The panel

The small bottle problem

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The smallest band is still a requirement And the rest of the label still has to be there Which is why a 30 mL decant is a hard label The arithmetic is unforgiving A tag or a hang label is one answer A carton is the better one Or do not sell it in that size Personal decanting is a different situation But label it anyway Decide the smallest size you can lawfully sell References

Three sixty-fourths of an inch is the floor, not a concession.

The smallest band is still a requirement

A panel of 0 to 2 square inches needs a signal word at 3/64 inch and a statement of hazard at 3/64 inch. Small, and not optional.

And the rest of the label still has to be there

Precautionary measures, first aid where required, the name and place of business, net contents. The small band reduces the height, not the content.

Which is why a 30 mL decant is a hard label

25 containers at 30 mL or under on this shelf. Each has a panel that has to carry a full set of required text at a legible height.

The arithmetic is unforgiving

Count the characters, set them at 3/64 inch cap height, and measure the block. On a two square inch panel it frequently does not fit with anything else on the label.

A tag or a hang label is one answer

Attached to the container rather than printed on it, carrying what the panel cannot. It has to stay attached, which is the obvious weakness.

A carton is the better one

A larger principal display panel, a band further up the table, and room for branding as well as compliance. The cost is an outer that gets thrown away.

Or do not sell it in that size

Which is the answer nobody likes and is often correct. If the smallest lawful label does not fit the smallest attractive bottle, the bottle is the thing to change.

Personal decanting is a different situation

A rider moving lube into a small bottle for their own saddlebag is not selling anything. The labelling duty in that case is the workplace one covered in the shop consumables property, or none at all.

But label it anyway

An unmarked bottle of something in a bag that gets opened at the roadside is a bad object. The reasons that are not legal are still reasons.

Decide the smallest size you can lawfully sell

Once, for the product, from the table. It becomes a fixed constraint on the range rather than a surprise at artwork stage.

References

16 CFR 1500.121, Table 1, minimum type size by area of the principal display panel, where type size is "the actual height of the printed image of each upper case or capital letter as it appears on the label". For the signal word: 3/64 inch for a panel of 0 to 2 square inches; 1/16 inch for over 2 to 5; 3/32 inch for over 5 to 10; 7/64 inch for over 10 to 15; 1/8 inch for over 15 to 30; and 5/32 inch for over 30. For the statement of hazard: 3/64 inch up to 5 square inches; 1/16 inch for over 5 to 10; 3/32 inch for over 10 to 30; and 7/64 inch for over 30. law.cornell.edu

The Davis Pack Supply catalog, measured 19 October 2026. The cycling and climbing shelf is 972 rows: 383 containers and 589 closures. 5 mL to 2,000 mL with a median of 237; 17 containers at 15 mL or under, 25 at 30 or under, 77 at 60 or under, 132 at 120 or under. 174 HDPE, 147 PET, 42 PP, 20 glass. 188 bottles, 173 jars, 17 tubs and pails, 3 jugs, 2 tubes. 137 white, 72 clear, 69 natural, 37 black, 33 amber. Closures: 381 continuous thread, 39 child resistant, 36 disc top, 26 dome lids, 26 spouted, 19 flip top, 13 spice caps, 11 liners and sealing discs, 9 phenolic.

Written from 16 CFR 1500.121 and 1500.14, and from the catalog as it stood on 19 October 2026. Whether a given lubricant or sealant is a hazardous substance under the Act is the formulator's determination, not ours. No point-size conversions appear here because the regulation specifies fractional inches as the height of a capital letter. Climbing area rules on chalk are set by land managers and vary site by site.