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PDP Area and Type Size Calculator

Enter your package dimensions to get the principal display panel area and the minimum type sizes the FDA requires, in inches, millimetres and points. Each figure is cited to the paragraph it comes from.

One entire side of a rectangular package is the principal display panel: height x width (21 CFR 101.1).

Principal display panel area
24 sq in
154.8 sq cm
Minimum type sizeInchesMillimetresPointsCitation
Net quantity of contents
PDP falls in the over 5 up to 25 sq in band
1/8 in3.18 mm9 pt21 CFR 101.7(i)
Information panel text
Ingredients, allergens, manufacturer address
1/16 in1.59 mm4.5 pt21 CFR 101.2(c)
Net quantity ruleRequirementCitation
PlacementWithin the bottom 30 percent of the principal display panel, in lines generally parallel to the base of the package.21 CFR 101.7(f)
Letter proportionType may not be more than three times as high as it is wide, and must be in boldface type distinct from other matter.21 CFR 101.7(h)
Clear spaceFree space around the statement: at least the height of the lettering above and below, and at least twice the width of the letter N to the left and right.21 CFR 101.7(f)

Type size is measured as the height of the lower-case letter "o", or of the upper-case letters where the text is set entirely in capitals. Point values assume 72 points to the inch. This tool covers US FDA packaging rules; other markets set their own minimums.

Principal display panel and minimum type size

What counts as the PDP

The principal display panel is the portion of the label most likely to be displayed to the consumer at retail - the face of the package, defined in 21 CFR § 101.1. It is where the statement of identity and the net quantity declaration live.

For a rectangular package the PDP is the area of one entire face. For a cylinder, it is 40% of the product of the height and the circumference. Getting this number wrong propagates into every type-size minimum that depends on it.

Type size scales with panel area

Minimum type sizes are not fixed - they step up with PDP area. A small jar and a large carton have genuinely different legal minimums for the net quantity declaration, and designing to the smaller one on a larger package is a compliance failure that no one notices until an inspector does.

Type size is measured by the height of the lower-case letter "o", not by the point size your design software reports.

The bottom 30% rule

The net quantity of contents must appear in the bottom 30% of the principal display panel, as a distinct item, generally parallel to the base of the package.

A correct weight placed decoratively in the middle of the panel is not compliant. This is one of the most common findings on otherwise careful labels, because it is a placement rule rather than a content rule and designers do not expect it.

The information panel is separate

The information panel - where the Nutrition Facts, ingredient statement and manufacturer address usually sit - is defined separately at § 101.2, generally as the panel immediately to the right of the PDP.

It has its own type-size minimums, and required information cannot be interrupted by intervening material such as decorative graphics.

Next, check the type size rules for the Nutrition Facts panel and run the FDA Label Checklist for everything else the panel must carry.

Reference information, not legal advice. Requirements change and turn on facts specific to your product - confirm against the current regulation before relying on it.

Common questions

What counts as the principal display panel?

The portion of the package most likely to be displayed or examined under customary conditions of retail sale. For a rectangular package it is one entire side. For a cylinder it is 40 percent of the height multiplied by the circumference. For other shapes it is 40 percent of the total surface, excluding tops, bottoms, flanges, shoulders and necks. Getting the shape rule right matters because the type-size minimum is derived from this area.

How does PDP area set the minimum type size?

The net quantity declaration scales with the panel: the larger the principal display panel, the larger the minimum letter height, measured on the lower-case "o" or its equivalent. 21 CFR 101.7(i) sets the bands. This is why shrinking a package can quietly make a previously compliant label non-compliant, and why a redesign should re-run the calculation rather than reuse the old artwork sizes.

Where on the panel does the net quantity go?

In the bottom 30 percent of the principal display panel, generally parallel to the base of the package, set apart from other printed matter by a clear space, and in both US customary and metric units. The bottom-30-percent rule is the one most often broken by a design that centres everything.

Is the Nutrition Facts panel type size covered by the same rule?

No. The nutrition panel has its own type-size, leading and rule-weight specifications in 21 CFR 101.9(d), including the prescribed hierarchy of bold and larger type for Calories and the serving declaration. A label can satisfy the net-quantity rules here and still fail the panel specification, so check both.

What if the package is very small?

Small packages have their own accommodations. FDA allows reduced formats, including the tabular and linear layouts, and in some cases permits certain information to be provided by other means where there is genuinely insufficient label space. The relief is specific and conditional rather than a general exemption, so confirm the route that applies to your package instead of assuming the smallest format is available.

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The rules this tool implements

Every one is cited to the paragraph it comes from.

🇺🇸 Standard Vertical LabelType-size minimums apply to this panel and the rest of the label.

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