Net quantity

Type size, from the panel area

Updated October 2026

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Computing the panel area The height thresholds Which letters are measured And how narrow they may be Embossed or molded adds a sixteenth Uniform across a size Work it out once per container, not per label References

The rule gives you an arithmetic procedure, not a guideline, and for a round jar it is 40 percent of height times circumference.

Computing the panel area

For a cylindrical or nearly cylindrical container the area of the principal display panel is 40 percent of the product of the height and the circumference, excluding tops, bottoms, and the shoulders and necks of bottles and jars. For a rectangular package it is height times width of the display side.

The height thresholds

Not less than 1/16 inch where the panel is 5 square inches or less; 1/8 inch above 5 and up to 25; 3/16 inch above 25 and up to 100; 1/4 inch above 100, rising to 1/2 inch above 400 square inches. A small melt jar usually lands in the first or second band.

Which letters are measured

Heights pertain to upper case letters. Where upper and lower case or all lower case is used, it is the lower case letter o or its equivalent that must meet the minimum. So setting the declaration in lower case does not buy you a smaller nominal size.

And how narrow they may be

The ratio of height to width of a letter shall not exceed three to one, so a condensed face can fail the rule while measuring the right height. That is the clause a designer trying to fit the line is most likely to break.

Embossed or molded adds a sixteenth

Where the statement is blown, embossed or molded on glass or plastic rather than printed, the specified sizes increase by 1/16 inch. Worth knowing if you were planning to mold the weight into a tub.

Uniform across a size

The type size must be uniform for all packages of substantially the same size, which means the declaration is a fixed element of the template rather than something adjusted per fragrance to make the artwork fit.

Work it out once per container, not per label

The panel area is a property of the jar, so every fragrance in the same jar shares the same minimum height. Computing it when you choose the container and writing it into the template is the end of the question.

References

16 CFR 500.20 and 500.21, on conspicuousness and on type size against the area of the principal display panel, which for a cylindrical container is 40 percent of height times circumference. law.cornell.edu

16 CFR 500.6, Net quantity of contents declaration, location, which requires the declaration on the principal display panel as a distinct item, separated from other label text, and forbids qualifying terms such as "when packed" or "minimum". 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.