Glass Bottles Wholesale Guide: Screw Top, Clip Top and Milk Bottles in Bulk
Screw top or clip top, 200ml or 1 litre? How to match glass bottles to juice, cold brew, sauces, syrups, milk and oil - and how to sterilise them before you fill - when you buy by the carton.
A juice bar bottling cold-pressed batches, a cafe selling house cold brew from the fridge, a market stall with a chilli sauce that keeps selling out - they all hit the same question sooner or later: which glass bottle, which lid, and how many to order. Buying glass bottles wholesale by the carton brings the unit cost down, but only if the bottle you pick suits what goes in it.
This guide covers the two closures that matter (screw top and clip top), which sizes suit which products, the milk, mini and oil bottles that round out a range, and how to sterilise glass bottles before you fill them. Everything here is sold in glass bottles bulk cartons of 12 to 36, delivered free across Melbourne metro on orders over $150 ex GST and shipped Australia-wide.
Looking for jars rather than bottles? Our glass jars and jam jars wholesale guide covers preserving, screw-top and storage jars in detail - this post sticks to bottles.
The short version
- Juice, kombucha and cold brew: a 200ml or 500ml screw top bottle for single serves and retail, or a 1 litre bottle for house batches.
- Fizzy and fermented drinks: a clip top (swing top) bottle - the rubber seal and wire clip reseal in one motion.
- Sauces, dressings and syrups: a 250ml clip top or a 500ml screw top, depending on whether customers pour once or keep reopening.
- Milkshakes, iced coffee and events: the 220ml mini glass milk bottle with lid, 36 to a carton.
- Oils and vinegars: a glass oil spray or pour bottle that sits on the pass or the table.
- Your brand on the bottle: we print logos in-house on smooth glass bottles, with a free proof before anything is printed.
- Before filling: wash, rinse, then heat or sanitise bottles and lids - steps are below.
Screw top vs clip top
Screw top glass bottles: the retail all-rounder
Screw top glass bottles are the default for anything sold to a customer to take away. A metal screw cap is cheap to replace, seals well for transport and storage, and leaves the neck and body clear for a wrap label or neck tag. Customers know how to open and reclose them, which matters when the bottle lives in a home fridge for a week.
- 200ml glass bottle with screw top lid - tall and slim (7.8 x 3.8 x 15cm), 24 per carton. The single-serve size for juice shots, cordials and dressings.
- 500ml glass bottle with screw top lid - a flat flask shape (10 x 5 x 20cm), 24 per carton. The most popular retail size for cold brew, cold-pressed juice, sauces and syrups.
- 1 litre glass bottle with silver screw cap and its gold cap twin - 12 per carton, heavier glass for house cordial, olive oil and batch cold brew.
For samples and hamper fillers, the 55ml and 115ml Long Series bottles use the same screw top idea at miniature scale.
Screw top vs clip top
Clip top (swing top) bottles: built to reseal
Clip top bottles - also sold as swing top bottles - have a hinged wire bail and a stopper with a rubber seal. There is no separate cap to lose: flip the clip and it seals shut again. That makes them the traditional choice for kombucha, water kefir and ginger beer, where the seal needs to hold some fizz, and for syrups and dressings that get opened over and over behind the counter.
- 255ml round clip top bottle - about 5.9 x 19.9cm, 24 per carton. The go-to fermenting and syrup bottle.
- 260ml square clip top bottle and 250ml handle clip top bottle - same job, different shelf look.
- 75ml square clip top bottle - tasters, gift packs and infused-oil samples.
- 1 litre clip top glass bottle - 8.5 x 30.5cm, 12 per carton. Front-of-house infused water, cold brew and syrup on the bench.
The trade-off: a clip top costs more per bottle than a screw top, and the seal is a part you should inspect between uses. With fermented drinks, leave headspace and don't push carbonation too far - any sealed glass bottle can fail if pressure builds unchecked.
Sizes and closures
Which glass bottle suits which product?
