I know it is a silly question but can you store unopened packs of canning jars in a non-climate controlled area?

I want to buy jars and start storing them for long term storage and was wandering if I can put them in my storage room that has outside vents and isn't cooled/heated at all ithout them cracking and breaking

I pour hot bacon grease into ours w/o them cracking, so I think normal ambient would be fine. It's the seal you need to pay attention to. Maybe just set the flat tops aside and store them in a better environment.

Our cases stay in the garage ( in florida) and we have never had an issue. I keep the plastic wrap on them.

For storage we keep the original boxes

Once a jar is opened after use, we clean the non reusable lid
Turn it upside down
Lightly turn the ring to the lid connects, this will keep dust & humidity, so when you ready to use the jar for the upcoming season , a good wash is all need

Which was in widespread use first? Glass jar canning or air conditioning?  

I've put them in the car with the A/C on and some will pop asthey seal when they cool down. Still use them with no problems.

We are in western mass and we store them in the back unheated shed. we have several cases new in wrap and any we have opened the lids have been fine.  you should be sterilizing them anyway.  the location being as dry as possible is a good thing for the lids.  we buy lids by the sleeve and we break them down and vacu-seal them to keep them as dry as possible. (the back shed freezes in winter and gets 90+ in summer. )

Never an issue with the glass just  lids you need to worry about.

I would suspect if you left them in a garage or shed that gets massive heat cycles you might damage the gum seal on the lids after a couple years.  

I can compare it to stuff I stashed in the attic of an unheated uninsulated garage with an uninsulated metal door.  I called it the easy bake oven.  A lot of items in that attic were so damaged after 8 years I tossed them.  Boxes of clothes, anything with elastic was ruined, the elastic was cooked and brittle. Rubber muck boots and hip waders were trashed, even the boxes were breaking down themselves, the glued flaps weren’t holding anymore.  More stuff than I can recall.


Gave me an excuse to toss a bunch of shit I didn’t use in 8-10 years of moving that I needlessly dragged around.  It was dry storage but that is all it was.

Thanks for the replies

I plan on just keeping unopened packs in the non-climate controlled room only. My packs of lids/bands stay inside

So empty, still new in wrap cases of jars are ok to keep in a non-climate controlled room where temps over the year can range from 5-90 degrees?

The new jars we sell are kept in an outside trailer, they will get hotter than 90 degrees f, but not often as low as 5 degrees f.  We will buy multiple skids at a time, and sell them throughout the year.  We have had no issues with selling them, using them ourselves, or have had returns of them.  For personal use, our extra used jars are stored in a outside building, but they do not have lids or rings on them.  Lids & rings are kept in the basement where the temperature and humidity is somewhat stable.  Extra lids for sale are kept in a temperature controlled warehouse.

I really don't expect you to have a problem, but I would prefer if I were you for extra insurance to keep the lid in a more stable environment due to the gasket.  You will probably hear the lid pinging from time to time as the temperature swing changes the pressure within the jar.

Your are talking about new jars in the original container? Yes they can be stored most anywhere. I’ve used 20-30 year old jars to can with no problem.