How to State Net Weight on a Candle Label

For a solid product like a candle, the federal rule says to state the quantity by weight, give it in both US and metric units, and put it on the main label panel. The FTC lists candles by name as covered, and the number leaves out the jar and packaging. I am a candle maker, not a lawyer.

What do the federal rules say?

The Fair Packaging and Labeling Act (FPLA), at 15 U.S.C. 1453, says the net quantity must appear separately and accurately on the principal display panel, in both inch/pound and metric units. The FTC's rules for this are in 16 CFR Part 500. In plain words:

• Solids go by weight. 16 CFR 500.7 says solids are stated in terms of weight or mass. Fluid ounces describe volume, so they are not for a solid candle.
• Both unit systems. 500.8 says weight is stated in avoirdupois pounds and ounces and in metric units. Its example is "Net Wt 15 oz (425 g)."
• Ounces or pounds. 500.9 says under 1 pound goes in ounces. From 1 pound up, it goes in whole pounds with any remainder in ounces, and you may add the total in ounces next to it. So 16 oz on its own is not the form: use "1 lb."
• Where it goes. 500.6 puts the quantity on the principal display panel, in the bottom 30 percent, set apart from other text, with no qualifying words such as "full" or "minimum." Panels of 5 square inches or less are exempt from the bottom 30 percent placement rule.
• How big. 500.21 sets the smallest letter height by panel area: 1/16 inch (1.5 mm) up to 5 square inches, 1/8 inch (3.1 mm) above that up to 25 square inches.
• How many digits. 500.19 says to show the metric figure in three digits, or two under 100 grams.

Do these rules cover candles?

Yes, in the FTC's view. The statute covers "consumer commodities" (15 U.S.C. 1459): retail products for household services or personal care that are usually used up. In 16 CFR 503.2, the FTC names "Candles" on its list of consumer commodities. 16 CFR 501.7 gives some candles an exemption: tapered and irregularly shaped decorative candles, hand dipped or molded, can state count and length or height in inches. I found no exception for jar candles.

What is less clear is sales inside one state. Part 500 is tied to distribution "in commerce," which 500.2 defines as commerce between a state and any place outside it, or within DC or a territory. If you only sell in your own state, I cannot say from these pages how far the federal rule reaches you. Check your state's weights and measures law.

What counts as the net weight?

16 CFR 500.25 says the statement must show the quantity of the commodity in the container "exclusive of wrappers and other material packed therewith." NIST's labeling guide, Special Publication 1020, is plainer: the declaration "must not include the weight of the container, wrappers, or packing material (called 'tare weight')," and selling packaged goods by gross weight is illegal. That guide follows NIST's model state rule, not the FTC's text. Either way, the jar stays out.

CandleScience, a supplier, goes further for candles. It says net weight reflects the wax, fragrance and any dyes, and leaves out the wick, candle container, clamshell and other packaging. No federal page I read mentions wicks, so the wick part comes from CandleScience alone.

NIST Handbook 133 holds the procedures inspectors use, with Chapter 2 for packages labeled by weight. It counts as tare all packaging that can be separated from the product. Chapters 1 and 2 do not mention candles. 500.25 allows small variations, but a shipment's average cannot fall below the stated number and no package can be unreasonably short.

Worked example: ounces to grams

These are example sizes. 500.19 points to the conversion chart in NIST Handbook 133, Appendix E, and names the 2015 edition. The 2026 edition I opened gives 1 ounce as 28.349 523 125 grams. It gives the factor, not which way to round.

Part 500 has no written rounding rule, but its examples cut off: 1 lb is 453 g, and 2 oz is 56 g (2 x 28.3495 = 56.70). NIST's guide says neither declaration may overstate the actual quantity, and that it is permissible to round a converted quantity down. So 227 g on exactly 8 oz of candle is over the true 226.80 g, and 226 g is not. You will see others: CandleScience's example is 8.5 oz (241 g), and 8.5 x 28.3495 = 240.97.

A finished line could read "Net Wt 14 oz (396 g)."

For the panel, measure the container, not the sticker. 500.21 takes a round jar's area as 40 percent of height times circumference, leaving out the shoulder and neck. For a jar 3 inches across with a 3.5 inch body: 3 x 3.14159 = 9.42 inches around, 9.42 x 3.5 = 33.0, and 33.0 x 0.40 = 13.2 square inches. That is over 5, so the bottom 30 percent rule applies and letters are at least 1/8 inch. 500.21 gives this method for type size, and I read 500.6's 5 square inch line the same way.

Common mistakes

• Weighing the finished candle with the jar and printing that.
• Ounces only, or grams only.
• Using fluid ounces for solid wax.
• Printing 16 oz alone instead of 1 lb.
• Printing a metric number with more digits than the rule allows.
• Adding words like "approx." or "minimum" without checking 500.6.
• Changing the jar size or fill and not updating the weight.

Questions

Do I have to print "net weight"?

No. 16 CFR 500.9 says the term "may be used," and that without it the statement must still give the net quantity. Its examples include "453 g (1 lb)" and "Net Wt 1 lb (453 g)."

Do state laws add rules?

They can. 16 CFR 500.3 notes that many products outside the federal rule still fall under state weights and measures laws, and NIST says most states model their rules on its own. I did not open a state page, so ask your state's weights and measures office.