Net Weight Font Size CheckerOn a US soap, lotion, candle or lip balm label, the net weight letters must be at least 1/16 inch tall on a principal display panel of 5 sq in or less, 1/8 inch up to 25 sq in, 3/16 inch up to 100 sq in and 1/4 inch up to 400 sq in. Drop your label PDF here to see how tall your net weight letters actually print, in inches and mm.
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The minimum height depends on the area of the principal display panel, the part of the package a shopper sees first. Enter its size to compare each measured line with the rule's table.
Enter the panel size to see the table minimum.
| Panel area | Minimum letter height |
|---|---|
| 5 sq in or less | 1/16 in (1.6 mm) |
| over 5 to 25 sq in | 1/8 in (3.2 mm) |
| over 25 to 100 sq in | 3/16 in (4.8 mm) |
| over 100 to 400 sq in | 1/4 in (6.4 mm) |
| over 400 sq in | 1/2 in (12.7 mm) |
From 21 CFR 701.13(i) and 16 CFR 500.21(b). Round side: 40% of height × circumference (21 CFR 701.10(b)). Leave out shoulders, necks, flanges, tops and bottoms.
Use the PDF you send to the printer or print at home, exported with live text. It is read in your browser.
Lines like NET WT 4 OZ (113 g) or 8 fl oz are found on each page. Each line's letter height is shown in inches and mm at the page's real size. If a line mixes letter sizes, the smallest is shown.
Enter your panel size to see each line next to the 1/16, 1/8, 3/16 or 1/4 inch minimum from the rule's table.
In the US the minimum letter height depends on the area of the principal display panel: at least 1/16 inch for 5 square inches or less, 1/8 inch for more than 5 up to 25 square inches, 3/16 inch for more than 25 up to 100 square inches, 1/4 inch for more than 100 up to 400 square inches and 1/2 inch above 400 square inches. Lettering that is blown, embossed or molded into the container needs 1/16 inch more.
On the printed letters, not the font size in points. When the line is all capitals, the height of a capital letter is used. When it mixes capitals and lowercase, the height of the lowercase letter o (or an equivalent letter) is used. This checker draws those letters from your PDF and measures how tall they print.
Often not. Capital letters in Arial at 6 pt are about 0.060 inch tall, just under 1/16 inch (0.0625 inch). In Arial, all-capital net weight lettering needs about 6.3 pt for 1/16 inch and about 12.6 pt for 1/8 inch. Other fonts differ, so measure your own PDF.
For a flat face, multiply height by width. For a cylinder such as a jar, tin or bottle side, take 40% of the height times the circumference. For other shapes, the panel is 40% of the total surface, unless the package has an obvious display panel such as the top of a round tin, in which case the whole top is the panel. Tops, bottoms, flanges, shoulders and necks are not counted.
The heights are the same. Cosmetics, including lotions, lip balm and soaps sold with cosmetic claims, fall under FDA rule 21 CFR 701.13. True soap and candles fall under the FTC rule 16 CFR 500.21, which uses the same panel sizes and heights.
No. The PDF is opened and measured inside your browser. The file, its text and the results are not sent to our server or anyone else. When you close the page, they are gone.
The letters have to be stored as text in the PDF. If the text was converted to outlines, the page was flattened into a picture, or the PDF is a scan, there are no letters to measure. Export the label again with live text.
Any PDF that keeps its text as text. In our tests, label PDFs exported from Google Slides, Google Docs, Microsoft Word and PowerPoint, LibreOffice and Chrome were measured, and the Canva PDFs we tried also kept their text.
No. It reports measured letter heights next to the minimum in the rule's table for the panel size you enter. It does not check placement, boldness, contrast or the other parts of the label, and it is not legal advice.
| Product | Rule |
|---|---|
| Cosmetics: lotion, body butter, lip balm, soap sold with cosmetic claims | FDA, 21 CFR 701.13 (letter height in (i)); panel area in 21 CFR 701.10 |
| True soap, candles and other consumer commodities | FTC, 16 CFR 500.21 (letter height); panel defined in 16 CFR 500.2(h) |
Rule text read on October 24, 2026 from the Legal Information Institute (Cornell Law School). Rules change; check the current text before you print.
This page reports measured letter heights next to the minimums in the rule's table for the panel size you enter. It is not legal advice and does not say whether a label meets any law. You are responsible for your label. The checker is provided free and as is; GRAMSHIFT is not liable for how the results are used.
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