Warning labels for chemical industry
The warning labels for the chemical industry are highly resistant against aggressive liquids and mechanical load. Moreover, there are numerous standards and regulations which prescribe the respective demands to the labeling of individual goods and products.
GHS is an abbreviation for “Globally Harmonized System of Classification, Labelling and Packaging of Chemicals” and it is a worldwide uniform system for classification of chemicals and hazardous substances. The general resistance against chemicals or other aggressive liquids as well as the seawater resistance are guaranteed for these labels.
The CLP regulation (Classification, Labelling and Packaging, in accordance with EU – No. 1272/2008) regulates the classification and packaging of materials and mixtures in the EU based on GHS. The obligation to self-classification in accordance with CPL applies for chemicals since 2010 and for mixtures since 2015.
The labels for the chemical industry mostly serve the protection of end consumer and environment. They will be adhered to transportation containers like kegs, barrels, containers or transporters for hazardous materials. In GHS there are four basic areas, which are divided in the physically-chemical hazards, toxic hazards, environmental hazards and further hazards. Every area again has its own hazard classes, which describe the handling and the hazards with e.g. explosive, toxic, corrosive and substances hazardous for water.
By labeling with GHS labels the risk of mistakes when handling dangerous goods shall be minimized. The labels for the chemical industry can be delivered ready-printed or be subsequently inscribed with individual data directly at customers’ site and customized to the requirements and applications.
The key features of labels for the chemical industry
- High resistance in contact with chemicals and solvents
- Suitable for a long-term labeling outdoors on e.g. containers or trailers
- High abrasion resistance with suitable thermal transfer ribbons for the thermal transfer printing
- Suitable for standard-compliant labeling like e.g. BS5609 section II and III
- Very high adhesive power of the labels also on difficult substrates
- Optimization of processes due to the automation of material and product flow by mechanical processing of the labels
Functions and advantages – precisely tailored to your requirements for the labeling of chemicals
The chemicals-resistant labels will be adjusted individually to the customer’s requirements. This happens by the combination of suitable special materials with premium adhesives of leading manufacturers.
The labels can be inscribed directly as required in variable amounts with current data at the site, by that the storage and the management of numerous labels may be dropped.
In the environment of the chemical industry the surfaces to be labeled can be very rough, dusty or oily, thus the used adhesive must be tailored precisely thereon. Partly it may occur that the product to be labeled was filled with hot/warm liquids and must be labeled directly. Here it must be taken into consideration if adhesives based on acrylate or rubber must be used. In special cases also hybrid adhesives will be applied, which have both acrylate and rubber parts to benefit from the advantages of both adhesive types.
Our upscale and accurate processing with most modern die-cutting technologies guarantees the highest precision and reliability for the label application. Thus even technical labels with adhesives which are difficult to process can be processed mechanically very well, which increases the user efficiency in the long term.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Industrial applications of chemicals-resistant labels
The typical labeling products in the area of these labels are warning labels and product labeling. They serve the safety for handling, storage and disposal of hazardous substances. For this purpose GHS regulates all application areas of all chemical hazardous materials, substances and mixtures. This applies for the whole life circle starting with production and storage and up to processing sites and consumers as well as final recycling. Food, pharmaceutical products and cosmetics are excluded from the regulations.
These labels can be applied for example in the following branches and areas on containers for hazardous goods, kegs, and barrels:
- Chemical industry (hazard symbols/pictograms in accordance with GHS)
- High sea identification in accordance with standard BS 5069 seawater resistance of labels
- Automobile manufacturing (warnings on the tank trucks, tank caps, engine compartment)
- Vehicle construction (warning on tank wagons, containers or in the area of cargo transports)
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Individual features of labels for chemical industry
The risk evaluation of hazardous goods includes two classifications which will be shown on separate labels. On the label 1 the risk type of the substance will be presented, like for example “inflammable” or “corrosive to metal”. On the label 2 the risk category is presented. The figure 1 represents the highest risk category. The GHS includes six elements:
- Danger symbols/pictograms
- Signal words (e.g. danger/caution)
- Hazard warnings (e.g. fatal when swallowed)
- Safety cautions (for storage, disposal and handling)
- Product labeling (chemical contents)
- Company identification
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Technical key data of our labels for chemical industry
- Temperature resistance from +150° C (302° F) C to -80° C (-112° F)
- UV and weather resistant foils up to max. 10 years
- High-performance materials made of acrylate-foil, polyimide foil, aluminum foil, polyvinylchloride (PVC) and polyester (PET)
- Permanent adhesives with a very good adhesive power for high- and low-energy as well as slightly oily/dirty substrates
- Very thin (min. 6µ) as well as very thick (175µ) combinations of foils possible
- Diverse carrier materials like compressed kraft paper in different thicknesses, transparent plastic liner, kraft paper siliconized on both sides, and environmentally stable kraft paper available
- Subsequently inscribable with thermal transfer printing and ink jet method
- Foil materials provide high dimensional stability
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Certifications of our labels for chemical industry
As a manufacturer robos-labels has a wide range of already approved and certified labeling solutions. When additional customized licenses are required, we can take on the approval- and certification process if desired.
We already meet the following standards and regulations with our raw materials:
- ADR 2021 Ordinance on the transport of dangerous goods by road, rail and inland waterways (GGVSEB)
- CLP Regulation (Classification, Labelling and Packaging, in accordance with EC No. 1272/2008)
- BS 5609 Label resistance to saline sea water
- UL969A:2020 Standard for Marking and Labeling Systems – Flag Labels, Flag Tags, Wrap-Around-Labels and Related Products
- UL817 Safety cord sets and power supply cords
- UL2238 Cable assemblies and fittings for industrial control and signal distribution
- UL94 Flammability of plastic materials for parts in devices and appliances (UL VTM-0 strictest classification)
- FMVSS 302 Evaluation of the flammability of interior materials (flammability/burn rate)
- REACH, RoHS and IMDS conformity
- DIN EN ISO 11683:1997-11 Packaging – Tactile warnings of danger – Requirements
- FDA 175.105 INDIRECT FOOD ADDITIVES: ADHESIVES AND COMPONENTS OF COATINGS
