283 characters at 25 per inch. 11.32 inches of line, minimum.
The statement at 27 CFR 16.21 is 283 characters including spaces and punctuation. 27 CFR 16.22(b)(2) and its table permit at most 25 characters per inch for a container over 237 mL and up to 3 litres.
The division
283 divided by 25 is 11.32. So the statement occupies at least 11.32 inches of line, set as tightly as the regulation allows.
Both numbers are published
One is a fixed string in a regulation and the other is a figure in a table. Nothing here is estimated and nothing is ours.
Which is why this page exists at all
It is the only place in this library where a label fit can be computed exactly, because it is the only rule that supplies both a character count and a density.
Setting fewer characters per inch is always permitted and always takes more line. 11.32 inches is the tightest legal footprint.
And it excludes the margin
The statement must appear separate and apart from other label information, which means a reserved block. The 11.32 inches is the type alone.
For the other bands
283 divided by 40 is 7.08 inches in band one. 283 divided by 12 is 23.58 inches in band three. Both computed the same way.
Which gives the band jump a number
7.08 to 11.32 inches at the 237 mL boundary, a 60 percent increase for one millilitre of capacity.
A multi-line setting is the normal answer
11.32 inches of line on a three-line block is under 4 inches per line, which most retail containers can take. One line is the unusual case.
Then measure the panel
Which is the next page, and the point where this stops being arithmetic and starts being a container decision.
References
Computed from published values only. The statement required by 27 CFR 16.21 is 283 characters including spaces and punctuation. 27 CFR 16.22(b)(2) covers containers over 237 mL and up to 3 L, where the type must be at least 2 millimeters and the accompanying table permits at most 25 characters per inch. 283 divided by 25 is 11.32, so the statement requires at least 11.32 inches of line. On the Davis Pack Supply beer shelf, measured 19 October 2026, diameter is recorded on 124 of the 145 containers and runs 1.95 to 3.86 inches with a median of 2.71; the circumference of the median container is therefore about 8.52 inches, the smallest about 6.13 and the largest about 12.13. All 145 containers fall in band (2), none being 237 mL or less and none exceeding 3 L.
27 CFR 16.22(b): "(b) Size of type. (1) Containers of 237 milliliters (8 fl. oz.) or less. The mandatory statement required by Sec. 16.21 shall be in script, type, or printing not smaller than 1 millimeter. (2) Containers of more than 237 milliliters (8 fl. oz.) up to 3 liters (101 fl. oz.). The mandatory statement required by Sec. 16.21 shall be in script, type, or printing not smaller than 2 millimeters. (3) Containers of more than 3 liters (101 fl. oz.). The mandatory statement required by Sec. 16.21 shall be in script, type, or printing not smaller than 3 millimeters." The accompanying table gives the maximum number of characters per inch for each type size: 40 at 1 millimeter, 25 at 2 millimeters, 12 at 3 millimeters.
law.cornell.edu27 CFR 16.21, which requires the statement "GOVERNMENT WARNING: (1) According to the Surgeon General, women should not drink alcoholic beverages during pregnancy because of the risk of birth defects. (2) Consumption of alcoholic beverages impairs your ability to drive a car or operate machinery, and may cause health problems." The section also requires the statement to appear separate and apart from other label information, on the brand label, front label, or back or side label; that placement requirement is described rather than quoted here, because no verbatim rendering of it was obtained.
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