If you’re unsure how to properly measure a bottle or container, you’ve come to the right place. Measuring the bottle that you will be labeling is a key step when ordering custom labels to ensure that the label size will work for your bottle, artwork, and budget. Check out our tips for measuring different types of bottles and label size calculator to find the perfect label size.
When you have your label size ready, head over to our online quote tool for a free, instant quote!
Measure Round Bottles With Our Label Size Calculator
How To Manually Measure Round Bottles
Measure the Diameter
Measure the bottom face of the bottle from one side to the other with a flat ruler. This is your bottle diameter. Multiply the diameter by pi (3.14), and the resulting number is your circumference. This is the width of your label.
Measure the Height
Measure the height of the flat surface, from curve to curve. This is the height of your label.
We recommend taking off between 1/8th to 1/4th of an inch from the width and 1/8th of an inch from the height. When applying the label to your bottle, this results in a gap between the ends of the label. By doing this, you won’t have to worry about lining up the ends perfectly (especially if the application process is being done by hand) and it prevents the label from being too tall for the bottle. If you would like the label ends to overlap, however, all you need to do is add 1/4th of an inch to the width.
TIP! If you don’t have a measuring tape available, you can always use a sheet of paper. Simply wrap the paper around the bottle and mark where it overlaps with a pencil. With a ruler, measure the distance between the end of the paper and the mark to determine the label’s width.
Measuring Rectangular or Square Shaped Bottles
- Measure only the side of the bottle where the label will be applied. Then, take your ruler and measure the height and width of the surface area.
- The height and width (known as “across by around” in label printing terms) are how the dimensions of a label are stated. Ex: A label that is two inches tall and wraps around a container by four inches would be expressed as 2 x 4.
- It’s recommended that you subtract about 1/8th of an inch from the width and height measurements to better ensure the label fits properly within the surface area when applied.
Measuring Tapered and Uniquely Shaped Bottles
Containers that have a taper or unique contours can be difficult to measure. To determine if your bottle is tapered, simply take a straight-edge, such as an index card or ruler, and place it alongside the container’s edge. If you can see even a small gap between the straight edge and the container, the bottle is tapered.
Tapered bottles can require more advanced tools of measuring – we recommend sending a sample bottle to our customer service department to guarantee an accurately sized label. Check out our video on labeling tapered containers to learn more!
Shrink Sleeve Labels
With their 360° coverage graphics, shrink sleeve labels work well with irregularly shaped containers and can conform to almost all container shapes and label designs. Adding shrink sleeves to your packaging design can improve your product’s visual appeal and make a better lasting impression.
Since shrink sleeves aren’t applied like other types labels (they’re shrunken to the container using heat), we must test the film material using our in-house steam tunnel with a grid sleeve test. Please ask our customer service department for measuring and grid-testing.
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in October 2007 and has been updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.
