Amazon product titles are capped at 200 characters. Bullet points range from 200 to 500 characters depending on seller type. Backend search terms max out at 249.5 bytes. These are the hard limits you need to know before writing a single word of listing copy.
Optimize your Amazon product title
Generate compliant, keyword-rich titles within Amazon's character limits.
This guide covers every character and byte limit that applies to Amazon listings in 2026, along with the practical consequences of exceeding them and the category-specific exceptions that catch sellers off guard.
Quick Reference: Amazon Character Limits
| Field | Limit | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Product Title | 200 characters | 80-150 recommended; mobile shows ~80 |
| Bullet Points (standard) | 200 characters each | 5 bullets max |
| Bullet Points (Brand Registry) | 500 characters each | Requires Brand Registry enrollment |
| Product Description | 2,000 characters | HTML allowed; A+ Content replaces this |
| Backend Search Terms | 249.5 bytes | Bytes, not characters; special chars use more |
| Brand Name | 50 characters | Indexed for search |
| Book Title | 199 characters | Combined with subtitle |
| Book Subtitle | 199 characters | Separate field |
Amazon Title Character Limit (200 Characters)
The hard cap is 200 characters. Submit anything longer and Amazon either rejects the listing outright or suppresses it until you fix the violation.
But 200 characters is the ceiling, not the target. The first 80 characters are what matter most because that is the cutoff on mobile devices. Since the majority of Amazon shopping happens on phones, everything past character 80 is invisible to most buyers.
Recommended lengths by priority:
- Characters 1-80: Primary keyword, product type, key differentiator. This is what mobile shoppers see.
- Characters 81-150: Secondary keywords, size, color, quantity. Desktop shoppers see this.
- Characters 151-200: Long-tail keyword variations. Only visible on the full product detail page.
Category-Specific Title Limits
Amazon does not enforce a single limit across all categories. Some categories have stricter rules:
| Category | Title Limit |
|---|---|
| Most categories | 200 characters |
| Apparel | 125 characters |
| Baby Products | 80 characters |
| Pet Supplies | 80 characters |
| Consumer Electronics | 150 characters |
If you sell across categories, check each one. A title that works for kitchen products will get rejected in baby products. See our guide on Amazon referral fees by category for more on how category selection affects your listings.
For the complete formula on structuring Amazon titles that rank and convert, read our Amazon title optimization formula.
Amazon Bullet Points Character Limit (200-500 Per Bullet)
Your bullet point limit depends on your seller status:
- Standard third-party sellers: 200 characters per bullet (recommended)
- Brand Registry sellers: Up to 500 characters per bullet
- Vendor Central: Up to 500 characters per bullet
All sellers get a maximum of 5 bullet points. That gives standard sellers 1,000 characters of total bullet space and Brand Registry sellers up to 2,500.
What Gets Bullets Suppressed
Amazon actively scans bullet points for policy violations. The most common triggers:
- Exceeding character limits for your seller type
- Promotional language like "sale," "free shipping," or "limited time"
- ALL CAPS for entire bullets (a capitalized lead-in word is fine)
- Emojis and special characters like stars, arrows, or checkmarks
- Competitor mentions or comparison claims
- Unsubstantiated health claims without FDA approval
When suppression happens, your bullets disappear from the listing without warning. Check your live listings regularly against what you submitted in Seller Central.
Recommended Bullet Length
Even if you have 500 characters available through Brand Registry, shorter bullets convert better. Aim for 150-250 characters per bullet. Each bullet should cover one specific benefit or feature, not cram in everything.
Example at 200 characters (standard seller): "Heat-resistant to 450 degrees F. Made from 18/10 stainless steel that resists rust and staining. Ergonomic silicone grip stays cool during stovetop cooking. Dishwasher safe for easy cleanup."
Example at 480 characters (Brand Registry, too long): "This premium heat-resistant kitchen utensil is carefully constructed from high-quality 18/10 stainless steel that has been specifically designed to resist rust, corrosion, and staining even after years of daily use in your kitchen. The ergonomic handle features a premium food-grade silicone grip that stays cool to the touch during stovetop cooking. After you're done, simply toss it in the dishwasher for effortless cleanup."
