Label Sizes for Jars and Bottles

Why does label size matter so much?

A label that is too tall creeps over the shoulder of a jar or into the curve at the base. Paper and film cannot follow a curve in two directions, so the edge creases, catches on fingers and starts to lift. A label that is too wide on a wrap overlaps itself, and overlaps lift too.

Get the size right and the label lies flat, looks deliberate and stays put. Get it wrong and even the best design looks home-made. The good news is that measuring takes five minutes with a ruler and a strip of paper.

Size also affects cost and speed. A label a few millimetres smaller than it needs to be costs a fraction less on a long run, and a label sized to sit squarely between the shoulder and base is much quicker to apply straight, because there is an obvious place for it to go.

What you need before measuring

• One filled, lidded container, exactly as you sell it
• A steel ruler or a flexible tape in millimetres
• A strip of paper about 15 mm wide and longer than the circumference
• A pencil
• A flat, well-lit surface to work on

Measure a filled container rather than an empty one. Lids, caps and seals change where the label can sit, and some plastic containers bulge slightly once filled.

How do I measure a jar or bottle?

1. Stand the container on a flat surface and find the straight wall: the part between the shoulder (or lid) and the curve at the base.
2. Measure that straight wall from top to bottom in millimetres.
3. Take 3 to 5 mm off the top and bottom for a front label; this is your maximum label height.
4. Wrap the paper strip round the straight wall, mark where it overlaps and measure the length: that is the circumference.
5. Decide how far round you want the label to go, and work out the width from the circumference.

Write the figures down with the container name, so the next order needs no measuring at all.

Typical sizes for common UK containers

These are starting points based on common jar and bottle shapes. Suppliers vary, so always check against your own container.

Two jars sold as the same capacity can differ by several millimetres in height and width, especially between glass and plastic. A label sized for one brand of jar may sit too high on another, so measure again whenever you change supplier.

How much of the circumference should a front label cover?

On a round jar or bottle, a front label usually covers between a third and a half of the circumference. Wider than that and the edges curve away from view, so the customer cannot read the whole label from the front. Narrower and it can look lost on a large jar.

As a rule of thumb, a 340 g jam jar with a circumference of around 220 mm suits a front label 60 to 80 mm wide. A 250 ml bottle of around 190 mm circumference suits a label around 90 mm wide, which wraps just under half way round.

What gap should a wrap label leave?

A wrap goes almost all the way round and meets itself at the back. Never make it the full circumference. Containers vary by a millimetre or two, and labels go on by hand at a slight angle, so a full-length wrap will overlap on some jars and leave a gap on others.

Leave at least 10 mm between the ends on jars and bottles, and 15 to 20 mm if you apply by hand. On lip balm tubes and other small items, 2 to 3 mm is enough. The gap looks intentional, and it is a natural place for a barcode.

What about tapered and shaped containers?

Many tubs, cups and some jars taper: wider at the top than the bottom. A straight rectangular wrap on a tapered tub spirals as it goes round, ending higher at one end than the other. The fix is a curved wrap, cut as part of a ring, so it sits level all the way round.

To size one, measure the circumference at the top and bottom of the label area and the height between them. Send those three figures and we will draw the curve. Square, hexagonal and flat-sided containers are simpler: keep each label inside one flat face, a few millimetres clear of the corners.

Lids, necks and bases

Lid labels are usually circles a few millimetres smaller than the flat top of the lid, so they do not run onto the ridged edge. A 63 mm jam jar lid takes a 50 mm circle comfortably.

Neck labels and collars on bottles need a shape that follows the taper of the neck; a flat strip creases. Base labels on candles and jars should sit inside the flat ring of the base, clear of any embossing. Our candle jar and tin labels page lists base sizes for common vessels.

How do I check a size before ordering?

Print your design at full size on plain paper, cut it out and tape it to the container. Look at it from the front, turn it round, check it clears the shoulder and the base, and see whether the important text reads from where a customer would stand.

When you send us the size, we check it on the proof too, and we will tell you if anything looks likely to crease or overlap. If you are not sure, send a photo of the container next to a ruler.

It also helps to try the paper mock-up on two or three containers from the same box. If it fits one and creases on another, size down a little so every container in the batch takes the label cleanly.

Which material copes best with curves?

Film labels, white or clear BOPP, wrap round cylinders more easily than thick paper and cope with the slight flex of plastic bottles. Paper is fine on glass jars with a gentle curve, and kraft paper has a natural stiffness that suits larger jars better than very small ones.

Whatever the stock, rounded corners help. A 2 to 3 mm corner radius stops the corners of a label lifting on a curved surface, and it costs nothing extra on most jobs.

Very small containers, such as sample pots and 15 ml bottles, are the hardest to label well. Keep the design simple, the label small and the stock thin, and test a mock-up before ordering, because a single millimetre makes a visible difference at that scale.