Produce to Jar Yield Calculator
Estimate how many jars a batch of produce will fill, or how many pounds to buy for a jar count, using NCHFP averages.
These are NCHFP averages. Size and trim change the real number, and your jars still need a tested recipe for that exact food and jar size, including the correct headspace. See the altitude adjustment calculator for processing time and pressure.
How it works
Buying produce for a canning day is easier when you know roughly how many jars a given amount will fill. This calculator uses NCHFP average yields, expressed as pounds of raw produce per quart jar, and scales them either direction: tell it how many pounds you have and it estimates jars, or tell it how many jars you want and it estimates pounds to buy.
Worked example: whole tomatoes run about 3 lbs per quart. If you bring home 21 lbs from the farmers market, that's 21 divided by 3, or 7 quart jars. Switch the mode to work backward: if you want 7 quarts of green beans, and green beans run about 2 lbs per quart, you'd buy 7 times 2, or 14 lbs. The calculator also converts your pound total into pint jars, doubling the quart count, since a quart holds twice what a pint does.
These numbers are averages across a normal harvest. A box of small, imperfect cucumbers might yield fewer pints than perfectly sized ones, and how much you trim (coring, pitting, peeling) changes the usable weight too. Treat the result as a shopping estimate, then buy a little extra rather than a little short.
FAQ
Why does this only ask for quart jars?
NCHFP publishes its yield tables in pounds per quart, so that's the base unit here. Pints are just half a quart's worth of produce, which is why the pint number shown is always double the quart number.
Does this tell me how long to process my jars?
No. This tool is only for estimating how much produce to buy or how many jars a haul will fill. Processing time and pressure depend on your altitude and the specific tested recipe, which is what the altitude adjustment calculator is for.
Why did I get fewer jars than the calculator predicted?
Smaller or blemished produce, thick peels, big pits, and how finely you pack a jar all shift the real number. Trim loss is the biggest factor: peaches with lots of bruising to cut away will yield noticeably less than the average.
Can I use this for any recipe with these foods?
Only as a shopping estimate. The actual jar count and headspace still need to follow a current, tested recipe for that specific food, whether it's plain packed in water, packed in syrup, or turned into a sauce, since those change how much fits per jar.
For more on jar sizing and safe processing, see Mason jar sizes explained, how to can tomatoes safely, and what is headspace and why does it matter.