Organization and decluttering are keys to a healthy home. One area of our homes that require the most decluttering is kitchen pantries. If you’re like me, you probably toss all of the spices you purchase at a grocery store in the pantry without giving them a second thought.
If you know the exact measurements of a spice jar, you will also know how much space they take up. Spices typically come in jars that measure 5 inches in height and 2 inches in diameter. However, the exact measurements of a spice jar will vary from brand to brand.
Want to know more about spice jars and how you can keep your spices in order? Then you’ve come to the right place! For the remainder of this article, I will go into greater detail about spice jar sizes and what you can do to keep your kitchen from looking like a spice bomb went off in the spice rack or cabinet.
Average Spice Jar Sizes by Brands
The next time you take a stroll through the spice aisle at a supermarket, pay close attention to the sizes of the spice jars. You will find that some spices come in large jars, others come in tiny jars. But when comparing brands, they may be completely different in shape, size, and quantity.
Below, I will list the dimensions of spice jars by the brand to give you a good idea of how much each brand differs from the next.
| Brand | Diameter (in.) | Height (in.) | Net Weight (oz.) |
| Penzey | 2 | 5 | 2.3 |
| McCormick | 1.8 | 4.5 | 4 |
| Simply Organic | 1.75 | 4.125 | 4 |
| Burlap & Barrel | 2 | 2 | 1.8 |
| Diasporaco | 3 | 7.4 | 2.29 |
| Heray Spice | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Watkins | 2 | 5 | 2 |
| SpicesInc | 1.875 | 4.25 | 4 |
| Empresas Tajín | 2.5 | 6 | 14 |
| Weber-Stephen | 2 | 5 | 7.75 |
| MDH | 1.75 | 5 | 3.5 |
| B&G Foods | 2 | 5 | 3.4 |
| Shan Foods | 3 | 5.5 | 3.5 |
So, as you can see from the table above, different brands sell their spices in different container sizes. The figures above only show their “standard” sizes—there is a lot to uncover if you want to compare their small, large, and even box sizes.
To muddy the waters even further, some specialty spice shops may offer custom-made jars. The good news is that you can order spice jars that are the exact dimensions you want to fit your spice rack or spice cabinet with minimal clutter.
Other Spice Jar Sizes
What if you want to make the smarter financial decision and purchase spices in bulk? If that’s the case, then you will also need to invest in a few spice jars. While spices in bulk are cheaper per ounce, they are sold in bags or boxes, and portioning out teaspoons or tablespoons of a spice in such containers can be tricky.
So, what you can do is look for stand-alone spice jars. The internet is full of them, and many small-scale retailers will also provide spice jars in irregular shapes, sizes, and capacities.
For instance, if you look at the IKEA Rajtan Spice Jar, you’ll find that it measures 3 inches in diameter and 3 inches tall. The more traditional Örtfylld Spice Jar will measure 1.57 inches wide and 4.33 inches tall.
Alternatively, if you go through spices like there’s no tomorrow, you should probably think about storing your spices in larger containers, such as mason jars. The most popular mason jar sizes can hold up to 4, 8, 16, 28, and 32 ounces.
Organizing Your Spices with a Spice Rack
So far, we’ve learned that spice jars come in a variety of shapes. Knowing this, we can safely conclude that there is no universal spice rack that will fit the same number of spice jars of different brands.
If you plan on purchasing a spice rack, or if you want to build one using your own two hands (you can follow Rock Hazelton’s video instructions), your spice rack should be able to fit all of your spices across several tiers.
Ideally, the spice rack will leave minimal space in between jars after loading all of your spice jars in the rack. To do this, you should measure the widths of 8 or 12 spice jars to use as a reference for the width of each rack. Also, pay close attention to the tallest spice jar you own and use that as a reference for building the rack above and/or below each rack.
If you purchase a spice rack, you will not have much say over how many spice jars you can fill per rack. You simply need to put the spice rack together following the instructions manual, which means you may not have the freedom to build the spice rack as wide or as tall as you want.
Pre-made spice racks can also come in different materials—stainless steel, aluminum, or plastic—to fit your kitchen décor. DIY spice racks are usually made of wood, and depending on how handy you are with power tools, theu may end up looking pretty bland.
Regardless of whether you purchase or build your own spice rack, you will need to pay attention to how many jars the rack can hold, how many levels it has, and whether or not you have the cabinet or counter space to place the spice rack.
Save Space with Spice Tins
If your primary goal is to save as much wall or cabinet space as possible, then you should consider getting spice tins instead. A spice tin is a small container that holds around 3 ounces of spices when full.
Spice tins are typically wider and shorter than traditional spice jars, and some of them have magnetic backs, which allow you to stick them onto metal panels on walls or behind cabinet doors.
However, it’s important to note that spice tins are sold separately from spices. As such, you will need to come up with a labeling system to know which spice tin contains which spice at a glance. That way, you won’t have to fumble through your entire cabinet to locate that one spice tin you need for a certain recipe.
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