U. S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF STANDARDS AND TECHNOLOGY100 BUREAU DRIVE, STOP 2600GAITHERSBURG, MD 20899-2600OFFICIAL BUSINESSPENALTY FOR PRIVATE USE, $300

FOURTH CLASS

POSTAGE & FEES PAID

NIST

PERMIT NUMBER G195
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 

Robert Cresanti, Under Secretary 

of Commerce for Technology 

National Institute of 

Standards and Technology 

William A. Jeffrey, Director 

NIST SP 1020-4 

May 2006 

Consumer Package 

Labeling Guide: 

Selling by Length and Area 
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 1020-4

Natl. Inst. Stand. Technol. Spec. Publ. 1020-4, 19 pages (May 2006)

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 
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 length and area in the consumer 

marketplace. The information in this guide is based on the Uniform 

Packaging and Labeling Regulation contained in National Institute of 

Standards and Technology (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 statement of function. For example: "paper towels" or "copper tubing." 

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

1
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 other than the premises 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 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. 

Units and Symbols 

For metric declarations:

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

Units (SI). 

· The units of length and area used in an SI quantity declaration 

shall be in terms of the meter or square meter. Only the following 

2The country name if outside the United States. 

3The country mailing code if outside the United States. 

2
inch in 

foot ft 

yard yd 

square inch in2 or sq in 

square foot ft2 or sq ft 

square yard yd2 or sq yd 

micrometer μm 

millimeter mm 

centimeter cm 

meter m 

square millimeter mm2 or sq mm 

square centimeter cm2 or sq cm 

square meter m2 or sq m 

words and symbols for SI units shall be used in conjunction with 

a length or area declaration: 

For inch-pound declarations: 

· The units of length and area used in an inch-pound quantity declaration shall be in terms of the inch, foot, yard, square inch, square foot, and 

square yard. Only the following words and abbreviations shall be 

used in conjunction with a length or area declaration: 

3
Capitalization 

SI symbols for length and area shall not be capitalized. Inch-pound 

abbreviations for length and area may appear in both upper and lower 

case letters. 

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 number and the symbol or abbreviation to which it refers. For example: 25 ft2, not 25ft2; 1.5 yd, not 1.5yd, 

31⁄4 in, not 31⁄4 in. 

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, "m" is 

the symbol for both "meter" and "meters;" "ft" is the abbreviation for both 

"foot" and "feet." 

Prohibited Symbols 

Incorrect symbols to use in SI quantity declarations of length or area 

include: mtr, M, and MM. 

Incorrect symbols to use in inch-pound quantity declarations of length or 

area include: yrd, sqr ft, and ins. 

4
Use of Units and Symbols 

Largest Whole Unit 

The quantity declaration shall be in terms of the largest whole unit of length 

or area, with any remainder expressed in fractions. Decimal fractions shall 

not be carried out to more than three places. 

For SI declarations: 

· A length of less than one centimeter shall be expressed in millimeters; an 

area of less than one square centimeter shall be expressed in square millimeters. 

· A length of more than one centimeter but less than 1 meter shall be 

expressed in centimeters and decimal fractions of a centimeter; an area 

of more than one square centimeter but less than one square meter shall 

be expressed in square centimeters and decimal fractions of a square centimeter. 

· A length of more than one meter shall be expressed in meters and decimal fractions of a meter; an area of more than one square meter shall be 

expressed in square meters and decimal fractions of a square meter. 

· Any remainder must be expressed as a decimal fraction of the largest 

whole unit. For example: 1.25 m not 11/4 m; 420.2 mm2 not 4201/5 mm2; 

3.5 cm not 3 cm 500 mm. 

For inch-pound declarations: 

· A length of less than one foot shall be expressed in inches and fractions 

of an inch; an area of less than one square foot shall be expressed in 

square inches and fractions of a square inch. 

· A length of more than one foot, but less than one yard, shall be 

expressed in feet and decimal fractions of a foot; an area of more than 

one square foot but less than one square yard shall be expressed in 

square feet and decimal fractions of a square foot. 

5
· A length of more than one yard shall be expressed in terms of the largest 

whole unit with any remainder expressed in yard and fractions of a yard; 

an area of more than one square yard shall be expressed in terms of the 

largest whole unit with any remainder expressed in square yards and fractions of a square yard. 

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

For example: 1.5 yd, 31/2 ft, 14.3 in2, and 121/4 sq yd are all acceptable. 

Or, 

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

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

fraction of the smallest unit present. For example: 1 ft 8 in and 3 yd 8.3 ft 

are also acceptable. 

Rule of 1000 

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

numerical values between 1 and 999. This rule requires millimeters to be 

used where a length declaration is less than 1 centimeter. For example: 

500 mm not 0.5 cm; 1.4 m not 1400 cm. 

Number of Digits Displayed 

Decimal fractions shall not be carried out to more than three places. 

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

below 100 millimeters. If below 100 millimeters, 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. 

6
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: 

2 m (2.1 yd) and 1.8 ft (54.8 cm) 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 that is being converted. Net contents 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 must meet the 

largest declaration. 

Fractions 

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

1.5 m not 11/2 m. 

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: 35/16 ft not 31/3 ft; 

13/8 yd2 not 12/5 yd2; 149/16 in not 144/7 in. 

