial jars that will never work as mason jars could have the correct diameter but will have the more common Lug or Twist On Thread.
Last we have Wire Bail Jars
Wire bail jars are your ultimate classic for vintage decor.
Some wire closure jars and bottles are still in production today, but all that we have at Mason Jar Merchant are Vintage between the late 1800s and 1940s.
There are two semi-standard mouth sizes for wire bail jars, one narrower and one wider, but they are not standard as we know it today. Glass lids that fit one jar may not fit another very similar jar, and wire bails are nearly impossible to fit without the jar and lid present. Even then you may try a hundred wires before you find a decent match.
Because of that difficulty, we only list jars for sale online that have a matching lid and wire bail combo, so you can rest assured that they all work together perfectly.
Did we cover everything you need to know about jar mouth sizes here? If not, drop us a line and let us know what else you'd like to know.
