At Tanto Labels, we provide services to businesses of all sizes and sectors. If you’ve been having a look at our range of labels ready to order online, you may have come across Compliance Labels and more specifically LQ Labels. But what are they and when are they used?
Here’s the lowdown on what you need to know and whether you should be using compliance labels.
Why Are Compliance Labels Used?
Compliance labels, as the name suggests, are labels that need to be used to show that the goods within are compliant with regulations in place over them. When it comes to the transport of dangerous goods, compliance labels are used when the product being labelled is either subject to, or exempt from, some kind of transport restriction. Restrictions are usually put in place to limit the quantity of the product being transported when the goods may be classed as dangerous. The maximum consignment size will vary across road, rail and air travel, and the type of compliance label varies accordingly.
Types of Compliance Labels
We supply two types of compliance labels:
1. LQ labels: LQ stands for Limited Quantity. Limited quantity labels are used on products such as aerosols, paints, adhesives and drain cleaners that are destined for a retail store. These products are deemed safe when transported in a limited quantity, packaged in sturdy materials and labelled as such. We can provide small or large LQ Labels on rolls
2. UN labels: UN labels describe the class of dangerous goods contained within. The letters ‘UN’ are followed by a four-digit code that complies with the list set out by the United Nations Committee of Experts on the Transport of Dangerous Goods. An example of this is UN1210 which refers to flammable printing ink or printing ink-related material (including printing ink thinning or reducing compound).
What Do Compliance Labels Look Like?
Compliance labels are square, set on a 45° angle making a diamond shape. The top and bottom sections and border must be black, with the remainder of the label usually coloured white, although it can be any other colour, such as yellow, as long as it clearly contrasts with the black sections.
How Big Do Compliance Labels Need to Be?
Limited quantity labels must be at least 10cm square with a 2mm black border, or much larger if they are on a bigger shipment. When looking at smaller retail deliveries, if the size of the product packaging is too small to accommodate this larger size of label, the minimum size is a 5cm square with a 1mm black border.
The labels must be adhered clearly and made of a durable, waterproof material with strong adhesion, which could survive three months immersed in seawater.
How Do I Order Compliance Labels?
We stock 10cm and 6cm LQ labels and 10cm UN labels ready to order online with our easy-to-use ordering system. You can add in your order line by line, or use our handy spreadsheet ordering system to order larger quantities of different labels.
We can offer next day delivery for standard label deliveries across the UK from our printing site in Weston-Super-Mare.
If you need custom-designed compliance labels, we can also help. Contact us with your requirements and we will provide you with a quick quote – usually, we can fulfil custom orders within two days.
Contact Tanto Labels today if you have any questions about compliance labels or any of our other label and barcode products. Our friendly team is ready to help.