Both say the same thing. The shorter version is easier to scan.
For detailed guidance on writing bullets that sell, read our guide on how to write effective bullet points. Or try our Amazon bullet point generator to create compliant bullets automatically.
Amazon Title Counter
Amazon Bullet Point Counter
Amazon Product Description Character Limit (2,000 Characters)
Standard product descriptions are capped at 2,000 characters. This includes any HTML formatting tags you use, which eat into your available space.
Standard Description vs. A+ Content
If you are enrolled in Amazon Brand Registry, you get access to A+ Content (formerly Enhanced Brand Content). A+ Content replaces your standard description with rich media modules: images, comparison charts, banners, and formatted text blocks.
A+ Content modules have their own character limits per module, but the total available space far exceeds the 2,000-character standard description. Most sellers with Brand Registry should use A+ Content exclusively.
If you are stuck with the standard description:
- You get basic HTML:
<br>for line breaks,<b>for bold,<p>for paragraphs - Complex HTML gets stripped out by Amazon
- HTML tags count toward the 2,000-character limit
- The description appears below the fold on mobile, so fewer shoppers see it
Making 2,000 Characters Count
Do not repeat your bullet points in the description. Use this space for:
- Brand story and product background
- Use cases and scenarios the bullets did not cover
- Compatibility details and specifications
- Care instructions and warranty information
Keep paragraphs short. Two to three sentences maximum. Mobile readers scroll fast and long blocks of text get skipped entirely.
Amazon Backend Search Terms (249.5 Bytes)
This is the field that trips up more sellers than any other. Amazon's backend search terms field has a limit of 249.5 bytes, not 249.5 characters.
Why Bytes, Not Characters
Amazon stores backend search terms using UTF-8 encoding. Under UTF-8:
- Standard English letters (a-z, A-Z) = 1 byte each
- Numbers (0-9) = 1 byte each
- Spaces = 1 byte each
- Accented characters (e, n, u, o) = 2 bytes each
- CJK characters (Chinese, Japanese, Korean) = 3 bytes each
- Some emoji and special symbols = 4 bytes each
This means "cafe" uses 5 bytes, not 4 characters. If you sell products with Spanish, French, German, or Portuguese keywords, you will hit the byte limit well before 249 characters.
Backend Keyword Rules
Do not use commas. Amazon treats spaces as separators. Every comma wastes one byte that could be a keyword character.
Do not repeat words from your title. Amazon already indexes title keywords. Repeating "stainless steel kitchen utensils" in backend terms wastes 35 bytes on words Amazon already associates with your listing.
Use lowercase only. Amazon search is case-insensitive. Uppercase letters use the same number of bytes but offer zero benefit.
Include misspellings and abbreviations. Shoppers search for "alumnium" and "stainles steel" more often than you would expect. Backend terms are invisible to customers, so there is no brand risk.
Skip punctuation entirely. No commas, no semicolons, no hyphens. Just words separated by spaces.
Common Backend Keyword Mistakes
- Using commas between keywords — wastes 1 byte per comma across dozens of terms
- Repeating title keywords — the biggest byte-waster for most sellers
- Including your brand name — already indexed from the Brand Name field
- Exceeding the limit without realizing it — accented characters push you over silently
- Using ASINs or competitor brand names — violates Amazon policy and can get your listing removed
Example of efficient backend terms (241 bytes): "stainless utensils wooden handle nonstick kitchen tools spatula set cooking gadgets heat resistant dishwasher safe cookware accessories professional chef supplies home essentials durable metal gift housewarming wedding registry"
What Happens When You Exceed Limits
The consequences vary by field, but none of them are good.
Title Over 200 Characters
- New listings: Amazon rejects the submission. You cannot publish until the title is shortened.
- Existing listings: Amazon suppresses the listing. It disappears from search results and the product page returns a "currently unavailable" message.
- Catalog edits: If another seller or Amazon's catalog system modifies a shared listing title past the limit, all sellers on that listing can be affected.
Suppressed listings generate zero sales and zero impressions. Some sellers do not notice suppression for days because Amazon does not always send a notification.