Words Accompanying a Quantity Declaration 

Use of Phrase “Net” 

A quantity declaration may stand alone, or may include the term "net quantity," or just the word "net." For example: Net Qty 100 sq cm (3.28 sq ft); 

Net 6 in (15.24 cm); 1 m2 (1.09 yd2); and 2.4 ft (73.15 cm) are all acceptable. 

7
Qualifying Phrases Prohibited 

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

the consumer package. For example: words and phrases like "approximately," "minimum," "when packed," "not less than," "giant," "jumbo," and 

"full" are prohibited. 

Combination Declarations 

When a quantity declaration of length or area is not fully informative on its 

own, it shall be combined with appropriate declarations of weight, measure, 

count, or size. All combination declarations shall be accurate and shall 

appear as part of the quantity declaration. 

Supplemental Declarations 

When appropriate, the required quantity declaration may be supplemented 

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

based on how the package is designed to be displayed; 

8 
20 cm (8 in) 

15 cm (6 in) 

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

the circumference [0.4 x (H x C)] of the container; 20 cm (8 in)

30 cm (12 in) 

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

container. If the container has an obvious principal display panel (for 

example, the face of a triangular or circular package of cheese, or the 

top of a can of shoe polish), the area shall be calculated from the shape 

of that surface. 

9
30 cm (12 in) 25 cm (10 in) 

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. 

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. 

10
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. 

11
Minimum Height of Numbers and Letters

Area of Principal

Display Panel 

Minimum Height:

Numbers and Letters 

Minimum Height:

Label information blown,

formed, or molded on

surface of container

Less than or equal to

32 cm2 (5 in2 ) 1.6 mm (1/16 in) 3.2 mm (1/8 in) 

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

161 cm2 (25 in2 ) 

3.2 mm (1/8 in) 4.8 mm (3/16 in) 

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

645 cm2 (100 in2 ) 

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

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

2581 cm2 (140 in2 ) 6.4 mm (1/4 in) 7.9 mm (5/16 in) 

More than 2581 cm2 (400 in2 ) 12.7 mm (1/2 in) 14.3 mm (9/16 in) 

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

12
Packaged by

Manny Corp.

456 W. Oak St.

Perplunk, OH

43550

1-800-012-3456 

 Is prominently displayed Includes the name and address

of responsible party

 Includes responsible party’s 

connection with the package

Declaration of Responsibility: 80 sheets

2-ply  8 sq m (86 sq ft)

28 cm x 36 cm (11.0 in x 14.2 in) 

 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 Meets minimum height requirements 

Declaration of Quantity:

Declaration of Identity:

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

PAULETTE’S AULETTE’S

Paper Towels

Figure 1: Example of a package labeled to be sold by length and area 

13
Conversion Factors – Length

(underlined figures are exact)

Units Inches Feet 

1 inch = 1 0.083 333 331 foot = 12 1 1 yard = 36 3 1 millimeter = 0.039 370 08 0.003 280 8401 centimeter = 0.393 700 8 0.032 808 401 meter = 39.370 08 3.280 840 

Meters

0.025 40.304 80.914 40.0010.01

1 

Yards Millimeters Centimeters 

0.027 777 78 25.4 2.54 0.333 333 3 304.8 30.48 1 914.4 91.44 

0.001 093 613 1 0.1 

0.010 936 13 10 1 

1.093 613 1000 100 

Conversion Factors –Area

(underlined figures are exact)

14

Units Square Square Square Square Square Square 

Inches Feet Yards Millimeters Centimeters Meters 

1 sq inch = 1 0.006 944 444 0.000 771 604 9 6.451 6 0.000 645 16

1 sq foot = 144 1 0.111 111 1 929.030 4 0.092 903 041 square yard = 1296 9 1 8361.273 6 0.836 127 361 sq millimeter = 1 0.01 0.000 000 11 sq centimeter = 0.155 000 3 0.001 076 391 0.000 119 599 100 1 0.000 1 1 sq meter = 1550.003 10.763 91 1.195 990 1 000 000 10 000 1 

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 length of 1.3 yards that you want to convert to meters. Using the chart, the conversion factor for going from yardsto meters is 0.914 4. Multiply the number of yards by 0.914 4 to get the number of meters.

1.3 yd x 0.914 4 m/yd = 1.188 72 m 
Contact Information 

National Institute of National Conference on 

Standards and Technology Weights and Measures 

Weights and Measures Division 15245 Shady Grove Road, Suite 130 

100 Bureau Drive, M/S 2600 Rockville, MD 20850 

Gaithersburg, MD 20899-2600 Tel: 240-632-9454 

Tel: 301-975-4004 Fax: 301-990-9771 

Fax: 301-926-0647 E-mail: ncwm@mgmtsol.com 

E-mail: TheSI@nist.gov www.ncwm.net 

www.nist.gov/metric 

U.S. Federal Trade Commission U.S. Food and Drug Administration 

600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW 5600 Fishers Lane 

Washington, DC 20580 Rockville, MD 20857 

Tel: 202-326-2222 Tel: 1-888-463-6332 

www.ftc.gov 

www.fda.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 

15
Labeling Checklist for Length & Area

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"). 

16
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 punctuation marks or periods. 

 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 2 or 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. 

17