Kathryn M. Dresser

National Institute of Standards and Technology 

Weights and Measures Division

Gaithersburg, MD 20899-2600

U.S. Department of Commerce

Carlos M. Gutierrez, Secretary

Technology Administration

Michelle O’Neill, Acting Under Secretary

of Commerce for Technology

National Institute of

Standards and Technology

William A. Jeffrey, Director

NIST SP 1020-2

August 2005

Consumer Package

Labeling Guide:

Selling by Volume
Certain commercial entities, equipment, or materials may be 

identified in this document in order to describe an experimental 

procedure or concept adequately. Such identification is 

not intended to imply recommendation or endorsement by the 

National Institute of Standards and Technology, nor is it 

intended to imply that the entities, materials, or equipment 

are necessarily the best available for the purpose.

National Institute of Standards and Technology Special Publication 1020-2

Natl. Inst. Stand. Technol. Spec. Publ. 1020-2, 20 pages (August 2005)

Available through NIST Weights and Measures Division

100 Bureau Drive STOP 2600

Gaithersburg, MD 20899-2600

Phone: (301) 975-4004 Fax: (301) 926-0647

Internet: www.nist.gov/owm 
1

Introduction

This guide is intended to provide manufacturers, packers, distributors, and

retailers of packaged products with information about the labeling requirements for commodities that are sold by liquid and dry volume in the consumer marketplace. The information in this guide is based on the Uniform

Packaging and Labeling Regulation contained in NIST Handbook 1301.

NIST develops Handbook 130 in cooperation with the National

Conference on Weights and Measures, an organization of industry representatives, government officials, and other interested parties. Handbook 130 is

adopted and enforced by many state and local regulatory agencies.

Declaration of Identity

The identity of the product shall appear on the package label and shall not

be misleading or deceptive. When the label appears directly on the package,

the identity of the product shall appear on the principal display panel and

be generally parallel to the base of the package. The principal display panel

is the panel of the package that the manufacturer, packer, or distributor

intends to be displayed at retail. Directions on how to determine the area

of the principal display panel are included later in this guide. The base of

the package shall be determined by how the package is designed to be displayed.

The identity shall be:

z the name specified in, or required by, any federal or state regulation, or 

z the common or usual name, or

z the generic name or other appropriate description, including a state

ment of function.

For example: "moisturizing lotion" or "vegetable oil."

1"Uniform Laws and Regulations in the area of legal metrology and engine fuel quality."
2

Declaration of Responsibility

The name and address of the manufacturer, packer, or distributor must be

conspicuously displayed on any package that is sold, kept, offered, or

exposed for sale at a location that is different from where it was packed.

The name shall be the actual corporate name or, when not incorporated, the

name under which business is conducted. The address shall include the

street address, city, state2, and ZIP code3. The street address may be omitted, however, if it is listed in a current city or telephone directory.

Unless it would be misleading, the declaration may be the responsible party's

principal place of business instead of the location where the commodity

was manufactured, packed, or distributed. When the responsible party is

not the manufacturer, the declaration shall include the responsible party's

connection with the package, such as "Manufactured for and packed by" or

"Distributed by."

Declaration of Quantity

All declarations of quantity shall permit price and quantity comparisons. In

general, a declaration of quantity shall be expressed in terms of liquid measure

if the commodity is liquid, or dry measure if the commodity is dry.

A declaration of net quantity shall appear on the package label and shall be

accurate exclusive of all packaging materials. When the label appears directly on the package, the quantity declaration shall appear in the lower 30 % of

the principal display panel and be generally parallel to the base of the package.

All declarations of quantity associated with a liquid measure shall express

the volume at the required reference temperature. The following reference

temperatures shall be used:

2The country name if outside the United States.

3The country mailing code if outside the United States.
3

Units and Symbols

For metric declarations:

· The metric units required are those of the International System of

Units (SI).

· The units of liquid and dry measure used in an SI quantity declaration shall be in terms of the liter or milliliter, and the SI units

of cubic measure used shall be in terms of the cubic meter,

cubic decimeter, or cubic centimeter. Only the following words

and symbols for SI units shall be used in conjunction with a liquid,

dry, or cubic volume declaration:

milliliter mL or ml

liter L or l

cubic centimeter cm3 or cu cm

cubic decimeter dm3 or cu dm

cubic meter m3 or cu m

distilled spirits 15.6 °C (60 °F)

frozen products -18 °C (0 °F)

malt beverages (e.g., beer) 3.9 °C (39.1 °F)

petroleum products 15 °C (60 °F)

refrigerated products (usually

labeled "Keep Refrigerated,"

e.g., milk and other dairy

products)

4 °C (40 °F)

unrefrigerated products

(including liquids sold

unchilled, like soft drinks)

20 °C (68 °F)
4

For inch-pound declarations:

· The units of liquid, dry, and cubic measure used in an inch-pound

quantity declaration shall be in terms of the avoirdupois system.

