Last verified 16 Sep 2026 · Sources
| Quick facts | Type size and placement |
|---|---|
| Regulation | 21 CFR 101.9(d)(1) |
| Applies to | Any packaged food carrying a standard Nutrition Facts panel |
| Key numbers | Calories number: 22 pt min; Calories word: 16 pt min; Serving size: 10 pt min bold; other required text: 8 pt min; small-package floor: 6 pt |
The direct answer
FDA sets a minimum type size for nearly every line on the Nutrition Facts panel, not just an overall “make it readable” standard. The calorie number needs at least 22-point type, the word “Calories” at least 16-point bold, “Serving size” at least 10-point bold, and the rest of the required nutrient names and amounts at least 8-point (21 CFR 101.9(d)(1)). The panel itself belongs on the information panel or principal display panel under 21 CFR 101.2. Smaller packages get a reduced floor, down to 6-point type, under the small-package provisions.
The rule
21 CFR 101.9(d)(1) sets the baseline type requirements for the standard vertical Nutrition Facts format, confirmed against the current text on eCFR (ecfr.gov):
- “Nutrition Facts” title: printed in a type size no smaller than all other print size within the nutrition label, so it reads as the dominant heading on the panel.
- “Calories” (the word): bold or extra bold, no smaller than 16 point.
- The calorie amount (the number): no smaller than 22 point, the largest required numeral on the panel.
- “Serving size”: bold or extra bold, no smaller than 10 point.
- Other required nutrient names and amounts (total fat, sodium, total carbohydrate, and the rest of the standard lines): no smaller than 8 point.
- Certain other required text within the panel: no smaller than 6 point, confirmed on eCFR by full-text search of the current section (search for the “6 point” language returns matches directly within 101.9).
Placement of the panel itself is governed separately, by 21 CFR 101.2: nutrition labeling goes on the information panel, or on the principal display panel (PDP) when the information panel doesn’t have room, and (where the information panel is used) it should appear to the right of, or otherwise adjacent to, the ingredient statement so a shopper reading one naturally finds the other.
The numbers
| Element | Minimum type size | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| “Nutrition Facts” title | No smaller than any other print on the panel, except the calorie number | Functions as the largest/most prominent heading |
| “___ servings per container” | 10 point | Immediately after the heading |
| “Serving size” | 10 point, bold/extra bold (8 point allowed if it doesn’t fit) | |
| “Calories” (word) | 16 point, bold/extra bold | |
| Calorie amount (number) | 22 point, bold | Largest required numeral on the panel |
| Other required nutrient names/amounts, %DV | 8 point | Total fat, sodium, carbohydrate, protein lines, etc. |
| “Amount per serving,” “% Daily Value*,” footnote, caloric conversion info | 6 point | |
| Small package bearing nutrition info, <12 sq in labeling area | 6 point, or all-caps 1/16-inch | Per 21 CFR 101.9(j)(13)(i) |
For packages that qualify for the tabular or linear small-package formats (see /formats/tabular/ and /formats/linear/) under 21 CFR 101.9(j)(13)(ii), several of these minimums shrink further: “Calories” drops to 10 point (from 16), the calorie number to 14 point (from 22), servings-per-container and serving size to 9 point (from 10), and all other required text to 6 point or all-caps 1/16 inch under (j)(13)(i)(B), while the 8-point minimum for nutrient lines still applies. That’s a separate, reduced scheme from the standard-format sizes above, so don’t mix the two on the same label.
On the label
If you make cheese (see /product-labels/cheese/) and run a full standard-vertical panel on a wheel or block label, you have plenty of room: “Nutrition Facts” is set larger than everything else on the panel, “Calories” sits at 16-point bold next to a 22-point number, and the ingredient list runs immediately to the panel’s left on the same information panel, per 21 CFR 101.2.
If you sell candy (see /product-labels/candy/) in a small single-serve wrapper, it’s a tighter case. If the wrapper’s total available labeling area comes in under 12 square inches and the label carries no nutrition claims, the panel itself may be exempt under 21 CFR 101.9(j)(13)(i) in favor of a phone number for nutrition information. If you choose to print the panel anyway, or the wrapper is larger than that threshold but still small, the label falls back to the tabular or linear formats with their own reduced type sizes rather than the standard 8-point/22-point scheme above.
Mistakes we see
- Shrinking the calorie number to match the rest of the panel instead of keeping it at the required 22-point minimum. It’s supposed to stand out.
- Making “Nutrition Facts” the same size as the nutrient lines rather than the largest text on the panel.
- Using 8-point type for “Serving size” instead of the 10-point bold minimum that line specifically requires.
- Placing the panel on a side panel far from the ingredient list when the information panel had room for both side by side.
- Applying tabular/linear small-package type sizes to a standard vertical layout, mixing rules from two different subsections of 101.9.
Related rules
Type size interacts directly with the footnote covered in /labeling-rules/footnote-daily-value/, since both live inside the same visual block and the footnote has its own minimum size. Panel placement ties into /labeling-rules/principal-display-panel/ for where the PDP itself starts and stops, and small-package type-size relief often comes up alongside /labeling-rules/small-business-exemption/ when you’re deciding whether a tiny package needs a full panel at all.
Build it right
Our builder lays out every required element at its correct minimum type size automatically (the 22-point calorie number, 16-point “Calories,” 10-point bold serving size, and 8-point nutrient lines) and switches to the right small-package sizing when your product’s dimensions call for the tabular or linear format.
Type sized right from the start means your designer lays out the panel once and the proof comes back clean. Enter your recipe, then see your label: free with no card required, you see your calories, the claims you qualify for, your allergen line and the nutrient to watch, and every other value and %DV stays hidden until you unlock it. $29 unlocks every other nutrient value and %DV, every FDA format your product qualifies for, and your ingredient statement and allergen declaration, ready to print. Build your label or see where it sits on the principal display panel.
FAQ
What's the minimum type size for the calorie number?
22 point, per 21 CFR 101.9(d)(1). This is the largest single required type size on the panel, larger than the "Calories" word itself.
How big does "Nutrition Facts" have to be compared to everything else?
It must be printed no smaller than all other print size in the nutrition label. In practice, the title has to be at least as large as, and is typically made larger than, any other required text on the panel.
What's the smallest type size FDA allows anywhere on the panel?
6 point, and only in specific circumstances: for certain required text within the panel, and for small packages under 21 CFR 101.9(j)(13)(i) that display nutrition information despite qualifying for the small-package exemption.
Where does the Nutrition Facts panel have to be located on the package?
On the information panel or principal display panel per 21 CFR 101.2, generally immediately to the right of the ingredient statement unless space doesn't allow it.
Does "Serving size" get special formatting?
Yes. It must be bold or extra bold and no smaller than 10 point, distinct from the 8-point minimum for other required nutrient names and values.
Related rules
%DV footnote text, PDP & information panel, Small business exemption, Rounding rules. See the full all labeling rules.