Net quantity

How to write it

Updated October 2026

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Both systems, always Under a pound, use ounces Only these abbreviations Only these metric symbols Numerical range for the metric figure Write it once and reuse it Why the closed lists exist References

Dual declaration, specific abbreviations, and a closed list of metric symbols.

Both systems, always

Statements of weight shall be in terms of both avoirdupois pound and ounce and SI metric kilograms, grams or milligrams. The worked examples in the rule look like "Net Wt 15 oz (425 g)" and "Net Mass 425 g (15 oz)". One system alone is not a compliant declaration.

Under a pound, use ounces

Which is every melt pack worth selling. "Net Weight 12 oz (340 g)" is the shape. Above a pound the rule switches to whole pounds with a remainder, and a melt pack rarely gets there.

Only these abbreviations

500.22 lists them and says none other may be employed in the required declaration: oz, lb, wt, fl, liq, pt, qt, gal, in, ft, yd, sq, cu, avdp. Periods and plural forms are optional. Anything else you invent is outside the list.

Only these metric symbols

500.23 does the same for metric: g, kg, mg, mL or ml, L or l, cm, mm and the rest. Symbols except liter are not capitalized, periods should not follow them, and they are always singular. So "Grams" and "gms." are both wrong.

Numerical range for the metric figure

The prefix should be chosen so the number falls between 1 and 1000, so 1.96 kg rather than 1960 g. Below 100 grams the figure may be shown in two digits rather than three, which is the case most melt packs are in.

Write it once and reuse it

A single compliant string, set in the right size, reused across the range with only the number changing. That is how this stops being a per-label decision and starts being a template.

Why the closed lists exist

A shopper comparing two jars has to read both declarations without learning anybody's house style. Fixing the abbreviations and the symbols is what makes that possible, which is also why an invented abbreviation is not a small deviation.

References

16 CFR 500.8 and 500.9, on units of weight or mass and how they are expressed: both avoirdupois and SI metric, in ounces if under a pound, with worked examples such as "Net Wt 15 oz (425 g)". law.cornell.edu

16 CFR 500.22 and 500.23, which list the abbreviations and the SI metric symbols that may be used in the net quantity declaration and say that no others may be. law.cornell.edu

Written from federal regulation and from the catalog’s own material data, not from a pouring bench. Net quantity rules are federal and state weights and measures officials enforce their own programs alongside them. Anything here is a starting point rather than clearance for a specific label.