Only the following words and abbreviations shall be used in conjunction with a volume declaration:

· Whenever the declaration of quantity is in terms of the dry pint or

dry quart, the declaration shall include the word "dry."

· When the term "ounce" is used in declarations of liquid measure the

declaration shall identify the particular meaning of the term by

including the word or abbreviation for "fluid." However, the term

"fluid" may be omitted when, by association of terms, the proper

meaning is obvious. For example: 1 pint 4 ounces.

Capitalization

SI symbols for volume shall not be capitalized except for the letter "L"

for liter. Inch-pound abbreviations for volume may appear in both

upper and lower case letters.

avoirdupois avdp

bushel *

cubic foot ft3 or cu ft

cubic inch in3 or cu in

cubic yard yd3 or cu yd

dry pint dry pt

dry quart dry qt

fluid ounce fl oz

gallon gal

liquid liq

peck *

pint pt

quart qt

* This unit of measurement has no acceptable

abbreviation.
6

Use of Punctuation

Periods or other punctuation shall not be used after an SI symbol. Periods

or other punctuation should not be used after inch-pound abbreviations.

Use of Spaces

A space should be used between the SI symbol and the number to which it

refers. For example: 250 mL, not 250mL; 1.5 m3, not 1.5m3, 3-1/4 gal, not 

3-1/4gal.

Singular Form

SI symbols shall always be written in the singular form. An "s" shall not be

added to a symbol to express the plural of the symbol. Inch-pound abbreviations should also be written in the singular form. For example, "L" is the

symbol for both "liter" and "liters;" "fl oz" is the abbreviation for both

"fluid ounce" and "fluid ounces."

Prohibited Symbols

Incorrect symbols to use in SI quantity declarations of volume include: Lit,

ML, mls, gr, and m2. Incorrect symbols to use in inch-pound quantity declarations of volume include: pnt, oz, ci, bu, pk, and yds.

Use of Units and Symbols

Largest Whole Unit

The quantity declaration shall be in terms of the largest whole unit of volume, with any remainder expressed in fractions.

For SI declarations:

· The quantity shall not be expressed in mixed units. For example: 3.5 L,

not 3 L 500 mL.

· A liquid or dry volume of less than one liter shall be expressed in milli

liters.
· A liquid or dry volume of more than one liter shall be expressed in liters

and decimal fractions of a liter.

· A cubic volume of less than one cubic meter shall be expressed in cubic

centimeters or cubic decimeters.

· A cubic volume of more than one cubic meter shall be expressed in cubic

meters and decimal fractions of a cubic meter.

· A remainder shall be expressed as a decimal fraction of the largest whole

unit (common fractions are not allowed). For example: 1.25 L, not 

1-1/4 L; 420.2 cm3, not 420-1/5 cm3.

For inch-pound declarations:

· A liquid volume of less than one pint shall be expressed in fluid ounces

and fractions of a fluid ounce.

· A liquid volume of at least one pint, but less than one gallon, shall be

expressed in terms of the largest whole unit (quarts, quarts and pints, or

pints) with any remainder expressed in fluid ounces or fractions of the

pint or quart. An exception is that two quarts may be declared as onehalf gallon. This declaration may be accompanied by an additional

declaration in fluid ounces.

· A liquid volume of more than one gallon shall be expressed in terms of

the largest whole unit (gallons, gallons and quarts, or gallons and pints)

with any remainder expressed in fluid ounces or fractions of the pint or

quart. This declaration may be accompanied by an additional declaration

in fluid ounces.

· A dry volume of one dry pint or more shall be expressed in terms of the

largest whole unit (dry pint, dry quart, peck, or bushel) with any remainder

expressed in fractions of the smallest unit.

· A remainder may be expressed as either a common or decimal fraction.

For example: 1.5 gal, 3-1

/2 qt, 14.3 fl oz, and 12-1/4 yd3 are all acceptable.

Or,

6
7

· A remainder may be expressed in the next smaller whole unit or units

with any further reminder expressed in terms of a common or decimal

fraction of the smallest unit present. For example: 1 gal 1 pint and 3 qt

8.3 fl oz are both acceptable.

