NIST Handbook

NIST HB 133-2023

Checking the Net Contents of 

Packaged Goods

as adopted by the 

107th National Conference on Weights and Measures

Tina G. Butcher

David A. Sefcik

Lisa Warfield

Elizabeth J. Benham

Shelby L. Bowers

Katrice A. Lippa

This publication is available free of charge from: 

https://doi.org/10.6028/NIST.HB.133-2023

NIST Handbook 133

2023 Edition

Supersedes NIST Handbook 133, 2020 Edition
THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK
NIST Handbook

NIST HB 133-2023

Checking the Net Contents of 

Packaged Goods

as adopted by the 

107th National Conference on Weights and Measures

Tina G. Butcher

David A. Sefcik

Lisa Warfield 

Elizabeth J. Benham

Shelby L. Bowers

Katrice A. Lippa

Physical Measurement Laboratory

Office of Weights and Measures

This publication is available free of charge from: 

https://doi.org/10.6028/NIST.HB.133-2023

January 2023

U.S. Department of Commerce 

Gina M. Raimondo, Secretary

National Institute of Standards and Technology 

Laurie E. Locascio, NIST Director and Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology 
NIST HB 133-2023

January 2023

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. 

NIST Technical Series Policies

Copyright, Fair Use, and Licensing Statements

NIST Technical Series Publication Identifier Syntax

Publication History

Approved by the NIST Editorial Review Board on 2023-01-12

Supersedes NIST Handbook 133 - 2020 (November 2019) https://doi.org/10.6028/NIST.HB.133-2020

How to Cite this NIST Technical Series Publication

Butcher T, Sefcik D, Warfield L, Benham E, Bowers S, and Lippa K, (2022) Checking the Net Contents of 

Packaged Goods. (National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD), NIST Handbook (HB) NIST 

HB 133-2023. https://doi.org/10.6028/NIST.HB.133-2023

NIST Author ORCID iDs

T Butcher: 0000-0003-2711-9442

D Sefcik: 0000-0001-7407-1950 

L Warfield: 0000-0003-0576-8572

E Benham: 0000-0002-2751-7881

S Bowers: 0000-0002-1902-362X

K Lippa: 0000-0001-8651-8326

Contact Information

owm@nist.gov 

NIST Office of Weights and Measures

Attention: Publications Coordinator 

100 Bureau Drive, MS 2600

Gaithersburg, MD 20899
NIST HB 133-2023

January 2023

i

This publication is available free of charge from: https://doi.org/10.6028/NIST.HB.13

3-2023

Abstract

This handbook has been prepared as a procedural guide for the compliance testing of net content 

statements on packaged goods. Compliance testing of packaged goods is the determination of the 

conformance results of packaging, distribution, and sale of commodities to specific legal 

requirements for net content declarations. This handbook has been developed primarily for the 

use of state, local, and some federal officials. However, it should be useful to commercial and 

industrial establishments areas of packaging, distribution, and sale of commodities. 

NIST has statutory responsibility for “cooperation with states in securing uniformity of weights 

and measures laws and methods of inspection and publishes this and other NIST Handbooks in 

partial fulfillment of this responsibility. This 2023 edition includes amendments made though the 

Committee on Laws and Regulations of the National Conference on Weights and Measures 

(NCWM) with technical guidance from the Office of Weights and Measures (OWM) of the 

National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and input from weights and measures 

officials and industry representatives. These amendments were adopted by the NCWM at its 107th

Annual Meeting in July 2022. There may be years where there are no changes to this NIST 

Handbook 133; therefore, it would not be published on an annual basis in such instances.

In conducting compliance testing, the conversion of measured quantity values between systems of 

measurement (e.g., from the metric system to the U.S. customary system) should be handled with 

careful regard to the implied correspondence between measurement accuracy and the number of 

digits displayed. For all conversions, the number of significant figures retained should be 

congruous with the accuracy of the corresponding measurement. For this edition of NIST 

Handbook 133, all quantity values obtained from devices or through test procedures have been 

rounded to two significant digits (e.g., 2.5 cm to 1.0 in), or to a precision level applicable to the 

test equipment (e.g., 200 kPa for 25 psi or 35 MPs for 5000 psi).

Keywords

count; labeling; measures; packaging; testing procedures; testing methods; weight; volume; 

length; scale; area; thickness. 
NIST HB 133-2023

January 2023

ii

This publication is available free of charge from: https://doi.org/10.6028/NIST.HB.13

3-2023

Author Contributions

Tina G. Butcher: Writing - Reviewing and Editing; David A. Sefcik: Data Curation, Writing - Original Draft, Writing 

- Reviewing and Editing; Lisa Warfield: Data Curation, Writing - Original Draft, Writing - Reviewing and Editing; 

Elizabeth J. Benham: Writing - Original Draft, Writing - Reviewing and Editing; Shelby L. Bowers: Writing -

Reviewing and Editing; Katrice A. Lippa: Supervision. 
NIST HB 133-2023

January 2023

iii

This publication is available free of charge from: https://doi.org/10.6028/NIST.HB.13

3-2023

Acknowledgments

Committee on Laws and Regulations of the 

107th National Conference on Weights and Measures

John McGuire, New Jersey

Doug Rathbun, Illinois

Kevin Schnepp, California

Tory Brewer, West Virginia

Mauricio Mejia, Florida

Associate Membership Representative: Prentiss Searles, American Petroleum Institute

Canadian Technical Advisors: Lance Robertson and Rowan Hemsing, Measurement Canada

NIST Technical Advisors: Lisa Warfield, David Sefcik

NCWM Committee Coordinator: Constantine Cotsoradis

Past Chairs of the Committee

Conference Chair Conference Chair

41 G. H. Leithauser, MD 78 F. Clem, OH

42-43 F. M. Greene, CT 79 B. Bloch, CA

44 G. L. Johnson, KY 80 S. Rhoades, AZ

45 R. Williams, NY 81 L. Straub, MD

46-49 J. H. Lewis, WA 82 S. Millay, ME

50-51 L. Barker, WV 83-84 K. Angell, WV

52 M. Jennings, TN 85 S. Morrison, CA

53 W. A. Kerlin, CA 86 R. Williams, TN

54-55 J. F. Lyles, VA 87 P. D’Errico, NJ

56-58 S. D. Andrews, FL 88-89 D. Johannes, CA

59 R. M. Leach, MI 90 J. Gomez, NM

60 R. L. Thompson, MD 91 J. Benavides, TX

61-62 C. H. Vincent, Dallas, TX 92 J. Cassidy, MA

63 J. T. Bennett, CT 93 Vicky Dempsey, OH

64 R. W. Probst, WI 94 Joe Gomez, NM

65 D. I. Offner, MO 95 Joe Benavides, TX

66-68 J. J. Bartfai, NY 96 John Gaccione, NY

69 W. R. Mossberg, CA 97-98 J. Cardin, WI

70 E. Skluzacek, MN 99 R. Johnson, NM

71 D. Stagg, AL 100 T. Lloyd, MT

72 A. Nelson, CT 101 R. Lewis, GA

73-74 K. Simila, OR 102-103 Ethan Bogren, NY

75 S. B. Colbrook, IL 104 Michelle Wilson, AZ

76 A. Nelson, CT 105 Ethan Bogren, NY

77 B. Bloch, CA 106-107 John McGuire, NJ
NIST HB 133-2023

January 2023

iv

This publication is available free of charge from: https://doi.org/10.6028/NIST.HB.13

3-2023

THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK