The small ℮ beside the weight or volume on a packet of pasta or a bottle of sauce is called the estimated sign.
It means the quantity printed next to it is an average for the batch.
A filling machine running at speed can’t put exactly 500g into every packet, so any single pack may hold slightly more or less than the figure on the label.
What the estimated sign tells you – By custom packaging professionals in Manchester
Packers who use the mark are working to a statistical rule instead of promising an exact weight for each pack.
The rule comes from the European average quantity system, and it lets manufacturers fill thousands of packs an hour without every one landing on exactly the same gram.
Net quantity and the estimated sign
The figure beside the ℮ is the net quantity, meaning the food inside without the pack around it.
The ℮ says the average across the batch is at least that figure, so two packs from the same run can differ by a small amount and the batch still meets the rule.
Volume follows the same logic, so a bottle marked 500ml ℮ is filled to an average of 500ml across the batch, and a gap of a few millilitres between two bottles from one run is normal.
The average quantity rules behind the symbol
Trading Standards guidance describes three tests for each batch of packed goods.
The first is that the average contents of the batch must not be less than the stated quantity.
The second limits how many packs may fall short by more than the allowed error, generally no more than 2.5% of them.
The third says no single pack may fall short by more than twice that error.
Put together, the stated figure works as a floor for the batch as a whole, and the individual packs you buy vary a little either side of it.
Where the e mark sits on a pack
In Great Britain, the form of the mark comes from the Weights and Measures (Packaged Goods) Regulations 2006.
Northern Ireland has its own version, the Weights and Measures (Packaged Goods) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2011.
The mark must be at least 3mm high, indelible and easy to read, and it has to sit in the same field of vision as the stated quantity, so it nearly always appears directly beside the grams or millilitres.
How the e mark differs from E numbers
The ℮ has nothing to do with E numbers, the codes such as E300 that identify additives in an ingredients list.
You’ll find the estimated sign beside the net quantity instead.
Whether food businesses have to use the e mark
Using the ℮ mark is optional.
According to UK government guidance, placing it on a package is the packer’s declaration that the contents comply with the average quantity system. The regulations prohibit its use on packages that do not meet the relevant criteria.
The UK has continued to recognise this voluntary use of the mark since 1 January 2021. Prepacked food has to show its net quantity either way.
Trading standards services advise packers directly where the rules look unclear, and it’s worth asking them before your artwork goes to print.
If you’re a small producer filling by hand or with a simple machine, you still need to check a random sample of packs against the average quantity rules.
You must also keep records of these checks, which show how your filling process behaves from one run to the next.
Getting the e mark right on your own packaging
We design and print food packaging in Scotland and deliver across the UK, from reverse tuck-end cartons to sleeves and takeaway boxes.
The net quantity and any ℮ go on the artwork like any other piece of label text, and we will be more than happy to guide you through how to incorporate it for your packaging.
Once a carton is folded and glued, a fold line or glue flap running through the quantity can make it hard to read. The quantity and the mark need to stay together in one field of vision.
On a small sleeve or compact carton, the 3mm minimum takes up room that the brand name, ingredients and barcode also want, so it pays to plan the quantity and the mark together from the first sketch.
The ℮ mark is optional, and doesn’t need to go on packaging for items such as rings or necklaces in jewellery packaging.
Design support for food packaging labels
Our design consultation is the place to sort the layout, so the quantity, the mark and the rest of your label read cleanly on the finished pack.
The wording and figures themselves are yours to confirm with Trading Standards, although we can offer a degree of guidance alongside a sample pack so you can see it in person before committing to a run.
We hold BRC Global Packaging (High Hygiene) certification for food-safe packaging, and with no minimum order you can check a layout on a small run before committing to tens, hundreds, or thousands of boxes.
Questions about the e mark on food packaging
Does the e mean the pack contains less than stated?
The stated quantity is an average, so some packs hold marginally less and others slightly more. The rules limit how far any pack can fall short, and none may fall short by more than twice the allowed error.
What does the e stand for?
The regulations call it the estimated sign, so the e stands for estimated.
Is the e mark compulsory in the UK?
Packers can leave it off, although prepacked food still has to show its net quantity, and using the ℮ commits the packer to the average quantity rules.
Where does the e mark go on food packaging?
It goes directly beside the stated quantity, in the same field of vision, at least 3mm high and clear to read.
Custom Pack Studio helps plan food packaging that carries the right details
If you work in the food industry, Custom Pack Studio is happy to help you find the perfect bespoke packaging for your product.
Call us on 01294 314 919, email contact@custompackstudio.co.uk or request a free quote online, and we’ll help you get the artwork right before a single box is printed.