Rule of 1000

The selected multiple or submultiple prefixes for SI units shall result in

numerical values between 1 and 1000. This rule requires milliliters to be

used when a volume declaration is less than 1 liter, and liters to be used

when a volume declaration is 1000 milliliters or more. For example: 500 mL,

not 0.5 L; 1.4 L, not 1400 mL.

Number of Digits Displayed

SI declarations shall be shown in three digits except where the quantity is

below 100 milliliters. If below 100 milliliters, the SI declaration may be

shown in two digits. In either case, any final zero appearing to the right of

the decimal point need not be shown.

Dual Unit Declarations

A quantity declaration shall usually appear in both SI and inch-pound units.

Either unit may appear first in the declaration. For example: 500 mL

(16.9 fl oz) and 1 gal (3.79 L) are both acceptable.

Rounding

When declaring equivalent SI and inch-pound quantities on a package, neither

declaration may overstate or understate the actual quantity. Conversions, the

proper use of significant digits, and rounding must be based on the packer's

knowledge of the accuracy of the original measurement and the effect of

that accuracy on the converted number. Net content declarations shall not

be rounded up to overstate a quantity. When, as a result of rounding, metric

and inch-pound declarations do not exactly match, the quantity of product

in the package shall meet the largest declaration.
Fractions

An SI quantity declaration shall contain only decimal fractions. For example:

1.5 L, not 1-1/2 L. An SI declaration shall not be carried out to more than

three places. For example: 2.36 not 2.364287.

An inch-pound quantity declaration may contain either decimal or common

fractions. In an inch-pound declaration that contains decimal fractions, the

fraction shall not be carried out to more than three places. In an inch-pound

quantity declaration that contains common fractions, all fractions shall be

reduced to their lowest term. For example: 1/2, not 2/4; 1/8, not 4/32 . In addition, common fractions shall be in terms of halves, quarters, eighths,

sixteenths, or thirty-seconds unless there is a firmly established general consumer usage and trade custom of employing different common fractions

for a particular commodity. For example: 3-3/16 qt, not 3-1/3 qt; 1-3/8 L,

not 1-2/5 L; 14-9/16 fl oz, not 14-4/7 fl oz.

Words Accompanying a Quantity Declaration

Optional Use of Phrase “Net” or “Net Content"

A quantity declaration may stand alone, or may include the term "Net

Contents," or just the word "Net." For example: Net 16 fl oz (473 mL);

2 qt (1.89 L); and Net Contents 3 ft3 (27.9 dm3) are all acceptable.

Qualifying Phrases Prohibited

Words or phrases that qualify the quantity declaration shall not appear on

the package. For example: "approximately," "minimum," "when packed,"

"not less than," "at least," "giant," and "full" are prohibited from appearing

near the quantity declaration.

Combination Declarations

When a quantity declaration of volumet is not fully informative on its own,

it shall be combined with appropriate declarations of weight, count, or size.

All combination declarations shall be accurate and shall appear on the 

principal display panel as part of the quantity declaration.

8
9

Supplemental Declarations

When appropriate, the required quantity declaration may be supplemented

by one or more additional declarations of weight, measure, count or size.

All supplemental declarations shall be accurate and shall appear somewhere

other than on the principal display panel.

Prominence and Placement

All information required to appear on a consumer package shall be prominently

displayed in the English language. When appropriate, information may also

be displayed in additional languages. Any required information that is hand

lettered shall be clear and equal in legibility to printed materials.

Principal Display Panel

The area of the principal display panel shall be:

· for rectangular containers, the height times the width (H x W) of the

front of the package, where the front of the package is determined by

how the package is designed to be displayed; 20 cm (8 in)

15 cm (6 in)
10

· for cylindrical or nearly cylindrical containers, 40 % of the height times

the circumference [0.4 x (H x C)] of the container;

· for other shaped containers, 40 % of the total surface area of the 

container. However, if the container has an obvious principal display

panel (for example, the face of a drink pouch or the top of a bag of

mulch) the area shall be calculated from the shape of that surface.

Color Contrast

The quantity declaration shall be in a color that contrasts conspicuously with

its background. However, the quantity declaration may be blown, formed,

or molded on a glass or plastic surface if no other label information is 

presented in a contrasting color. 20 cm (8 in)

30 cm (12 in)

30 cm (12 in) 25 cm (10 in)
11

Free Area

The area surrounding the quantity declaration shall be free of printed

information:

· above and below by a space equal to at least the height of the declaration

lettering; and

· to the left and right by a space equal to twice the width of the letter "N"

of the declaration lettering type and style.

