GHS/CLP labels are a very important part of packaging. If you manufacture, distribute or market chemical products, you know that poor identification can lead to serious problems: incorrect handling, unsafe storage, a complicated inspection or an incident involving your operators.
With this type of product, information must be seen quickly and understood clearly. It is not enough to hide risks behind attractive design or print texts that later fade due to rubbing, moisture or contact with the product itself.
At Adhesivas Ibi, we have been manufacturing industrial labelling solutions for more than 40 years. We understand what it means to work with demanding products, and in this article we explain what you should check before printing your GHS/CLP labels.
What is GHS/CLP labelling?
GHS stands for Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals. It was created so that hazards could be identified using common criteria across different countries.
CLP stands for Classification, Labelling and Packaging. In Europe, Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008 adapts this international system and establishes the obligations for hazardous substances and mixtures. If you sell detergents, solvents, paints, adhesives, inks, resins or similar industrial products, your chemical product labels must communicate the risk clearly and without ambiguity.
Difference between GHS and the CLP Regulation
GHS establishes the international system. CLP turns it into a legal obligation within the European Union. For this reason, a chemical safety label for a product sold in Spain must comply with the CLP Regulation, even though it uses pictograms and criteria derived from the global system.
Why chemical labelling is key to industrial safety
If an operator cannot correctly identify the hazard level of a chemical product, they may store a container incorrectly, mix incompatible substances or handle the product without sufficient protection. This is not only about complying with a regulation: it is about preventing accidents within your own activity.
Who is affected by Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008?
It affects manufacturers, importers, distributors and downstream users who place hazardous substances or mixtures on the European market. If your product requires a chemical hazard pictogram, you also need to review texts, language, format, material, durability and legibility before printing.
What must a CLP label for chemical products include?
A chemical product label under CLP includes several mandatory elements. These elements are not placed at random and are not chosen for aesthetic reasons. Each piece of information helps identify the product, understand the risk and act correctly during use, transport or storage.
This is where mistakes can easily happen if you only look at the design. You may have the correct pictograms but fail in terms of contrast, size, language or material. And if that information is no longer easy to read after a few weeks in storage, the problem is still yours. That is why each section should be reviewed before sending the label to print.
Product identifier
It must allow the substance or mixture to be recognised without confusion. The name must match the safety data sheet and technical documentation, because any discrepancy can create doubts during inspection, storage or internal use.
Supplier details
Chemical labels must include the name, address and telephone number of the responsible supplier. This information makes it possible to contact the company in the event of an incident, technical query or emergency related to the product.
Hazard pictograms
Each chemical hazard pictogram communicates a specific type of danger: flammability, corrosion, toxicity, gas under pressure, environmental damage or serious health hazard, among others. They must be clearly visible and maintain the standardised format.
Signal word: danger or warning
Hazardous product labelling uses two possible signal words: “Danger” for more severe risks and “Warning” for less severe risks. Only one signal word appears, and its selection depends on the product classification.
H statements or hazard statements
H statements describe the specific hazard. For example, whether a liquid is highly flammable, corrosive or toxic to aquatic organisms. They are not decorative texts: they explain what may happen if the product is handled incorrectly.
P statements or precautionary statements
P statements indicate prevention, response, storage or disposal measures. They help users know what protection to use, what to do in case of accidental contact or how to store the product safely.
Supplementary information and EUH statements
Some products require additional information through EUH statements. These statements complete hazard communication when CLP requires specific warnings that are not fully covered by H or P statements alone.
GHS pictograms: what they mean and when they are used
Pictograms in chemical product labelling help identify the risk at a glance. They are the red-bordered diamond symbols seen on containers of flammable, corrosive, toxic or environmentally hazardous products.
There are nine main GHS pictograms: explosive, flammable, oxidising, gas under pressure, corrosive, acute toxicity, exclamation mark, serious health hazard and environmental hazard. They do not all appear on every label. They are used according to the classification of the substance or mixture. Therefore, the aim is not to fill the container with symbols, but to place the ones that are required and make them visible, with good contrast and without reducing them so much that they look like decorative elements.
Labels for industrial chemicals: durability requirements
Labels for chemical products need to withstand more than normal handling. Think of jerry cans being moved in warehouses, drums exposed to moisture, containers with product residues on the surface or packaging that goes through industrial transport. If the material wrinkles, peels off or the print loses readability, your safety information stops fulfilling its purpose.
That is why materials such as PP, PE or PET are often used, together with suitable adhesives and protective varnishes or laminates when the product requires them. Identifying a household cleaner is not the same as labelling a solvent, resin or corrosive product. The solution must respond to the real use of the container, not only to how it looks when freshly printed.
In this article, you can find more information about materials for resistant adhesive labels.
HChecklist before printing GHS/CLP labels
Before sending a label to production, it is worth reviewing it from a technical perspective. A small mistake at this stage can force you to repeat print runs, delay a delivery or block a batch that is already prepared.
· Classification: check that the substance or mixture has been assigned the correct hazards according to its technical and safety documentation.
· Pictograms: use only the mandatory symbols and make sure they maintain the correct format, size and contrast.
· H/P statements: confirm that hazard statements and precautionary statements match the product classification.
· Supplier details: check the name, address and telephone number before printing, because any error reduces traceability.
· Language: adapt the texts to the country where the product is going to be marketed.
· Material: choose the substrate and adhesive according to moisture, rubbing, temperature or contact with aggressive substances.
· Readability: avoid font sizes that are too small, confusing backgrounds or designs that cover critical information.
· Format: adapt measurements, reel format and adhesive to the real container, especially when working with jerry cans, drums or curved surfaces.
If you have doubts about the substrate, the most sensible option is to review the materials beforehand and make a technical comparison between paper, PP, PE and PET. This will help you choose more accurately and avoid solutions that fall short as soon as the product enters storage or distribution.
At Adhesivas Ibi, we manufacture industrial solutions for chemical products, with materials, adhesives and finishes designed to keep information visible throughout the entire useful life of the container.
Frequently asked questions about chemical product labels
They are labels for chemical products based on the Globally Harmonized System, using pictograms and messages that communicate physical, health or environmental hazards.
GHS is the international system. CLP is the European regulation that applies these criteria to substances and mixtures placed on the European Union market.
There are nine GHS pictograms that identify different types of risk: explosive, flammable, oxidising, gas under pressure, corrosive, acute toxicity, irritant or harmful to health, serious health hazard and hazardous to the environment. Each one is used according to the classification of the chemical product.
Only the pictograms required according to the product classification must appear. Including unnecessary symbols can create confusion and communicate an incorrect message.
