Which thermal label size do you need? A guide by use
30x20, 40x25, 60x40, 100x150… With more than 50 sizes to choose from, here's how to pick the right one for what you're labelling.
Before you order a roll, two questions get you most of the way: what are you printing on it, and how wide does your printer print?
Start with your printer
- 2-inch printer: about 50–56 mm print width. Fine for small labels (prices, barcodes) up to 50 or 55 mm wide.
- 4-inch printer: about 104 mm print width. Takes every size, up to 100 x 150 mm shipping labels.
Sizes by use
| Use | Recommended sizes |
|---|---|
| Price labels, small items | 30x20, 35x25, 40x20 |
| EAN product barcodes | 40x25, 50x25, 50x30 |
| Barcode + product name + price | 50x40, 60x40 |
| Amazon FNSKU / SKU labels | 50x25, 60x40 |
| Shelf, bin and location labels | 60x40, 70x40, 80x50 |
| Cartons and order picking | 100x50, 100x70, 100x100 |
| Shipping labels | 100x150 (4x6) |
Price labels
For a price and a product code, 30 x 20 mm or 40 x 20 mm is enough, and fits on small items without covering the packaging.
EAN barcodes
A full-size EAN-13 is roughly 37 x 26 mm including the digits. It fits on 40 x 25 mm slightly scaled down; for a comfortable barcode plus a line of text, 50 x 25 mm or 50 x 30 mm is safer.
Warehouse
Shelf and bin labels need to be readable from a distance. 60 x 40 mm leaves room for large text plus a barcode or QR code.
Shipping
The standard is 100 x 150 mm, the metric version of 4x6. More on that in 4x6 labels in mm.
Tip: filter by width and height
On the thermal labels on rolls page you can pick a width, then a height, and only sizes we actually make stay selectable. Handy when your software insists on a specific format.
FAQ
What label size do I need for an EAN-13 barcode?
50 x 25 mm or 50 x 30 mm for an easy-to-scan code with some text. 40 x 25 mm works if the code is scaled down slightly.
What's the widest label a 2-inch printer can take?
Around 50–56 mm depending on the model. Check the print width in your printer's spec sheet.
What size are shipping labels?
100 x 150 mm, which works with the 4x6 labels produced by carriers and marketplaces.
