CLP labelling guidance and requirements
Are you looking for tips to help you stay compliant with the Classification, Labelling, and Packaging Regulation (CLP) when creating CLP labels for chemical products? Then you’ve reached the right place! Read on to get the CLP labelling tips you need to label your way to success!
The CLP regulation helps to protect human health and the environment. It provides clear and consistent information about the hazards of chemicals. Not only does following CLP labelling requirements help keep your employees safe, but compliance is mandatory for organisations in the European Union which produce, manufacture, import, supply, or use hazardous chemicals.
When creating CLP labels, you must use specific hazard pictograms, signal words, hazard and precautionary statements. Reference your Safety Data Sheets (SDS) for more information on the chemical substance if needed.
Keep reading to dive deeper into the CLP labelling guidance and requirements, including:
- The different types of hazard classes
- Labelling elements
- The importance of SDS in the CLP system
- What safety solutions can help
Let's explore specific CLP label elements
The first thing we need to talk about is one of the key places you’ll find important CLP chemical labelling information: the chemical product’s safety data sheet (SDS). It’s integral that the information you write on the label matches the SDS. The following elements must be present on the label before you share it with others, so they are aware of the following:
- Contact details: Name, address and telephone number of the supplier(s).
- Nominal quantity: The nominal quantity of the substance or mixture in the package (when made available to the general public only).
- Product identifiers: If your product is a mixture, product identifiers include the trade name or designation of the mixture. Mention the identification name or CAS No. of the substance in the product which lead to your product being classified as well. If your product is a substance, include the name and the CAS/EC number of the product on the product label.
- Hazard pictograms: If your product is hazardous in accordance with the CLP Regulations, one or more of the pictograms should be present on your product label.
Make sure the hazard pictograms appears as a diamond on the label and has a black symbol on a white background with a red frame.
What do you do if you have more than one pictogram you want to include on the label? Just follow precedence rules. For example, if your label carries the skull and crossbones symbol, the exclamation mark should not appear.
If you want to learn more on this topic, check out the European Chemicals Agency website.
Other elements to keep in mind include:
- Signal word: This indicates the level of severity or degree of danger of the product. The product label will either display the word “Warning” or “Danger”.
- Hazard statements: The hazard statements will describe the nature of the hazards of a chemical substance or mixture and in some cases, the degree of hazard. The text in these statements is standardised and must correspond to CLP Annex III.
- Precautionary statements: The precautionary statements recommend the measures to be taken to minimise or prevent adverse effects. The CLP Regulations recommend a maximum of six precautionary statements to be included on the product label.
- Supplemental information: This includes additional information that may be present in the product and will be useful for the customer e.g. EUH001 phrases.
You might be thinking, what if this product is sold in different countries? The CLP Regulations require that you print the label in the official language of the country where the product is placed on the market.
It can be a difficult task to print different labels for your products, so CLP Regulations allow for the use of multi-model labels. For example, French, German and English if the product is sold in Germany, France and England. It’s important to note that each language must be grouped together on the label.
Size requirements
Follow the size requirements, found below, to ensure everyone can see information clearly on the label:
|
Capacity of package
|
Dimensions of the label | Dimensions of the pictogram |
| ≤3 litres | If possible, at least 52 x 74 | Not smaller than 10 x 10 If possible, at least 16 x 16 |
| >3 litres but ≤ 50 litres | At least 74 x 105 | At least 23 x 23 |
| >50 litres but ≤500 litres | At least 105 x 148 | At least 32 x 32 |
| >500 litres | At least 148 x 210 | At least 46 x 46 |
Making all the information you need fit on to a tiny label can be challenging. But worry not! The CLP allows for the use of fold-out labels, tie-on tags or outer packaging, under strict conditions. Just make sure to reference CLP Regulations before using any of these methods.
Chemical clarity: why you need to embrace CLP guidelines
First and foremost, the CLP Regulation has been legally binding in the European Union since 2008. This is to help keep your teams and the environment safe, while also allowing for free movement of chemicals within the European Union.
If you’re part of a manufacturing, importing, or business that uses chemicals downstream, you must classify the chemicals you use based on hazardous properties. You must also communicate this information to others in the supply chain through labels and safety data sheets.
The CLP Regulation helps you remain compliant by providing detailed guidelines on how to classify substances and mixtures. It also outlines how to prepare CLP labels and safety data sheets. All in all, the CLP is a great resource explaining how to effectively communicate hazard information.
Guidelines are regularly updated and revised to reflect new scientific information and changes in international regulations. Staying up to date on all this new information can be a time-consuming task, but EcoOnline’s Chemical Manager makes creating compliant hazard labels simple.
How? Here are just some of the many things it can help you accomplish...
- Print up-to-date labels for your hazardous chemicals directly from your chemical inventory.
- Ensure compliance with clear, updated label information.
- Information required is automatically populated from the safety data sheet, into easy-to-use templates for various packaging sizes.
- Customise information to fit your company and print the exact number of labels you need.
Take a sneak peek at how you can print out your own labels within our solution: 
Want to find out more about how we can help simplify your processes? See how our Chemical Manager solution can work for you.