Clear Pyrex Casseroles: Comparing Shallow & Deep Ovals 

When oval casseroles first appeared in 1916, two depths were offered: shallow and deep.  Shallow ovals were discontinued about 1938, but deep ovals remained until the early 1940s.  Casserole styles changed three times during this period, from having no handles at all, to scalloped tab handles, then to plain tab handles.  Shallow oval casseroles do not exist in the latter style.  The examples pictured here have scalloped tab handles, manufactured sometime between 1926 & 1939.

Shallow oval 043 (1½ Qt) and deep oval 034 (2 Qt).  Their diameters are identical and they use the same lid which is marked 634-C-OR-643-C.

With the lid off, and measuring from the outside of the casserole, the height of a shallow casserole ranges from 2-1/8" to 2½".  Most deep casseroles fall in the range of 2-7/8" to 3¾", but the largest oval casserole ever offered was a 190 (3 Qt) which was 4½" high.

A shallow 043 is 2¼" high, and a deep 034 is 3¼" high.  Roughly one more inch in depth allows for an extra ½ Qt in capacity.

In addition to 043 & 034 casseroles, there is another pair of shallow & deep ovals that share the same lid.  A shallow 042 (1 Qt) has the same diameter as a deep 033 (1½ Qt), and their lid is marked 633-OR-642.  The height difference between them is 7/8".

From about 1936 to 1938 oval casseroles could be purchased with flat utility lids, either singly or in a three piece set that contained one lid and two casseroles, one shallow, and one deep.  A 602-613 lid fits both 042 & 033, and a 603-614 lid is meant for 043 & 034 casseroles.

Individually-sized 041/641 (¾ pt) shallow oval with 032/632 (1 Qt) & 034/634 (2 Qt) deep ovals.  The proportions of an 041 might seem deep, but being only 2-1/8" high, it is classified among shallow casseroles.

Oval casseroles made before 1926 are handle-free, and the measurements of almost every one are unique.  So a lid that fits a shallow oval (e.g.: 184 1½ Qt) will not fit a deep oval (e.g.: 194 2 Qt) at all.  But there is a pair of deep ovals that do have the same diameter.  A 193 (1 Qt) is ¾" shorter than a 197 (1½ Qt), and the lid that fits both of them is marked 193-197.


Related Articles:

Clear Pyrex 1915 - 1950, handles, lids & knobs
Extra Photos: Clear Pyrex (Older than 1950) 
Compare basic & Standard round casseroles
1918 Pyrex Leaflet
1922 Pyrex Leaflet 
1924-1925 Pyrex Booklets: Part One 
1927 Pyrex Booklet
1931 Pyrex Booklet: Part One 
1937 Advertisement: Pyrex & Flameware 
Which model numbers are duplicates?