Dab containers for retail concentrates are small, thick-walled glass jars, usually 5ml, 7ml or 9ml, with a certified child-resistant lid and a liner that seals against the rim. Glass is inert and keeps terpenes in. Plastic suits value lines. Silicone absorbs terpenes and is hard to make child-resistant, so it rarely suits a product on a shelf.
Quick answers
Best material for retail: glass with a certified child-resistant, lined lid.
Child-resistant: California's Department of Cannabis Control (DCC) requires cannabis packages to be child-resistant, and lets you meet that with any layer of packaging. Other states set their own rules, so check with your state regulator.
Size for 1g: a 5ml jar holds up to 1g comfortably. Go to 7ml or 9ml for 2g or a thicker concentrate.
Minimum: 5,000 units per SKU on stock jars and cartons. Custom print starts a bit higher.
Pricing: concentrate jars are quoted individually. Send the size and quantity and we reply with a number in two business days.
The problem: the jar is small, but it carries the whole product
A concentrate brand can spend months on a live resin and then lose it to the container. The trouble shows up in four places:
Terpene loss. A lid that does not seal lets the aroma out while the jar sits in a warehouse or on a shelf, and the product tastes flat when opened.
Leaks and sticking. Sauce creeps past a poor liner. Budder smears up the walls of the wrong jar and is hard to get out.
Compliance gaps. The supplier called the jar "child-resistant", but there is no test report when a regulator or retail buyer asks.
Label space. A 5ml jar has room for a logo and very little else, and the required label text has to go somewhere.
Each of these is settled at the spec stage. The rest of this guide covers those decisions in the order we work through them on a quote. The jars, cartons and envelopes we make are listed on our cannabis concentrate packaging page.
Glass, plastic or silicone: the three materials
Glass
A small, thick-walled jar with a child-resistant lid. Glass is inert, so it does not absorb or add flavour, it does not scratch, and the product stays visible. It is heavier and breakable, but it is what most dispensary concentrates ship in. We make glass concentrate jars in 5ml, 7ml and 9ml.
Plastic
Plastic concentrate containers are usually polypropylene or acrylic, sometimes with a glass-look finish. They are light and do not break. Polypropylene is inert enough for most products. Acrylic can scratch, and can react with high-terpene extracts over long periods. Plastic dab containers are common in value lines and for pre-packed shatter, where the product does not sit wet against the wall for months.
Silicone
Silicone is flexible, non-stick and easy to scrape clean, which is why shop listings sell it as small dab jars and "wax wallets". Those are personal accessories, not retail packaging, for two reasons. Silicone absorbs terpenes over time, so a product that sits in it for weeks loses flavour. And it is difficult to make child-resistant. Some brands get the non-stick surface without those problems by putting a silicone insert inside a glass or plastic child-resistant jar.
Match the container to the concentrate
Shatter. Brittle and flat. Best on silicone-coated parchment in a printed shatter envelope (we make both, with a child-resistant outer mylar bag where required), or in a flat container. In a round jar it breaks and sticks to the walls.
Wax, budder and badder. Soft and sticky. A glass jar, or a silicone-lined one. Hard to get out of a plain plastic jar.
Live resin and sauce. Liquid and terpene-heavy. Glass only, with a lid that seals against leaks and terpene loss.
Rosin. Treat it like live resin. Glass, often the smaller 5ml size, and usually stored cold, so the lid seal matters.
Crumble and sugar. Dry and loose. Any jar works. A wide mouth helps customers get it out.
Diamonds. Glass, so the crystals stay visible.
Jar sizes: ml vs grams
Jars are measured in millilitres of internal volume, not grams, and concentrates vary in density. Our three sizes:
5ml: holds up to 1g comfortably. The usual choice for a 0.5g or 1g retail unit of wax, budder or rosin.
7ml: more headroom, for 2g or for a thicker or airier concentrate.
9ml: the most headroom of the three, for 2g of a bulky texture.
A gram of budder sits in a 5ml jar with room to spare, while the same gram of shatter fits better on parchment. Larger jars exist in the market, but we make 5ml, 7ml and 9ml only.
Child-resistant dab containers: where the certificate sits
The certificate belongs to the lid, not the glass. On our jars the lid is the certified child-resistant part, with CPSC 16 CFR 1700.20 documentation. The glass itself is just glass. When a supplier says a jar is "child-resistant", ask which component was tested, and ask for the test report. Ours comes in the box rather than as a claim in an email.
What the test is. The federal protocol in 16 CFR 1700.20 uses a panel of up to 200 children aged 42 to 51 months. Under 16 CFR 1700.15(b), a package passes if it reaches at least 85% child-resistant effectiveness without a demonstration and 80% after one, and at least 90% senior-adult use effectiveness.
