6 x 9 in US Trade · 490 pages

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

A 490-page 6 x 9 in paperback has a spine of 1.1035 in (28.03 mm) on white paper or 1.225 in on cream. Full cover with bleed: 13.353 x 9.25 in.

1.103 inSpine, white paper28.03 mm
1.225 inSpine, cream paper31.12 mm
13.35 x 9.25Full cover, inchesincl. bleed
659 gEstimated weight23.3 oz

Cover template (white paper)

Barcode areaBACK COVER6 x 9 inFRONT COVER6 x 9 inSPINE 1.103 inFull cover 13.353 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 ink1.1035 in28.03 mm13.353 x 9.25 in339.2 x 235 mm4,006 x 2,775 px
Cream paper, black ink1.225 in31.12 mm13.475 x 9.25 in342.3 x 235 mm4,042 x 2,775 px
Standard color (white)1.1035 in28.03 mm13.353 x 9.25 in339.2 x 235 mm4,006 x 2,775 px
Premium color (white)1.15 in29.21 mm13.4 x 9.25 in340.4 x 235 mm4,020 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)1.4 in35.56 mm
400 PPICream book paper (~55 lb)1.225 in31.12 mm
444 PPIWhite book paper (~50 lb)1.1036 in28.03 mm
500 PPILightweight text (~45 lb)0.98 in24.89 mm
600 PPIThin text (~40 lb)0.8167 in20.74 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 13.353 x 9.25 in — or 4,006 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 7.228 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)
430 pages0.9684 in1.075 in13.218 x 9.25 in
440 pages0.9909 in1.1 in13.241 x 9.25 in
450 pages1.0134 in1.125 in13.263 x 9.25 in
460 pages1.0359 in1.15 in13.286 x 9.25 in
470 pages1.0584 in1.175 in13.308 x 9.25 in
480 pages1.081 in1.2 in13.331 x 9.25 in
500 pages1.126 in1.25 in13.376 x 9.25 in
520 pages1.171 in1.3 in13.421 x 9.25 in
540 pages1.2161 in1.35 in13.466 x 9.25 in

490 pages in other trim sizes

TrimSpine (white)Full cover (white)
5 x 8 in1.1035 in11.353 x 8.25 in
5.06 x 7.81 in1.1035 in11.473 x 8.06 in
5.25 x 8 in1.1035 in11.853 x 8.25 in
5.5 x 8.5 in1.1035 in12.353 x 8.75 in
6.14 x 9.21 in1.1035 in13.633 x 9.46 in
6.69 x 9.61 in1.1035 in14.733 x 9.86 in
7 x 10 in1.1035 in15.353 x 10.25 in
7.5 x 9.25 in1.1035 in16.353 x 9.5 in
8 x 10 in1.1035 in17.353 x 10.25 in
8.5 x 8.5 in1.1035 in18.353 x 8.75 in
8.5 x 11 in1.1035 in18.353 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 490-page 6 x 9 in book?
On white paper it is 1.1035 in (28.03 mm); on cream paper 1.225 in (31.12 mm), using KDP's per-page factors.
What size should the full cover be?
For white paper: 13.353 x 9.25 in (339.2 x 235 mm) including 0.125 in bleed on every side. For cream paper: 13.475 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 490-page 6 x 9 in paperback?
About 659 g (23.3 oz) on white paper with a standard cover — useful for estimating postage.