What's the difference between the Swedish and Belgian sugar by Lars?

The Belgian variety is larger than the Swedish variety and resembles pearly white pebbles.

my recipe for leige belgian waffles calls for 1 1/2 c. pearl sugar. how many ounces is that?

I saw a recipe once that called for that much. The person doing the recipe online showed the dough with half the amount needed and it still looked like a lot. I wouldn't worry about ounces so much as just measuring out what you want. If you're making leige Belgian sugar waffles, use 1 1/2 cups. If you just want a good Belgian waffle, use whatever your heart desires.

Does anyone have an updated shelf life of this? the only comment i see is "from 4 years ago. expires in december". is it 8-12 months?

My expiration date was more than 2 years from the date I purchased the product - 27 months. I highly recommend it. It was perfect for the Christmas wreaths I baked.