Match the bottle to how the product is sold and how often it gets opened. All sizes are sold by the carton.
| Bottle | Closure | Per carton | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 55ml / 115ml Long Series | Screw top | 24 | Samples, extracts, hamper fillers |
| 75ml square | Clip top | 24 | Infused-oil tasters, gift packs |
| 200ml glass bottle | Screw top | 24 | Juice shots, cordials, dressings |
| 220ml mini milk bottle | Lid (silver or white) | 36 | Milkshakes, iced coffee, events |
| 250ml - 260ml clip top | Clip top | 24 | Kombucha, kefir, syrups, vinegars |
| 500ml glass bottle | Screw top | 24 | Cold brew, juice, sauces, syrups for retail |
| 1 litre glass bottle | Screw top | 12 | House cordial, batch cold brew, olive oil |
| 1 litre clip top | Clip top | 12 | Infused water, cold brew and syrup on the bench |
| 300ml oil spray bottle | Spray top | 12 | Olive oil, vinegar on the pass |
Glass cartons are heavy - a carton of 24 x 500ml bottles weighs around 9kg - so it pays to combine sizes in one order to clear free Melbourne metro delivery at $150 ex GST. Unsure which size fits your filling run? Ask the trade desk or call 0416 769 492.
Best glass bottles for juice, cold brew, sauces and syrups
Juice, kombucha and cold brew
Most juice bottles sold in cafes and juice bars land at 250ml to 500ml. For glass bottles for juice, a 200ml screw top suits single serves and wellness shots, while the 500ml flask carries a full drink and sits well in a fridge door. Cold brew follows the same split: 500ml for a grab-and-go bottle, 1 litre for concentrate or the house batch you pour from. Kombucha and other fermented drinks belong in a clip top so the seal can be reopened and closed through the day.
Sauces, dressings and syrups
Glass sauce bottles and syrup bottles need a neck narrow enough to pour without glugging and a closure that survives a sticky rim. A 255ml clip top is ideal for house syrups on a coffee bench, while the 500ml screw top works for bottled chilli sauce, dressings and marinades going home with customers. Thicker sauces that need squeezing are a better fit for our plastic 470ml sauce bottle.
Milk and soda bottles
The retro 220ml mini glass milk bottle with lid (12cm high, 6cm across, assorted silver and white lids) is the one cafes, dessert bars and event stylists reorder for milkshakes, iced coffee, layered desserts and wedding tables. A carton of 36 sets up a full service, and they are reusable and dishwasher-friendly, which suits venues washing and reusing them between events.
Glass oil bottles
For olive oil and vinegar at the pass or on the table, a 300ml glass oil spray bottle or the encased glass oil bottle gives portion control and keeps the bench clean. Glass oil bottles do not take on flavours or odours, so the same bottle can be washed and refilled with a different oil.
Glass vs plastic bottles
Glass is inert, takes heat for sterilising, presents as a premium product and can be washed and reused many times. Plastic is lighter, cheaper to freight and won't break if it is dropped at a market stall. Many businesses run both: glass for retail and the fridge display, and 500ml plastic milk bottles for deliveries, school canteens and events where breakage is a risk.
Shop the guide
Glass bottles our trade customers reorder
Wholesale pricing shown ex GST · cartons of 12 to 36 · free Melbourne metro delivery over $150 ex GST
Cold brew and juice
Single serves and shots
House batches
Bench and front of house
Milkshakes and events
Need a size or closure that is not in the carousel? Shop all glass bottles wholesale alongside our glass jars and containers - including the 255ml and 260ml clip top bottles, 75ml tasters and the 55ml and 115ml Long Series.
Logo printing on glass bottles
Want the bottle itself to carry your brand rather than a stick-on label? We offer custom printed glass bottles, printed in-house in Melbourne. Your logo or wording goes on as a full-colour UV DTF transfer that bonds to smooth glass - it is not engraving and not a paper label.
