4×6 vs A6 vs A5 — the shipping label size guide

Quick reference

• 4×6 inch (102 × 152 mm) — the global default. Every major carrier accepts it.
• A6 (105 × 148 mm) — European laser-friendly standard. Slightly wider, slightly shorter than 4×6.
• A5 (148 × 210 mm) — used by some 3PLs when the label must include a return slip.
• A4 (210 × 297 mm) — never optimal for the label itself, but common for label + invoice PDFs from Indian marketplaces.

By carrier

North America

• USPS, UPS, FedEx — 4×6 native. Everything ships in this size.
• Amazon SPD / FBA — 4×6 for shipping, 1×2 or 2×3 for FNSKU stickers.

Europe / UK

• Royal Mail, DHL, DPD — accept both 4×6 and A6. Choose based on your printer.
• Deutsche Post, PostNL — prefer A6 for laser workflows.

India

• Flipkart, Meesho, Amazon India — deliver label + invoice on A4, but the actual barcode area is 4×6.
• Delhivery, Shiprocket — 4×6 native; upload to their portal for cropped output.

South-east Asia / ANZ

• Shopee, Lazada, Australia Post — 4×6 native.

Which size should you standardise on?

If you can only stock one roll: 4×6 thermal. It works for every carrier we tested. If you are on a laser printer and print into peel-and-stick sheets: A6 is more efficient — 4 labels per A4 sheet with no wasted space.

Fixing mis-sized labels

If your marketplace hands you A4 or A5, drop it into PDF Crop Buddyand pick 4×6 output. It preserves the vector barcode so the scan rate stays 100%.