Bullets Exceeding Limits
- Bullets beyond the character limit may not display at all
- Amazon may silently truncate your bullet text
- In some cases, the entire bullet section gets suppressed
- Violating content policies within bullets triggers faster suppression than just exceeding length
Backend Terms Over 249.5 Bytes
Amazon does not reject your listing. Instead, it simply ignores everything past the byte limit. If your backend terms total 300 bytes, the last 50.5 bytes of keywords are never indexed.
This is the most insidious consequence because you get no error message. Your listing appears normal, but those keywords at the end of the field are doing nothing. You might spend months wondering why you don't rank for certain terms.
Description Over 2,000 Characters
Amazon truncates the description at 2,000 characters. Any content beyond that point does not appear on the product page. Unlike backend terms, the text is not silently dropped from indexing; it simply never makes it onto the page.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the character limit for Amazon product titles?
Amazon allows up to 200 characters for product titles in most categories. However, certain categories enforce stricter limits: apparel titles are capped at 125 characters, and baby products and pet supplies are limited to 80 characters. Mobile devices display roughly the first 80 characters regardless of category.
How many characters are allowed in Amazon bullet points?
Standard third-party sellers should keep bullet points to 200 characters each. Sellers enrolled in Brand Registry can use up to 500 characters per bullet. All sellers are limited to 5 bullet points maximum. Best practice is to keep bullets between 150 and 250 characters for readability, even if you have higher limits available.
What's the difference between character limits and byte limits?
Character limits count each letter, number, space, and symbol as one unit. Byte limits count the actual data storage required. In UTF-8 encoding (which Amazon uses), standard English characters are 1 byte each, but accented characters like e and n are 2 bytes. This distinction matters for Amazon's backend search terms field, which is limited to 249.5 bytes. A field full of accented text might only fit 150-200 characters.
Do Amazon character limits vary by category?
Yes. While the general title limit is 200 characters, categories like apparel (125), baby products (80), and pet supplies (80) enforce lower limits. Bullet point limits also vary: standard sellers get 200 characters per bullet, while Brand Registry sellers may have up to 500. Check Seller Central's category-specific style guides for exact requirements.
What happens if I exceed Amazon's character limits?
For titles, exceeding the limit results in listing suppression or rejection. For bullet points, content may be truncated or hidden entirely. For backend search terms, everything beyond 249.5 bytes is silently ignored without any error notification. For descriptions, text is cut off at 2,000 characters. None of these outcomes generate reliable alerts from Amazon.
Why are backend search terms limited to 249.5 bytes?
Amazon uses a fixed-width database field for backend search terms. The 249.5-byte limit comes from the way Amazon allocates storage for this field in their catalog system. The half-byte matters because Amazon counts the field terminator as part of the allocation. Practically, treat the limit as 249 bytes to give yourself a buffer.
What is the character limit for Amazon product descriptions?
Standard product descriptions are limited to 2,000 characters, including any HTML formatting tags. If you use A+ Content through Brand Registry, different limits apply per module, and the total available space is significantly larger. HTML tags like <br> and <b> count toward the 2,000-character limit in standard descriptions.
Do Amazon book listings have different character limits?
Yes. Book titles on Amazon are limited to 199 characters, and book subtitles get a separate 199-character field. These fields are distinct from standard product titles. The subtitle is indexed separately for search and appears alongside the title on the product detail page. Combined, book sellers have 398 characters across both fields.
Next Steps
Character limits are the foundation of Amazon listing optimization. Once you know the boundaries, build within them strategically:
Optimize your titles using our Amazon title formula to structure the first 80 characters for maximum mobile impact.
Write better bullets with our Amazon bullet point guide, or generate compliant bullets instantly with our Amazon bullet point generator.
Audit your current listings using our Listing Grader to find character limit violations and missed optimization opportunities across all your products.
Master the full picture with our Amazon listing SEO checklist to see how character limits fit into the broader ranking strategy.
Every character is real estate. Use it or lose sales.
Optimize your Amazon product title
Generate compliant, keyword-rich titles within Amazon's character limits.
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