- Which bottles print best: smooth, clear glass. The flat-sided 500ml flask gives the largest print area, and the 200ml, 1 litre and clip top bottles take a logo on the body.
- How it works: send us your logo, the bottle you want and the quantity. We reply with a free digital proof, and nothing is printed until you approve it.
- Turnaround: about 5 business days after you approve the proof.
Printed bottles suit juice bars and cold brew brands selling retail, producers building a range for markets and providores, and venues serving house water or cordial at the table. Request a logo printing quote with your artwork and quantity.
Ordering glass bottles in bulk: sold by the carton of 12 to 36, with free Melbourne metro delivery over $150 ex GST.
How to sterilise glass bottles before filling
New bottles arrive packed in cartons, not sterile, so treat every bottle and lid as needing a clean before it is filled. The method below is the common kitchen approach for small producers and cafes; if you bottle for sale, follow your food safety program and check with your local council or food authority on what they expect for your product.
- Inspect. Discard any bottle with chips, cracks or scratches on the neck - a damaged rim won't seal and can shed glass.
- Wash. Wash bottles and lids in hot soapy water, using a bottle brush on the inside and shoulders, then rinse well so no detergent is left behind.
- Heat the bottles. Either stand the clean, wet bottles upright in a cold oven, heat to around 110 - 120C and hold for 10 to 15 minutes, or submerge them in a pot of water, bring it to the boil and boil for 10 minutes. A hot dishwasher cycle is another option for bottles that fit.
- Treat lids and seals separately. Metal screw caps and clip top stoppers should not go in the oven. Remove the rubber seals from clip tops and simmer the lids and seals in hot water for a few minutes instead.
- Fill warm, avoid shocks. Fill hot product into warm bottles and cold product into cooled bottles - big temperature swings are what crack glass. Use a clean funnel, leave headspace and cap straight away.
- Label and date. Label each bottle with the product and fill date, and store as your product requires.
Whether you call it sterilise or sterilize, the principle is the same: clean first, then heat, and never let a cleaned bottle sit open on the bench.
Common questions
Glass bottle FAQs
How do I sterilise glass bottles for juice or sauce?
Wash bottles and lids in hot soapy water and rinse well, then heat the bottles in a cold oven brought up to around 110 - 120C for 10 to 15 minutes, or boil them fully submerged for 10 minutes. Simmer metal lids and rubber seals in hot water rather than putting them in the oven. If you bottle for sale, follow your food safety program and local council guidance.
What size glass bottle is best for cold brew or juice?
For a single grab-and-go drink, a 500ml glass bottle is the most common choice. Use a 200ml bottle for shots and kids' sizes, and a 1 litre glass bottle for concentrate, house batches or family-size retail.
What is the difference between screw top and swing top bottles?
A screw top bottle uses a separate metal cap that threads onto the neck - simple, low cost and easy for customers. A swing top (clip top) bottle has a hinged wire clip and a stopper with a rubber seal attached to the bottle, so it reseals in one motion and holds fizz better, which is why it is favoured for kombucha and fermented drinks.
Can I buy glass bottles in bulk in Melbourne?
Yes. DPack sells glass bottles by the carton of 12 to 36, with free delivery across Melbourne metro on orders over $150 ex GST and shipping Australia-wide. Browse the full range in glass jars and containers.
Can you print our logo on glass bottles?
Yes. We print logos in-house in Melbourne as a full-colour UV DTF transfer on smooth glass bottles. You get a free digital proof to approve first, and printing takes about 5 business days after approval. See logo printing on glass bottles and glassware or request a quote.
Are glass or plastic bottles better for takeaway drinks?
Glass looks premium, doesn't take on flavours and can be sterilised and reused, so it suits retail fridges and repeat customers. Plastic is lighter and won't break, so it suits deliveries, events and canteens. Many venues stock both - for example the 500ml glass bottle for the fridge and the 500ml plastic milk bottle for delivery.
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