Style of Type

The quantity declaration shall be in a style of type or lettering that is bold,

clear, and conspicuous when compared to other type, lettering, or graphics

on the package. However, if all the label information is blown, formed, or

molded on a glass or plastic surface, then the quantity declaration may also

be blown, formed, or molded on the surface.

Proportionality

No number or letter shall be more than three times as high as it is wide.

Minimum Height

The height of any letter or number in the quantity declaration shall be at

least that shown in the Table on the following page. When all lowercase

letters are used in SI symbols, it is the lowercase "d," or its equivalent in the

print or type, that shall meet the minimum height requirement. No letter

shall be less than 1.6 mm (1/16 in) in height. Other letters and exponents

shall be presented in the same type style, and in proportion to the type size

used.
12

Area of Principal 

Display Panel

Note: The type and size requirements specified in this table do not apply to the “e” mark.

Minimum Height of Numbers and Letters

Minimum Height:

Numbers and Letters

Minimum Height:

Label information blown,

formed, or molded on

surface of container

4.8 mm (3/16 in)

4.8 mm (3/16 in) 6.4 mm (1/4 in)

12.7 mm (1/2 in)

6.4 mm (1/4 in) 7.9 mm (5/16 in)

14.3 mm (9/16 in)

3.2 mm (1/8 in)

3.2 mm (1/8 in)

1.6 mm (1/16 in) Less than or equal to

32 cm2 (5 in2)

More than 32 cm2 (5 in2) and less than or equal to 

161 cm2 (25 in2)

More than 161 cm2 (25 in2) and less than or equal to 

645 cm2 (100 in2)

More than 645 cm2 (100 in2) and less than or equal to 

2581 cm2 (140 in2)

More than 2581 cm2 (400 in2)
13

Figure 1: Example of a package labeled to be sold by volume

350 mL (1.8 fl oz)

A carbonated lemon-lime 

soft drink

Dora’s D rinklables

Declaration of Identity:

 Is prominently display Includes the name and address 

of responsible party



Declaration of Responsibility:

Includes responsible party’s connection with the package

 Appears in the lower 30 % of the principal display panel Is generally parallel to the base of the package Includes both SI and inch-pound units Has the required amount of free space Uses an appropriate style of type

Declaration of Quantity:

Meets minimum height requirements

 Appears on principal display panel Is generally parallel to the base of the package Includes a generic name with description

Nutrition Information

Indgredients

Packaged by

Manny Corp.

456 W. Oak St.

Perplunk, OH 43550

1-800-012-3456
14

Conversion Factors – Liquid Volume Measure

(underlined figures are exact)

Units Fluid Liquid Liquid Gallons Cubic Milliliters 

Ounces Pints Quarts Inches (Cubic Centimeters)

1 fluid ounce = 1 0.062 5 0.031 25 0.007 812 5 1.804 687 5 29.573 53

1 liquid pint = 16 1 0.5 0.125 28.875 473.176 51 liquid quart = 32 2 1 0.25 57.75 946.352 91 gallon = 128 8 4 1 231 3 785.4121 cubic inch = 0.554 112 6 0.034 632 03 0.017 316 02 0.004 329 004 1 16.387 0641 milliliter = 0.033 814 02 0.002 113 376 0.001 056 688 0.000 264 172 1 0.061 023 74 1

Conversion Factors – Dry Volume Measure

(underlined figures are exact)

Units Dry Dry Pecks Bushels Cubic Liters 

Pints Quarts Foot (Cubic Dentimeters)

1 dry pint = 1 0.5 0.062 5 0.015 625 0.019 444 63 0.550 610 5

1 dry quart = 2 1 0.125 0.031 25 0.038 889 25 1.101 2211 peck = 16 8 1 0.25 0.311 114 8.809 7681 bushel = 64 32 4 1 1.244 456 35.239 07

1 cubic foot = 51.428 09 25.714 05 3.214 256 0.803 563 95 1 28.316 85

1 liter = 1.816 166 0.908 083 0 0.113 510 4 0.028 377 59 0.035 314 67 1
Conversion Factors – Cubic Volume Measure

(underlined figures are exact)

Units Cubic Cubic Cubic Milliliters Liters 

Inches Feet Yards (Cubic Centimeters) (Cubic Dentimeters)

1 cubic inch = 1 0.000 578 703 7 0.000 021 433 47 16.387 064 0.016 387 064

1 cubic foot = 1 728 1 0.037 037 04 28 316.846 592 28.316 846 5921 cubic yard = 46 656 27 1 764 554.857 984 764.554 857 9841 cubic centimeter = 0.061 023 74 0.000 035 314 67 0.000 001 307 951 1 0.0011 cubic decimeter = 61.023 74 0.035 314 67 0.001 307 951 1 000 11 cubic meter = 61 023.74 35.314 67 1.307 951 1 000 000 1 000

How to use the conversion factors:

(1) Look up the unit that you already have in the left-hand column.(2) Travel along the row for that unit until you reach the column of the unit that you want.(3) The number in the location where the unit that you have and the unit that you want intersect is the conversion

factor.

