Net quantity calculator — the front-of-pack line
Every packaged food needs a net quantity of contents on the front, in both US customary and metric units, in a format set by its size band and a type size set by the panel it sits on. Enter what’s in the package and get the exact line, with the rule behind every part of it. Free, no signup.
What’s in the package
Weight for anything solid, semisolid or viscous; fluid measure for a liquid. That choice is yours to make about your food — 21 CFR 101.7(a) also lets trade custom override it.
Your net quantity declaration
Net Wt 12 oz (340 g)
How big the lettering has to be
The minimum type size is set by the area of the principal display panel— the face a shopper sees — not by the size of the package. A cylinder’s panel is only 40% of its wrap (21 CFR 101.1), which is why a tall jar often needs smaller type than people expect.
Enter your package dimensions and the minimum type size appears here. We won’t guess at a missing measurement.
Why it reads that way
Both systems are required. FDA's own rule only permits the metric figure (101.7(p)); the requirement to carry both comes from the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act, amended in 1992 and in force since 14 February 1994.
15 U.S.C. 1453(a)(2)
The metric figure is rounded DOWN to three significant digits, never up. A declaration may not overstate what is in the package, and the regulation's own examples truncate — 8 fl oz prints as 236 mL, not 237.
21 CFR 101.7(q); 16 CFR 500.23(a)
It goes on the principal display panel, in the bottom 30% of it, in a line parallel to the base, set off from other print by at least the height of its own lettering. A panel of 5 square inches or less is exempt from the bottom-30% rule only.
21 CFR 101.7(e), (f)
Only these abbreviations may be used: wt, oz, lb, gal, pt, qt, fl — and for metric, g, kg, mL (or ml), L. Periods and plurals are optional. "Jumbo quart" and the like are prohibited.
21 CFR 101.7(f), (n); 16 CFR 500.23(b)
This works out the declaration from the figure you enter. It cannot weigh your package, and it is not a compliance review — the FDA does not approve labels. Weigh a filled package on a scale you trust, excluding wrappers and packing material (101.7(g)).
The format changes with the size
There are three bands for weight, and the declaration reads differently in each — 21 CFR 101.7(j) and (k):
- Under 1 pound — ounces alone. Net Wt 12 oz (340 g)
- 1 pound to under 4 pounds — ounces, then pounds in parentheses. Net Wt 24 oz (1 lb 8 oz) (680 g)
- 4 pounds and over — pounds first, remainder in ounces. Net Wt 5 lb 4 oz (2.38 kg)
Fluid measure works the same way, with the break points at 1 pint and 1 gallon, and with one extra rule worth knowing: you may not skip a unit. 56 fluid ounces is “1 qt 1 pt 8 oz”, and 101.7(m)(4) expressly forbids writing it as “1 quart 24 ounces”. The same clause at (m)(6) allows “2 gallons 2 quarts” and forbids “2 gallons 4 pints”.
Round down, always
The one thing worth carrying away from this page: the metric figure is truncated to three significant digits, not rounded. A net quantity declaration may not overstate what is in the package, and rounding 453.59 g up to 454 g declares half a gram you did not put there.
You can check this against the regulation without taking our word for it. Its own printed examples give 236 mL for 8 fluid ounces (236.59), 70.8 g for 2.5 ounces (70.87), and 1.65 L for 56 fluid ounces (1656.1). Every one of those would be a different number if you rounded to nearest.
Four ways this line goes wrong
- Using the FTC format on a food. Between 1 and 4 pounds, food leads with ounces; non-food consumer goods lead with pounds. Packaging calculators built from the FTC rule format every food in that band backwards.
- Sizing type from the package, not the panel.A jar’s principal display panel is 40% of height × circumference, and tops, bottoms, can flanges and bottle necks are excluded from the measurement entirely.
