Shipping Label Sizes — The Complete Guide

A4, 4x6 thermal, half page, A6 — here's what every size means, which couriers use them, and how to print the right one.

Shipping label sizes can be confusing, especially when your courier generates a label in one format and your printer expects another. This guide covers every common label size, when to use each one, and how to convert between them.

Common shipping label sizes at a glance

Most popular
4x6 Thermal
101.6 × 152.4 mm

Standard size for all thermal label printers. Used by Rollo, Zebra, Dymo, and Seiko. Required by most US couriers.

UK default
A4 Full Page
210 × 297 mm

Royal Mail, DPD, Evri, and Yodel all generate labels as A4 PDFs. Print on plain A4 or resize to half-page.

Best for sticker sheets
Half Page / A5
210 × 148.5 mm

Two labels fit on one A4 sticker sheet. Widely used with Royal Mail and DPD when printing on sticker paper.

Similar to 4x6
A6
148 × 105 mm

Slightly smaller than 4x6. Used by some inkjet and laser label sheets. Less common than the other formats.

Full size reference table

Label Size Dimensions (mm) Dimensions (inches) Best for
4x6 Thermal101.6 × 152.44" × 6"Thermal printers (Rollo, Zebra, Dymo)
A4 Full Page210 × 2978.27" × 11.69"UK courier labels on inkjet/laser
Half Page / A5210 × 148.58.27" × 5.85"Half-page sticker sheets (2 per A4)
A6148 × 1055.83" × 4.13"Smaller inkjet label sheets
US Letter215.9 × 279.48.5" × 11"US inkjet/laser printers
6x4 (landscape)152.4 × 101.66" × 4"Some Dymo and Seiko printers

Which size does each courier use?

UK couriers

Royal Mail generates all labels (Click & Drop and Online Postage) as full A4 PDFs. Most sellers resize these to half-page (A5) so they can fit two labels on one sticker sheet, or convert to 4x6 thermal for a thermal printer.

DPD, Evri, and Yodel also produce A4 PDF labels by default. Parcelforce labels are similarly A4 format from their online portal.

US couriers

USPS, UPS, FedEx, and DHL are all designed around the 4x6 thermal format. Labels from these carriers are typically generated as 4x6 PDFs, or as A4 pages with a 4x6 label embedded — which still needs to be cropped or resized for thermal printing.

Selling platforms

Shopify generates 4x6 labels natively when you buy postage through Shopify Shipping. eBay generates either 4x6 or A4 depending on the carrier and region. Etsy labels are 4x6 by default for US sellers. Amazon FBA uses a mix of sizes depending on the label type.

What happens when the size doesn't match your printer?

If your label is in the wrong format for your printer, you have a few options. You can scale it in your print dialog (though this often distorts barcodes), resize the PDF properly before printing (the safest approach), or use label paper designed to match your courier's output format.

The cleanest approach is to resize the label file itself so it exactly matches your printer's output size — which is what this tool does. Upload your label, choose your target size, and download a correctly proportioned file ready to print at 100% scale with no scaling needed in the print dialog.

Need to resize a label to a different size?

Upload your PDF or image and convert it to A4, 4x6 thermal, or half-page in seconds. Free, runs in your browser, no signup.

Resize my label — it's free

Frequently asked questions

What size are shipping labels?
The most common size is 4x6 inches (101.6 × 152.4mm), used by thermal printers. UK couriers tend to generate A4 labels (210 × 297mm) that you resize to fit your printer.
What is a 4x6 shipping label?
A 4x6 label is 4 inches wide by 6 inches tall — 101.6 × 152.4mm. It is the standard size for thermal label printers like Rollo, Zebra, and Dymo, and is used by most US couriers including USPS, UPS, FedEx, and DHL.
Can I print a shipping label on A4 paper?
Yes. Most UK couriers generate A4 PDFs and you can print them directly on standard A4. For a tidier result, resize to half-page so you fit two labels per sheet on half-page sticker paper.
What is A6 label size in inches?
A6 is 148 × 105mm, or approximately 5.8 × 4.1 inches. It is close to a 4x6 label but slightly different — check your sticker sheet specification before printing.
How do I resize a shipping label to the right size?
Use the free Label Resizer tool on this site. Upload your label PDF or image, pick your target format, and download a correctly sized file. It runs entirely in your browser — nothing is uploaded to a server.