Unit Price

The unit price is the price of goods per unit of measurement such as kilogram, litre, metre, square metre, cubic metre or item. Under the Price Labelling Regulation, for products sold by measure or packed in different quantities, the unit price must be shown together with the sale price.

Why It Matters

The unit price allows the prices of products packed in different quantities to be compared. For example, which of a 750-gram and a 1.2-kilogram detergent is better value can only be seen from the price per kilogram. The unit price is therefore one of the key tools for informed consumer choice.

Display Rules

• The unit price must be shown with the sale price, on the same label and legibly.
• A unit appropriate to the product should be used, and the same unit for products in the same group.
• Where the unit price and the sale price are the same, a separate unit price may not be required.
• For online sales, the unit price must appear on the product page.

Multi-Buy Offers and Multipacks

In offers such as “buy 3 pay 2” or multipacks, calculating the unit price correctly matters so consumers can see whether the offer really is an advantage. A multipack having a higher unit price than the single item, and this being hidden, may be misleading; see Promotional Campaigns.

Shrinkflation

Reducing the contents of a pack while keeping the price the same (shrinkflation) raises the unit price. Correctly displaying the unit price makes this change visible; presenting the packaging change in a way that misleads consumers may be an unfair commercial practice.