gallon jug holding more than a gallon

[milligkl]

I am cross posting this with the bottling forum because I want to make sure to get an informed opinion on this matter:



So the gallon jug that I've been using which I've filled up to the top (have over 1,000 like this) when I weighed it out has been coming in anywhere from 12-12.4 pounds (and an empty jug did not register any weight on my scale which goes out to the tenth of a pound). I know the weight of syrup is debatable per gallon and I've seen 11 and 11.3 pounds. With the difference it's anywhere from 4-16 oz being given away in free syrup. Should I be weighing my gallon jug and converting it accordingly (ie 1.08 gallons) and charging my customers that way or what does everyone think? It may not seem like a lot but it adds up to a significant quantity/lost revenue over the course of a year. Any opinions/comments/suggestions are welcome.

[325abn]

Oh I bet that jug weighs .5 - .75lb at least. Suspect your scale is off.

[Michael Greer]

A gallon is a liquid measure, not a weight measure. Syrup shrinks quite a lot as it cools so I'm guessing that the designers of that container had to allow for more than a gallon of hot syrup in order to get a full gallon after it cools. I bottle in glass and fill my jugs up to about 3/8" from the cap. Next day, after they've cooled, that syrup level has dropped down to the bottom of the neck. If I put exactly one gallon of hot syrup into a jug, my customers would feel they were being sold a jug that wasn't full. That's my theory anyhow.