(4) Multiply the number that corresponds to the unit that you have by the conversion factor. The resulting number

is the equivalent value in the units that you want.

For example: You have a volume of 20 fluid ounces that you want to convert to milliliters. Using the Liquid VolumeMeasure chart, the conversion factor for going from fluid ounces to milliliters is 29.573 53. Multiply the number of fluidounces by 29.573 53 to get the number of milliliters.

20 fl oz x 29.573 53 mL/fl oz = 591.470 6 mL

15
16

Labeling Checklist for Volume

Declaration of Identity

 Appears on the principal display panel.

 Is generally parallel to the base of the package.

 Is the name specified in, or required by, federal or state regulation;

the common or usual name; or the generic name or other appropriate description including a statement of function.

Declaration of Responsibility

 Is conspicuously displayed on any package that is sold, kept, offered,

or exposed for sale at a location other than the premises where

it was packed.

 Includes the name and address of the manufacturer, the packer, or

the distributor.

 Uses the actual corporate name or, when not incorporated, the name

under which the business is conducted.

 Includes the city, state (or country), and ZIP code (or mailing code

used in other countries).

 Includes the street address unless this information is listed in a 

current city or telephone directory.

 Uses the address of the responsible party's principal place of business

or the address of the location where the package was manufactured,

packed, or distributed unless such address would be misleading.

 If the responsible party is not the manufacturer, then includes the

party's connection with the package (i.e., "Manufactured for and

packed by," or "Distributed by").
17

Declaration of Quantity

 Appears in the lower 30 % of the principal display panel.

 Appears generally parallel to the base of the package.

 Is prominently displayed in English (multi-lingual information is

permitted).

 Is in a color that contrasts conspicuously with its background.

 Has an adequate amount of free area around it.

 Appears in a style of type or lettering is bold, clear, and conspicuous.

 Is of a type or lettering that is proportional.

 Is of a type or lettering that meets the minimum height requirements.

 Generally includes both SI and inch-pound units.

 Uses only approved words, symbols or abbreviations for the SI and

inch-pound units.

 Uses SI symbols that are not capitalized.

 Uses SI symbols and inch-pound abbreviations that are not accompanied by periods or other punctuation marks.

 Uses SI symbols and inch-pound abbreviations in the singular form.

 Is declared in the largest whole unit.

 SI units comply with the Rule of 1000.

 Uses SI declarations that are displayed in 3 digits.

 Is properly rounded so as to not overstate the quantity.

 Uses SI declarations containing only decimal fractions.

 Does not appear in conjunction with an improper qualifying phrase.

 When necessary, is combined with appropriate additional declarations.
18

Contact Information

National Institute of

Standards and Technology

Weights and Measures Division

100 Bureau Drive, M/S 2600

Gaithersburg, MD 20899-2600

Tel: 301-975-4004

Fax: 301-926-0647

E-mail: TheSI@nist.gov

www.nist.gov/metric

U.S. Federal Trade Commission

600 Pennsylvania Ave, NW

Washington, DC 20580

Tel: 202-326-2222

www.ftc.gov

Handbook 130 is available on the NIST Weights and Measures Division website at:

www.nist.gov/owm; click on "Handbook 130, Uniform Laws and Regulations" under

the "Quick List (popular links)" section.

The Fair Packaging and Labeling Act (FPLA) is available 

· on the FDA website at: www.fda.gov/opacom/laws/fplact.htm; or 

· on the FTC website at: www.ftc.gov/ogc/stat3.htm,

click on "Fair Packaging and Labeling Act 

(80 Stat. 1296, 15 U.S.C. §§ 1451-1461)."

A Food Labeling Guide is available on the FDA website at::

www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/flg-toc.html

National Conference on

Weights and Measures

15245 Shady Grove Road, Suite 130

Rockville, MD 20850

Tel: 240-632-9454

Fax: 301-990-9771

E-mail: ncwm@mgmtsol.com

www.ncwm.net

U.S. Food and Drug Administration

5600 Fishers Lane

Rockville, MD 20857

Tel: 1-888-463-6332

www.fda.gov