Buyer guide
What do 200 g, 300 g and 500 g mean on a pickle or jam jar, and which lug cap fits?
A 200 g, 300 g or 500 g jar is named for the weight of product it was designed to hold, but the glass itself is specified by brimful volume in ml, because the same jar holds a different weight of honey, jam or pickle. Treat the gram figure as the trade name of a family of jars, confirm the exact reference by its brimful ml, and order the closure by its lug cap size in mm, not by the weight. Send those with your destination port and an FOB or CIF quote can follow.
Published · Letap International, Mumbai
Why jars are sold in grams but specified in millilitres
In the Indian food trade a jar is named for the weight of product it was designed to hold: a 200 g pickle jar, a 500 g jam jar. That name is a market convention. Glass is formed in a mould, so what is actually controlled and measured is volume: the brimful capacity, which is the water the jar holds filled to the top of the neck, quoted with a tolerance as in “209±5 ml”.
An importer therefore needs two numbers on a specification: the weight your market sells the jar as, and the brimful ml of the glass. One more unit trap: an ounce on a food label is a unit of weight (1 oz is 28.35 g), while a fluid ounce measures volume. The two only line up for water-like liquids, so do not read a jar's ml as ounces of food.
The fill weights Letap lists
27 references in food jars and food bottles carry a fill weight in their name or capacity, from 28 g to 500 g. Where a row publishes a brimful volume or a lug cap size, the table gathers it.
| Fill weight | In ounces | References | Brimful volume | Lug cap size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 g | 1.0 oz | 1 | 30 ml | 43 mm |
| 50 g | 1.8 oz | 1 | 205 ml | on the product page |
| 200 g | 7.1 oz | 10 | 162–500 ml | 30, 53, 70 mm |
| 250 g | 8.8 oz | 1 | 280 ml | 63 mm |
| 300 g | 10.6 oz | 4 | 300–308 ml | 63 mm |
| 340 g | 12.0 oz | 1 | 320 ml | 30 mm |
| 350 g | 12.3 oz | 1 | on the product page | on the product page |
| 400 g | 14.1 oz | 4 | 377–400 ml | 63 mm |
| 500 g | 17.6 oz | 4 | 412–470 ml | 63 mm |
- 200 g: 200 gm Bamboo Bottle, 200 gm Chinese Sauce Bottle, 200 gm CK Jar, 200 gm Jam Jar, 200 gm Milma Ghee Jar, 200 gm Nurrish Jar (Old), 200 gm Pickle Jar ND and 200 gm Round Bottle.
- 300 g: 300 gm Fudkor Bottle, 300 gm Fudkor Jar, 300 gm Jai Pickle Jar and 300 gm Kerla Pickle Jar.
- 500 g: 500 gm Ashoka Pickle Bottle, 500 gm SP Jar, 500 gm Special Jam Jar and 500 gm TK Jar.
Why the same jar holds different weights
The weight a jar holds depends on what goes into it. Honey and jam are denser than water, so a jar of a given brimful volume holds more of them by weight than of a pickle packed loosely with oil and pieces of vegetable. A filler also leaves headspace below the lid, so the filled weight is less than brimful volume multiplied by density.
The same gram name also does not mean the same glass. Among the references listed as 200 g, brimful volume runs from 162 to 500 ml. Treat the weight as a family name and confirm the reference by its brimful volume and, where published, its height and diameter.
Test-fill a sample with your own product before you commit to a full order, and set the fill line from that, not from the gram name.
How lug cap sizes relate to the jar mouth
A lug cap is a metal twist-off cap whose lugs engage short threads on the glass. Its size in millimetres is the nominal size of the lug finish it fits: a 63 mm lug cap goes on a 63 mm lug finish. The cap follows the mouth of the jar, not its weight, so two 300 g jars can take different caps. Some finishes also come in a standard and a “with bead” form, and the cap and capping line must suit the one you order.
| Lug cap size | References |
|---|---|
| 30 mm | 3 |
| 43 mm | 1 |
| 53 mm | 3 |
| 63 mm | 12 |
| 70 mm | 2 |
| 82 mm | 10 |
| 100 mm | 1 |
The caps and closures range separately lists “Jar Cap 38-120 mm” in PP, for necks of 38, 53, 63, 73, 83, 96, 120 mm. Check that the closure style matches your jar's finish.
A few jars use a ROPP aluminium finish instead of a lug. How the finishes differ.
What to send for an FOB or CIF quote
- The reference name from the product page, the fill weight you sell it as (in g or oz) and its brimful ml.
- The lug cap size in mm, and whether you need the standard or the with-bead finish, or ask for a cap to be matched to the jar.
- What goes in the jar, so the liner and closure can be chosen against it.
- Quantity, destination port, and whether you want FOB or CIF.
The reply gives FOB or CIF pricing, the minimum order quantity and the lead time, usually within two working days. Which of FOB or CIF to ask for.