One sixteenth of an inch

The arithmetic we will not do for you

On this page12

The length of the statement The minimum letter height The smallest panel on this shelf And the number we will not supply Which is the whole discipline of this catalog So do it with your actual face Then account for the bold requirement And for the contrasting background Height matters as well as circumference A lid is not usually the answer 49 of 106 are wider than they are tall References

59 characters, 1/16 inch, 3.3 inches of wall. The character width is a typeface decision.

The length of the statement

59 characters including the dash and the full stop. A fixed string, so this number never changes.

The minimum letter height

1/16 inch, from the regulation, with no scaling for package size. Also fixed.

The smallest panel on this shelf

Our smallest container is 1.0625 inches in diameter, which gives a side wall circumference of about 3.3 inches. Diameter is recorded on 97 of the 106 containers, with a median of 2.37 inches.

And the number we will not supply

Character width. It depends on the typeface, and we do not publish one, so any figure we gave you would be invented.

Which is the whole discipline of this catalog

An omitted value degrades gracefully. An invented one gets acted on as though it were measured, and a label that was laid out against a made-up width is a reprint.

So do it with your actual face

Set the 59 characters at 1/16 inch cap height in the typeface you are using, measure the line, and compare it against the panel you have.

Then account for the bold requirement

Bold is wider than regular in almost every face, so the measurement has to be taken in the weight you will actually print.

And for the contrasting background

Which usually means a reserved block rather than type over artwork, and a block needs margins the line length alone does not account for.

Height matters as well as circumference

Height is recorded on 104 containers from 1.25 to 5.38 inches with a median of 2.5. A wide short jar has circumference and almost no vertical room.

A lid is not usually the answer

A warning on a lid is read at the moment of opening rather than of purchase, and the rule asks for it to be likely read under customary conditions of purchase and use. The side wall is the safer panel.

49 of 106 are wider than they are tall

Which is the shape of a salve jar and the hardest shape for a multi-line statement. Check the panel before the mold.

References

The warning statement runs to 59 characters including the dash and the full stop. The minimum letter height is 1/16 inch. The smallest container in this group is 1.0625 inches in diameter, which gives a side wall circumference of about 3.3 inches, and diameter is recorded on 97 of the 106 containers with a median of 2.37 inches. No fit is computed from those numbers, because character width is a property of the typeface and we do not publish one.

21 CFR 740.2(a): "A warning statement shall appear on the label prominently and conspicuously as compared to other words, statements, designs, or devices and in bold type on contrasting background to render it likely to be read and understood by the ordinary individual under customary conditions of purchase and use, but in no case may the letters and/or numbers be less than 1/16 inch in height, unless an exemption pursuant to paragraph (b) of this section is established." law.cornell.edu

The Davis Pack Supply catalog, measured 19 October 2026. 486 rows: 106 containers and 380 closures, and unlike the other cannabis groups this one has its own shelf. 15 to 237 mL with a median of 118; 89 over an ounce, 63 over 4 oz. 60 PP and 46 glass. 84 jars, 17 bottles, 4 tubs and pails, 1 tube. 28 white, 26 clear, 17 natural, 13 black, 12 amber, 6 blue, 4 frosted. Diameter is recorded on 97 containers at 1.0625 to 4.5 inches, median 2.37; height on 104 at 1.25 to 5.38 inches, median 2.5; and 49 of the 106 are wider than they are tall. Liners on the closures: 119 heat induction seal, 51 F217, 47 pressure sensitive, 33 No Liner, 32 Plastis standard, 30 unrecorded, 27 foam, 25 PE foam. Buyability, a snapshot: 72 available, 33 not, 1 unrecorded; 34 quote only; 47 full case only.

Written from 21 CFR 740.2 and 740.10 and from the catalog as it stood on 19 October 2026. Part 740 is cosmetic labeling; whether a particular topical is a cosmetic or a drug is a determination not made here, and nothing on these pages addresses whether a cannabinoid is permitted in a cosmetic or what any state requires. The 1/16 inch minimum is stated as the regulation states it and no fit is computed, because character width depends on a typeface we do not publish. Availability figures are a single snapshot.