- Declaring the fill weight instead of the net weight. The declaration is the food, exclusive of wrappers and anything packed with it — 101.7(g). Brine, on the other hand, counts unless a standard of identity says otherwise.
- Inventing abbreviations.Only wt, oz, lb, gal, pt, qt and fl are permitted, plus g, kg, mL and L on the metric side. “Jumbo quart” and “full gallon” are prohibited outright.
What this tool does not do
It formats the declaration from the figure you give it. It cannot weigh your package, it does not know whether your food is legally a liquid, and it is not a compliance review — the FDA does not approve labels. Weigh a filled package on a scale you trust, and if the product carries a standard of identity, check whether that standard says anything about how the contents are declared.
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The rest of the label is the hard part
Nutrillius builds the FDA Nutrition Facts panel from your recipe — 21 CFR 101.9 rounding, %DV, ingredient statement in descending weight order, allergen declaration and a pre-flight check before you print. Free to build.
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Frequently asked questions
Does a net weight statement have to show both ounces and grams?
Yes. The dual declaration is required by the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act(15 U.S.C. 1453(a)(2)), amended in 1992 and in force since 14 February 1994. This catches people out because FDA’s own regulation, 21 CFR 101.7(p), only permits the metric figure — the requirement to carry both is statutory, not in the labeling rule itself.
Do I round the gram figure up or down?
Down.A declaration may not overstate what is in the package, so the metric figure is truncated to three significant digits rather than rounded. The regulation’s own printed examples prove it: 8 fluid ounces is 236.59 mL and appears as 236 mL, not 237; 1 pound is 453.59 g and appears as 453 g, not 454; 2.5 ounces is 70.87 g and appears as 70.8 g. A calculator that rounds to nearest gets all three wrong, and each one is a short-weight declaration.
My package is 1.5 pounds — should the label say '24 oz' or '1 lb 8 oz'?
For food, both, in that order: “Net Wt 24 oz (1 lb 8 oz)”. Between 1 and 4 pounds, 21 CFR 101.7(j)(1) has you lead with the ounce figure and put pounds in parentheses — that exact example is printed at 101.7(m)(1). This is the one band where FDA and the FTC disagree: the FTC rule for non-food consumer goods (16 CFR 500.9(b)(2)) leads with pounds instead, so a general-purpose packaging calculator will format your food label the wrong way round.
How big does the net weight have to be printed?
It depends on the area of the principal display panel, not the package: 1/16 inch up to 5 square inches, 1/8 inch to 25, 3/16 inch to 100, 1/4 inch to 400, and 1/2 inch above that (21 CFR 101.7(i)). For a jar or bottle the panel is only 40% of height × circumference (21 CFR 101.1), so a cylinder usually falls in a smaller band than its total surface suggests. Lettering blown, embossed or molded into glass or plastic needs a further 1/16 inch.
Where on the package does it go?
On the principal display panel, within the bottom 30% of it, in a line parallel to the base the package sits on, and set off from other print by at least the height of its own lettering (21 CFR 101.7(e) and (f)). Panels of 5 square inches or less are exempt from the bottom-30% rule, though not from the rest. If your package has more than one principal panel, the declaration is repeated on each.
Is this the same as the serving size on the Nutrition Facts panel?
No, and they answer different questions. The net quantity is how much food is in the whole package and lives on the front. The serving size is a reference amount customarily consumed (21 CFR 101.12) and lives at the top of the Nutrition Facts panel. A 12 oz bag of granola might declare “Net Wt 12 oz (340 g)” on the front and “2/3 cup (55g)” as its serving size on the back.
Keep reading
Sources: 21 CFR 101.7 (declaration of net quantity of contents), 21 CFR 101.1 (principal display panel), 15 U.S.C. 1453 (Fair Packaging and Labeling Act) and 16 CFR 500 (the FTC’s parallel rule, which supplies the SI metric formatting FDA never wrote). General information, not legal advice — re-check the current text before you print. Common food label mistakes.