# Confusion on selling honey in jars, weight vs. volume, pricing, etc.



## oblib

Just quote him 12 bucks a quart. You get $4 lb that you want and he gets to buy it "by the quart" which makes him happy.


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## sqkcrk

Selling honey by weight is a legal matter. Tell him you didn't know that before, but now you do. So, you want to keep within the Law and sell by weight.

Is the buyer labeling what he sells or are you? Because there are all sorts of rules and regulations about what is supposed to appear on a honey jar label.

You've mentioned your Dad a couple of times. How old are you?


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## Nantom670

I buy honey around here at $7 in a pint jar, it says 22 oz, I also buy it in quart jars for $12.95, it says 44 oz. That is the way it is also labeled at the co-op, but how you sell it to that person I do not think would make any difference as long as both of you are happy. He is not putting your name on it, is he? If he wants it as the person above said, by the quart, give him your quart price. It may sell for more where you are, even here some people want and get $15 a quart. I just don't buy from them.


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## Mike Gillmore

Explain to him that quart canning jars are calibrated in "fluid" ounces using the unit weight of water which is 8.33 lbs per gallon. One pound of water will fill the jar to 16 ounces. A full quart jar of water, 32 ounces, weighs about 2 pounds. 

Honey is much heavier than water and has a different unit weight. Since it is heavier, one "pound" of honey will fill your quart jar only to 10.67 ounces. Filling it completely full will give you 32 fluid ounces, or 3 pounds. When measuring honey in fluid ounce containers I usually round up to 11 fl oz / lb. My labels are all marked in "Net Wt. - lbs."

By the way, I think your price is fair. Check at your local stores and see what the retail prices are, they will probably be in the $4 - $5.00 range per pound. Someone with a bit of sales skills will easily get $5.00 or more for good local honey.


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## standman

I think you have to answer the question that is being asked. I label my honey by weight (as legally required), but when a customer asks "how much?" I answer "$10 per pint." If I were to give him a price per pound, most would have no idea how much honey they were getting. If your customer wants to pay according to volume, sell it to him that way. Just keep your records by weight (or both) since that is what the industry is interested in.


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## sqkcrk

So, do you say the same thing about a quart jar? "$10.00 per pint"? And then let them do the math? Or do you say "$10.00 per jar and $20.00 per jar for the larger one."?


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## BeeMan_2010

Dr Wax..Honey is sold by weight not by fluid oz. The p-gravity of honey is 1.36 & P-gravity of water is 1 so to get it right you x container oz by 1.36 = honey weight; example a Pint jar or 16 oz X 1.36 = 22 oz honey. A # of honey is = to 12 fluid oz. The name of the company,address, or if not a company your name, address, and phone # needs to on jar to be leg. By the way you have to have # & oz Or oz and gr. on the label.... 22oz. 454gr.


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## BeeMan_2010

BeeMan_2010 said:


> Dr Wax..Honey is sold by weight not by fluid oz. The p-gravity of honey is 1.36 & P-gravity of water is 1 so to get it right you x container oz by 1.36 = honey weight; example a Pint jar or 16 oz X 1.36 = 22 oz honey. A # of honey is = to 12 fluid oz. The name of the company,address, or if not a company your name, address, and phone # needs to on jar to be leg. By the way you have to have # & oz Or oz and gr. on the label.... 22oz. 454gr.


Sorry about the error on the pacific gravity of honey; it is 1.42 (the numbers still work.)


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## sqkcrk

Interesting. Has anyone done the math w/ their honey jars and then weighed them empty and weighed them full, done the math and compared the accuracy?


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## Jim 134

In MA. I label my honey by weight (as legally required) end of story.


BEE HAPPY Jim 134


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## standman

sqkcrk said:


> So, do you say the same thing about a quart jar? "$10.00 per pint"? And then let them do the math? Or do you say "$10.00 per jar and $20.00 per jar for the larger one."?


Yes. All of my honey is sold to individuals through word of mouth, so the real question they are asking is "how much (volume) am I getting. My labels still show weight. If someone wanted to buy a case of quarts, I would be willing to make them a deal.


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## cg3

sqkcrk said:


> Has anyone done the math w/ their honey jars


 Half pint weighed 11.2 oz.


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## sqkcrk

The empty jar? Or the honey in it?


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## cg3

The honey contained in a Ball half pint canning jar.


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## StevenG

Price it by the pound, sell it by the container - e.g. $10 a pint, $18 a quart. if in regular honey jars, price the jar according to the price per pound you want. You know what you're doing, it isn't unethical, and it keeps the customer happy... they're buying a jar of honey. IF they ask about weight, you can explain it to them. Most won't ask. They're just happy to get a jar of great honey!
Regards,
Steven


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## Mike Gillmore

Just brought a certified scale home from our lab and weighed some of my honey at the house. The jars were first tared on the scale and then filled all the way to the top with honey.

*1 pint* Ball mason jar - 678 grams (1.495 lbs) or Net Wt. - 23.92 oz.
*I quart* Ball mason jar - 1356 grams (2.989 lbs) or Net Wt. - 47.82 oz.

My honey is probably running on the high side on moisture content - 17.5 - 18%. Need to get my refractometer re-calibrated. Someone with a lower % moisture in their honey will get a little more weight per jar.


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## sqkcrk

17.5 to 18 is a good place to be, imo. Not too high(18.5 and above) and not too low(16.5 and below).


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## cg3

Is there an appropriate fill level on Mason Jars? Why is 16.5 too low?


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## KQ6AR

Same question too Mark, Too low?
My honey is usually in the 15.5% range when I harvest.


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## sqkcrk

cg3 said:


> Is there an appropriate fill level on Mason Jars? Why is 16.5 too low?


16.5% moisture content, not ounces. Honey, by definition, USDA Grade A anyway, is of a moisture content between 16.5% and 18.5%. Less or more, it is still honey, just not Grade A. Over 18.5% moisture content is prone to fermentation. Especially if it picks up some more moisture or starts to crystalize. Which can concentrate the moisture, leading to fermentation.


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## sqkcrk

KQ6AR said:


> Same question too Mark, Too low?
> My honey is usually in the 15.5% range when I harvest.


If it isn't a problem, it isn't a problem. I certainly wouldn't try to do anything about it, like adding water.


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## cg3

sqkcrk said:


> adding water.


 Booze?


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## cg3

Seriously, is high/low moisture honey that does not meet the Grade A standard damaged in some way? Would blending the two substandard honeys result in Grade A?


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## sqkcrk

cg3 said:


> Booze?


Booze would be okay. Except I would add honey to booze, not booze to honey.

cg3, damaged? No. Not really substandard either. But too high moisture is unstable, prone to fermentation. Yes, blending is done and is a good thing to do.


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