Leaf & Spine

6 x 9 in US Trade · 230 pages

230-page 6 x 9 in book: spine width & cover size

A 230-page 6 x 9 in paperback has a spine of 0.518 in (13.16 mm) on white paper or 0.575 in on cream. Full cover with bleed: 12.768 x 9.25 in.

0.518 inSpine, white paper13.16 mm
0.575 inSpine, cream paper14.61 mm
12.77 x 9.25Full cover, inchesincl. bleed
319 gEstimated weight11.2 oz

Cover template (white paper)

Barcode areaBACK COVER6 x 9 inFRONT COVER6 x 9 inSPINE 0.518 inFull cover 12.768 x 9.25 in incl. 0.125 in bleed
Red: bleed (trimmed off) · dashed: 0.25 in safe zone · shaded: spine. Download a full-size template from the calculator.

Spine and cover by paper type

PaperSpineSpine (mm)Full cover (in)Full cover (mm)At 300 ppi
White paper, black ink0.518 in13.16 mm12.768 x 9.25 in324.3 x 235 mm3,830 x 2,775 px
Cream paper, black ink0.575 in14.61 mm12.825 x 9.25 in325.8 x 235 mm3,848 x 2,775 px
Standard color (white)0.518 in13.16 mm12.768 x 9.25 in324.3 x 235 mm3,830 x 2,775 px
Premium color (white)0.5398 in13.71 mm12.79 x 9.25 in324.9 x 235 mm3,837 x 2,775 px

Per-page factors are those published by KDP; IngramSpark and offset printers use their own paper calipers.

Other printers: spine by paper PPI

Paper PPITypical stockSpineSpine (mm)
350 PPIBulky / heavy stock (~70 lb text)0.6571 in16.69 mm
400 PPICream book paper (~55 lb)0.575 in14.61 mm
444 PPIWhite book paper (~50 lb)0.518 in13.16 mm
500 PPILightweight text (~45 lb)0.46 in11.68 mm
600 PPIThin text (~40 lb)0.3833 in9.74 mm

If your printer quotes pages per inch (PPI), spine = pages ÷ PPI. Ask for the exact PPI of your chosen stock.

Designing this cover

  • Build the cover canvas at 12.768 x 9.25 in — or 3,830 x 2,775 px at 300 ppi.
  • The back cover runs from the left edge to 6.125 in; the spine from 6.125 to 6.643 in; the front cover after that.
  • Spine text is allowed — centre it and keep 0.0625 in clear on each side.
  • Keep titles and faces at least 0.25 in inside the trim; KDP places the barcode in a 2 x 1.2 in area at the lower right of the back cover.
  • Export as a flattened PDF (PDF/X-1a is safest) with fonts embedded.

Nearby page counts

PagesSpine (white)Spine (cream)Full cover (white)
170 pages0.3828 in0.425 in12.633 x 9.25 in
180 pages0.4054 in0.45 in12.655 x 9.25 in
190 pages0.4279 in0.475 in12.678 x 9.25 in
200 pages0.4504 in0.5 in12.7 x 9.25 in
210 pages0.4729 in0.525 in12.723 x 9.25 in
220 pages0.4954 in0.55 in12.745 x 9.25 in
240 pages0.5405 in0.6 in12.79 x 9.25 in
250 pages0.563 in0.625 in12.813 x 9.25 in
260 pages0.5855 in0.65 in12.836 x 9.25 in
270 pages0.608 in0.675 in12.858 x 9.25 in
280 pages0.6306 in0.7 in12.881 x 9.25 in
290 pages0.6531 in0.725 in12.903 x 9.25 in

230 pages in other trim sizes

TrimSpine (white)Full cover (white)
5 x 8 in0.518 in10.768 x 8.25 in
5.06 x 7.81 in0.518 in10.888 x 8.06 in
5.25 x 8 in0.518 in11.268 x 8.25 in
5.5 x 8.5 in0.518 in11.768 x 8.75 in
6.14 x 9.21 in0.518 in13.048 x 9.46 in
6.69 x 9.61 in0.518 in14.148 x 9.86 in
7 x 10 in0.518 in14.768 x 10.25 in
7.5 x 9.25 in0.518 in15.768 x 9.5 in
8 x 10 in0.518 in16.768 x 10.25 in
8.5 x 8.5 in0.518 in17.768 x 8.75 in
8.5 x 11 in0.518 in17.768 x 11.25 in

Spine width depends only on page count and paper; the cover width changes with the trim.

Frequently asked questions

How wide is the spine of a 230-page 6 x 9 in book?
On white paper it is 0.518 in (13.16 mm); on cream paper 0.575 in (14.61 mm), using KDP's per-page factors.
What size should the full cover be?
For white paper: 12.768 x 9.25 in (324.3 x 235 mm) including 0.125 in bleed on every side. For cream paper: 12.825 x 9.25 in.
Can I put text on the spine?
Yes. KDP allows spine text only for books with more than 79 pages; keep it at least 0.0625 in (1.6 mm) from each spine edge.
How heavy is a 230-page 6 x 9 in paperback?
About 319 g (11.2 oz) on white paper with a standard cover — useful for estimating postage.