This Can Size Chart Gives Recipe Conversion Amounts for Cups in a Can (2024)

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Decoding Older Recipes Listing Only the Name of the Can Size

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Peggy Trowbridge Filippone

Peggy Trowbridge Filippone

Peggy Trowbridge Filippone is a writer who develops approachable recipes for home cooks. Her recipes range from Grandma’s favorites to the latest food trends.

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Updated on 08/20/19

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This Can Size Chart Gives Recipe Conversion Amounts for Cups in a Can (1)

You've been looking forward to making grandma's sauce recipe—it's an heirloom, passed down from generation to generation, one that your grandmother cookedand that you are committed to making a part of your family's favorite dishes. But some of the measurements aren't quite making sense—like what is a "no. 10 can"?

When it comes to modern recipe ingredient lists, we are familiar withthe measurements of the ingredient listed, as well as the size of the can when applicable—for example, 1 can (15-ounce) tomato paste. But older recipes might just list a can size—which is not a weight or volume measurement but just a name or number—and little else. This is particularly tricky if you're making grandma's traditional recipe for the first time and you aren't sure how much of an ingredient should be included, or if you are downsizing a recipe meant to feed a crowd and have no idea how to cut a "no. 3 squat" can in half.

Luckily, there is a way to convert these old-fashioned can sizes into something more familiar.

This Can Size Chart Gives Recipe Conversion Amounts for Cups in a Can (2)

Can Size Conversion Chart

In the event you run across a recipe that doesn't have the measurements spelled out, consider some generally accepted conversions, both forhow much to use and how much to buy of thatcanned ingredient.

Can Size Name Weight Volume
Picnic10 1/2 to 12 ounces1 1/4 cups
12 ounces vacuum12 ounces1 1/2 cups
No. 111 ounces1 1/3 cup
No. 1 tall16 ounces2 cups
No. 1 square16 ounces2 cups
No. 21 pound 4 ounces or
1 pint 2 fluid ounces
2 1/2 cups
No. 2 1/21 pound 13 ounces3 1/2 cups
No. 2 1/2 square31 ouncesscant 4 cups
No. 351 ounces5 3/4 cups
No. 3 squat23 ounces2 3/4 cups
No. 556 ounces7 1/3 cups
No. 10

6 pounds 6 ounces to 7 pounds 5 ounces

12 cups
No. 30014 to 16 ounces1 3/4 cups
No. 30316 to 17 ounces2 cups

Jar Size Conversion Chart

Jars used in preserving your own fruits and vegetables are considered "canned." If you are looking at an old canning recipe, it may list a jar size. These are a little less confusing than the can sizes as jars come in sizes that already reference volume and weight. While there mightnow be some fancy jars available, older recipes relied on good-old Mason jars.

Jar Size Weight Volume
Jelly Jar4 ounces1/2 cup
Jelly Jar8 ounces1 cup
Jelly Jar12 ounces1 1/2 cups
Half Pint8 ounces1 cup
Pint16 ounces2 cups
Pint-and-a-Half24 ounces3 cups
Pint-and-Three-Quarters28 ounces3 1/2 cups
Quart32 ounces4 cups
Half Gallon64 ounces8 cups
Gallon128 ounces16 cups
Storage Jar14 ounces1 3/4 cups
Storage Jar38 ounces4 3/4 cups

Miscellaneous Size Conversions

We all have probably come across a recipe with odd or vague ingredient measurements—or maybe no measurements at all. Use some basic conversions to fill in the blanks.

Ingredient MeasurementWeightVolume
Baby food jar3 1/2 to 8 ouncesdepends on size
Condensed milk15 ounces1 1/3 cups
Evaporated milk6 ounces2/3 cup
Evaporated milk14 1/2 ounces1 2/3 cups
Frozen juice concentrate6 ounces3/4 cup

History of Can Sizes

To find out how many cups in a can are required, it's useful to have a little history of the canning industry. According tothe guidebook Canning and How to Use Canned Foodsby A.W. Bitting and K.G. Bitting, theNational Canners Association (it's now called the Food Products Association) says, while there are (or were) some can sizes considered standard, these measurements aren't based on any unit of volume or other requirements, and might lead to confusion for home cooks.

The Canners Association explainedthat in assigning the mysterious numbers to cans, the American can industry describes the dimensions of cylindrical cans by two numbers: diameter and height. The guidebook's authors lamented the lack of foresight by the canning industry, saying, "The regular No. 2 can is too large for peas, corn, and beans in amount for the average family to use at one time, and the unused part is not as attractive when reheated. The No. 3 can of tomatoes is likewise an anomaly though the objection is not so strong as for the No. 2. The No. 2½ can was introduced as a compromise on the No. 3, especially for fruits, but recently a better size is being used having the diameter of the No. 2½ but only half the height. After machines have once been built to make and close cans of a certain size, it is difficult to make changes no matter how desirable it may be."

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This Can Size Chart Gives Recipe Conversion Amounts for Cups in a Can (2024)

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