Chemicals labeling in Great Britain under GB CLP explained
Chemicals labeling in Great Britain uses GB CLP: classify the substance or mixture, then apply an English label and compliant packaging before supply.
For hazardous substances and mixtures supplied in packaging, chemicals labeling in Great Britain follows GB CLP. Classify the product, then provide the required English label and compliant packaging before placing it on the market. Article 4 sets those duties. Article 17 sets what the label must contain.
Northern Ireland follows EU CLP. This workflow applies to England, Scotland and Wales, not the whole UK. HSE explains the two regimes.
Start with the product and its intended supply. CLP doesn't cover every product that contains chemicals. Certain finished products for final users, including medicines and cosmetics, fall outside its scope. Check the Article 1 exclusions before you build a label.
For substances and mixtures within scope, classification determines the hazard information on the pack. Choosing symbols before that assessment reverses the order in Article 4.
Classify the substance or mixture first
Classifying chemicals is the first duty. Manufacturers, importers and downstream users must classify substances and mixtures before placing them on the market. Hazardous substances and mixtures must then be labelled and packaged before supply, as Article 4 requires.
If the GB mandatory classification and labelling list contains an entry for a substance, apply that entry only to the hazard classes it covers, and still classify the other hazard classes under Title II, as Article 4 requires. A mandatory entry doesn't settle every possible hazard. HSE distinguishes mandatory classification from self-classification:
- All mixtures require self-classification.
- Substances without a mandatory classification require self-classification.
- Substances with a mandatory entry require self-classification for hazard classes outside that entry.
"Self-classified" means the supplier applies the regulatory classification criteria. It doesn't mean the step is optional. A missing mandatory entry doesn't mean the substance is harmless.
The criteria in Annex I are the basis for chemical classifications. They cover physical, health, environmental and additional hazards. Explosives, acute toxicity, aquatic hazards and ozone-layer hazards are examples from those groupings, not one combined class. Use the classification-linked tables for the label elements. Do not pick a pictogram because the symbol looks familiar. This guide does not classify a particular formulation.
Build the required label content
Article 17 sets the checklist for the labelling of hazardous chemicals. Check each item against the product's classification and how it is supplied:
| Label element | What to check |
|---|---|
| Supplier details | Name, address and telephone number of the supplier or suppliers |
| Nominal quantity | Required for packages supplied to the general public unless shown elsewhere on the package |
| Product identifiers | The applicable substance identifiers or mixture identification |
| Hazard pictograms | Those required for the classification |
| Signal word | The applicable signal word |
| Hazard statements | Statements required for the classified hazards |
| Precautionary statements | Applicable, appropriate precautionary statements |
| Supplemental information | Information required for the product concerned |
English is required. Other languages may appear if each language gives the same details. Do not treat the classification-dependent elements as a fixed set for every chemical. Use Article 17 with the classification provisions that apply to the product.
Name the right supplier, not just any address. Article 2 defines the supply-chain roles and their location requirements. Article 17 asks for that supplier's name, address and telephone number. It doesn't set a country-code format, and it doesn't tell you to print an SDS emergency number in its place. HSE also describes special arrangements for qualifying Northern Ireland goods supplied directly to GB.
Use the current product-identifier rules
The identification term must match the safety data sheet. Matching the sheet doesn't replace the package label in Article 17. For substances, Article 18 gives this hierarchy:
- For a substance on the GB mandatory classification and labelling list, use its listed name and an identification number.
- Otherwise, use the CAS number with the IUPAC name or another international chemical name.
- If no CAS number exists, use the IUPAC name or another international chemical name.
For mixtures, include the trade name or designation. Also identify substances that contribute to the health-hazard classifications specified in Article 18. Article 18 doesn't require every ingredient, and a trade name alone will not always be enough.
Older procedures can contain an obsolete step here. Amendments in force on 21 May 2026 removed the notification-database tier from Article 18 and removed the GB notification-database chapter. The changes appear in Schedule Part 1, paragraphs 1(5) and 1(11). Do not keep that database as an intermediate identifier check.
Attach and arrange the label correctly
A correct list of statements is only part of the job. Article 31 requires the label to be firmly affixed to one or more surfaces of the packaging that immediately contains the substance or mixture. It must be readable horizontally when the package is set down normally.
Required elements must be clear, indelible, contrasting and easily readable. Check label and pictogram dimensions against Annex I section 1.2.1. A separate label is unnecessary where those elements appear clearly on the packaging itself.
Keep hazard pictograms, the signal word, hazard statements and precautionary statements together. Put supplemental information in the supplemental section, with the other label elements. Those arrangement rules are in Article 32.
Review the proposed label on the actual pack. Set the pack down in its normal position and check the contrast between text and background. That check covers attachment and readability. It doesn't replace the dimension rules.
Check packaging for hazardous substances and mixtures
Packaging of chemicals is a separate compliance decision from the wording on the label. Under Article 35, the pack must prevent its contents from escaping. Its materials must resist damage from the contents and must not form hazardous compounds with them.
The package must withstand normal handling. Where it has replaceable fastenings, repeated refastening must not cause leakage. For public supply, packaging must not attract children or mislead consumers by resembling food, feed, medicines or cosmetics. HSE's packaging guidance explains these requirements for the packaging of chemical products.
Packaging for hazardous substances is not one closure rule for every hazard. Child-resistant fastenings and tactile warnings depend on classification, composition and whether the pack is supplied to the public. They are not required for every hazardous pack. Check those conditions against Annex II Part 3.
That part contains separate triggers, exceptions and referenced standards. Assess the fastening and the tactile warning separately. Deciding one doesn't decide the other.
Small packages still need an assessment
Limited space doesn't create a general exemption from hazard label requirements. Article 29 and Annex I section 1.5 provide conditional alternatives for small or awkwardly shaped packaging.
Options include fold-out labels, tie-on tags or outer packaging. Inner labels ordinarily retain specified core elements. Check the conditions in Annex I section 1.5 before you move hazard information off the immediate container.
Packages at or below 125 ml do not get a blanket exemption under Annex I section 1.5. Permitted omissions depend on the hazard category and, in some cases, on public supply. A separate conditional provision covers certain inner packs at or below 10 ml for scientific research and development or quality-control supply. Check that provision before you omit anything.
Check chemicals labeling before supply
- Confirm the territory and whether the product falls within CLP's scope.
- Apply any mandatory substance classification, then finish the self-classification for the classes it does not cover.
- Match identifiers to Article 18 and the safety data sheet.
- Check the English label, the hazard elements that apply, attachment and readability.
- Check packaging, public-supply protections and any small-pack condition you intend to use.
These checks follow the classification, labelling and packaging duties in Article 4. They do not calculate a formulation's hazards, and they do not show that a particular label is ready to print.
RegAffairs AI's answer on labelling hazardous chemicals in Great Britain covers classification, label content and packaging.