Plastisol Liners

plastisol_line_basicsPicking the right canning lid for your jar can sometimes feel a bit… jarring. Puns aside, there are lots of different lid options to choose from when putting together your product. The canning process has been passed down for generations and is used by individuals and small and large companies alike to preserve food. Anyone new to canning likely pictures homemade jams or pickled goods that were received as a gift from friends in small jars with twist-off lids and popping buttons (we've all clicked the pressure button for fun before)! If you've looked at our website for much time, you likely noticed that our most common canning lids are a little different than the ones you find in the canning aisle at the local home goods store. Namely, you’ll notice that most of our lids are one-piece lids instead of the two-piece ring and sealing lid combo used for traditional home canning. So what makes the lids we stock different? A lot, actually. You can read all about it in the article below. Now let’s pop to it! <h3>Type of Sealing Material</h3>-----Cameron Insert new picture here To start, two-piece canning lids are often made with a silicone or rubber material that creates an airtight seal when used in traditional home canning methods. While our one-piece lids are made of a different material, plastisol, they still create a similar seal. Plastisol is made from PVC plastic and plasticizers (which is a fancy word for other plastic materials) to make the PVC moldable when heated. It acts in a similar way that silicone or rubber lids do, but there are a few nuances worth highlighting to help with finding the right lid.<h3>How Does Plastisol Work?</h3>When used with Hot Water Bath and Hot Fill canning methods, plastisol liners are heated and softened, which makes them more malleable. This allows the plastisol liner to form the hermetic/airtight seal needed to properly package canned goods. The heat from these canning methods activates the plastisol and allows it to mold around the landing of the jar. When the product, jar, and lid cool, the plastisol liner solidifies. This combination of events creates both an airtight seal on top of the jar and a negative pressure vacuum inside the jar.  Container and Packaging offers two different types of plastisol liners on the canning lids we sell: Standard and Pasteurization-Grade. Each has a different use depending on the canning process that you use.   <h1>Standard Plastisol - Continuous Thread Lids</h1>Some of our continuous-thread lids have standard plastisol which is best used with hot-fill canning methods. Examples of products that use hot-fill canning include juices, sauces, salsas, and other foods with a smooth consistency with a pre-cook process.One notable difference between continuous thread one-piece lids from two-piece lids is the height of the lid. Two-piece lids tend to be taller and one-piece lids tend to be shorter. However, we carry one-piece lids in both the standard short height (for example 70-400) as well as the tall height (for example, 70-450G). Lids that end with 450G are the most similar in height and aesthetic to two-piece canning lids, while lids that end in 400 are shorter and do not look like the two-piece lids much at all.  Pasteurization-Grade - Lug and Twist Lids Pasteurization-Grade plastisol is found in our lug and twist lids and can be used in both hot water bath and hot fill canning methods. Examples of products that use hot water bath canning methods are vegetables, fruits, jams, and pickles. In general, pasteurization-grade plastisol can get hotter than standard plastisol to get past a pasteurization temperature. These lids benefit from using a lug lid with several smaller threads which only require ¼ turns to open.   Sample, Sample, Sample!Sometimes the differences between the various canning lid styles are hard to see while looking at a picture online. We always recommend sampling lids and jars to test them with your product before placing a larger order. Everyone's product is unique and may interact differently with the jars and lids. It is especially important to sample if you are trying to match our lids with jars from a different company, or vice versa.Our Customer Care team is happy to help you put together a sample order. Give us a call at 800-473-4144 or send us an e-mail at customerservice@containers.com.Or, if you would like to put together your order online, check out our FAQ Page for instructions on how to put together a sample order! Additional Questions?Where'd the Button Go?  How does the plastisol seal work on lids that don't have a vacuum seal button? The button is a great way of knowing a vacuum seal has been achieved, but the definitive way to know this is the "Thunk" sound when you open the container. Another way to tell if the product sealed successfully is by pushing in the center of the metal canning lid with your fingers to see if it bends easily; If sealed properly, the lid shouldn't bend or have much give.  Is Sterilization Needed? It depends. See our policy about sterilization for more details: Info on SterilizationWhat Type of Metal Are They Made Of - Are the Lids Food Safe? Each lid is made by a different manufacturer and may be made from different materials. We are always happy to look up this information for you.Can we verify this? I don’t see a use for canning something that is not food-related. So all of our canning lids should be 100% food safe, right? If we cannot say that the lids are food safe, we should remove this section. Wide Mouth Lids? Wide mouth lids and jars are often specific to a certain brand of two-piece lids that vary from brand to brand and can change based on your country. Because there isn't an industry standard for what “wide mouth” means in each brand or country, we can only match our stock lids with our stock jars. However, for larger bulk orders, we are able to source specific lids and containers for you at a good price.More information?  For more information about the right lid for your canning project, check out this article: 3 Types of Plastisol Canning Caps. Or give us a call and our team will be happy to assist you!