Any layer can comply, at least in California. The DCC's packaging checklist for final-form cannabis goods says packages must be child-resistant and tamper-evident, and that you can use any layer of packaging to meet those requirements. The DCC treats a package certified under the Poison Prevention Packaging Act regulations as child-resistant. So a jar with a nicer plain lid can still be sold compliantly in California if it goes inside a child-resistant outer, such as a locking carton or a child-resistant bag.
Check your own state. Other states set their own packaging rules, and they do not all match California's. Before you lock a spec, confirm the rule with your state regulator. Our overview of cannabis packaging regulations is a starting point, and the closure types and testing are covered in child-resistant caps and closures explained. Our full range of certified options is on the child-resistant packaging page.
Clear, black or opaque glass
We make concentrate jars in clear, black or opaque glass. Clear shows off diamonds, sauce and colour. Black or opaque glass is there for lines that want the product hidden, or where your state requires it.
The rule varies. California's DCC checklist requires opaque packaging for edibles only, and allows beverages in clear or coloured glass. Other states may differ, so check your state's rule before you choose clear glass for a concentrate line.
Lid liners, seals and tamper evidence
The lid is where concentrates leak and dry out, and it is the honest answer to anyone searching for "moisture proof" concentrate jars. A foam or PE liner inside the lid seals against the glass rim. For terpene-heavy products, the liner matters more than the jar material: a glass jar with a poor liner loses terpenes faster than a plastic jar with a good one.
Two things to ask any supplier for:
The liner spec, so you know what is sealing against the rim.
An inverted leak test, meaning a filled, closed jar held upside down to show the seal holds.
Tamper evidence is a separate requirement. The DCC's examples are a plastic seal, a sticker across the lid that rips when opened, or a jar with a lid that pops up after opening. As with child resistance, California lets any layer of packaging do the job, so a sealed carton or bag can carry it instead of the jar.
Labels, cartons and printing
Glass jars take a printed label, a shrink sleeve or direct screen printing, which looks best and costs the most.
A small jar cannot carry a full state label. That is why most states accept the carton as the labelled unit. We make printed folding cartons sized to the jar, with a fitted paperboard insert, a standard or child-resistant closure, and full colour print. We design the jar label and the carton panel together, so batch and licence numbers match across both.
The carton and box options are on our custom packaging boxes page. For how the jar, lid, carton and label fit together as one package, see what a compliant concentrate setup includes.
What to send for a quote
Concentrate jars and dab containers have no published price on our pricing page. They are a line we quote individually, because the jar, lid, glass colour, carton and print all change the number. Published prices on that page are ex-works China, with freight and duty quoted with the order.
To get an accurate quote on the first pass, send:
Concentrate type for each SKU (shatter, budder, live resin, rosin and so on).
Gram weight per unit.
Jar size: 5ml, 7ml or 9ml, or tell us the weight and we will suggest one.
Glass colour: clear, black or opaque.
Lid type: certified child-resistant, or a plain lid inside a child-resistant outer.
Carton: yes or no, and whether it needs a child-resistant closure.
State you sell in, so the spec is checked against where you sell.
Quantity per SKU. The minimum is 5,000 units per SKU on stock jars and cartons. Custom print starts a bit higher.
Send it through our quote form. We reply within two business days with pricing at two or three quantities, the real minimum for your spec, and a production timeline. Most runs ship in 20 business days, with freight on top.
The benefit: a jar spec that holds up on the shelf and in an audit
Getting the container right at the start pays back three ways. The product tastes the way it did when it left your lab, because the liner and glass hold the terpenes in. You have proof when a buyer or regulator asks, because the child-resistant test report sits with the lid. And the jar label and carton stay in step, because we design them together so batch and licence numbers match.
FAQ
What is the best dab container for retail concentrates?
A glass jar with a certified child-resistant, lined lid. Glass is inert and does not scratch, and the liner keeps terpenes in. Silicone suits personal use better than retail, because it absorbs terpenes over time and is hard to make child-resistant.
Are plastic concentrate containers safe for live resin?
Polypropylene is inert enough for most products, but acrylic can scratch and react with high-terpene extracts over long periods. Live resin is liquid and terpene-heavy, so it belongs in glass with a well-sealed lid.
Do concentrate jars have to be child-resistant?
In California, the DCC requires cannabis packages to be child-resistant, and any layer of packaging can meet the requirement. That means a certified lid or a child-resistant outer carton or bag. Other states set their own rules, so check with your state regulator.
What size jar holds 1 gram of concentrate?
A 5ml jar holds up to 1g comfortably. Choose 7ml or 9ml if you sell 2g units or a thicker, airier concentrate.
What is the minimum order for custom concentrate jars?
5,000 units per SKU on stock jars and cartons, and custom print starts a bit higher. Pricing is quoted individually. Send your size and quantity through the quote form and we reply within two business days.
