Canning altitude tables
Boiling water bath added minutes and pressure-canner gauge settings for every elevation band, sea level to 10,000 ft.
Adjustments at a glance
| Altitude band | BWB added (min) | Dial gauge (psi) | Weighted gauge (psi) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sea level to 1,000 ft | +0 | 11.0 | 10.0 |
| 1,001 ft to 3,000 ft | +5 | 12.0 | 15.0 |
| 3,001 ft to 6,000 ft | +10 | 13.0 | 15.0 |
| 6,001 ft to 8,000 ft | +15 | 14.0 | 15.0 |
| 8,001 ft to 10,000 ft | +20 | 15.0 | 15.0 |
BWB added minutes are for recipes with original processing time of 20 minutes or less. For recipes longer than 20 min, use the recipe-specific table on each band page.
Why altitude matters
At sea level, water boils at 212 °F (100 °C). At 5,000 ft (Denver, for example), water boils at about 203 °F. The lower temperature is less effective at killing the spoilage organisms and pathogens that home canning is designed to eliminate. USDA addresses this two ways: longer processing times in a boiling water bath, and higher pressure in a pressure canner, both calibrated to the local elevation.
Verify your local elevation with a USGS topographic map, the NCHFP altitude finder, or your phone's GPS — kitchens in the same city can vary by hundreds of feet, and the safety floor is set at the higher of either home elevation OR the published recipe assumption.
Sources
USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning, Guide 1 (Principles of Home Canning), Tables 1, 2, and 3. Reproduced via NCHFP, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension.