CLP labelling requirements for EU hazard labels and label size
CLP labelling requirements in the EU: supplier details, product identifier, pictograms, signal word, H and P statements, label size rules and 2028 changes.
CLP labelling requirements in the EU
EU CLP labelling requirements cover hazardous substances and mixtures supplied in packaging. Labels need supplier details and a product identifier, plus applicable pictograms, a signal word, hazard statements, precautionary statements and supplemental information. Packages offered to the general public also need the nominal quantity, unless it is shown elsewhere on the package (Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008, Article 17).
The label also has to meet rules on language, placement, legibility and size. Since 1 July 2026 it must identify an EU-established supplier acting in an industrial or professional activity. The new font-size and formatting rules from the 2024 revision are not mandatory yet. They apply from 1 January 2028 (Regulation (EU) 2024/2865, as amended by Regulation (EU) 2025/2439).
What goes on a CLP label
Article 17 sets the list. Classification decides which hazard elements apply, so not every hazardous product carries a pictogram or a signal word.
| Label element | Rule in short |
|---|---|
| Supplier details | Name, address and telephone number, identifying an EU-established supplier acting in an industrial or professional activity |
| Nominal quantity | Packages offered to the general public, unless shown elsewhere on the package |
| Product identifier | Must match the term used in the safety data sheet (Article 18) |
| Hazard pictograms | Where applicable, with precedence rules (Article 26) |
| Signal word | Where required: "Danger" or "Warning", never both (Article 20) |
| Hazard statements (H) | All that apply, unless evidently duplicated or redundant (Article 27) |
| Precautionary statements (P) | Selected for the hazards and intended use, normally no more than six (Article 28) |
| Supplemental information | EUH statements and other required text, plus a UFI where needed |
Sources: Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008, Regulation (EU) 2024/2865 and Regulation (EU) 2025/2439.
Product identifier
The identifier on the label must match the one in the safety data sheet. For a substance, Article 18 sets an order. Use the Annex VI name if the substance has one. If not, use the C&L inventory name. Failing that, give the CAS number plus the IUPAC name or another international name. Where there is no CAS number, use the appropriate chemical name (Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008). A CAS number alone does not meet the rule.
For a mixture, give the trade name or designation and name the substances that contribute to certain serious health classifications. Four chemical names are normally enough, unless more are needed to reflect the hazards. This is not a full ingredient list, and four is not an absolute cap (Article 18).
Chemical label signal words
Where the classification requires a signal word, it shows severity. If the label shows "Danger", "Warning" must not appear as well (Article 20(3)). You can't choose the word on your own judgement.
Hazard and precautionary statements
Every hazard statement that applies goes on the label, except where one is evidently duplicated or redundant. Precautionary statements are chosen for the hazards and the intended uses, and clearly unnecessary ones are left out. The normal ceiling is six precautionary statements, but more are allowed when the nature and severity of the hazards need them (Articles 27 and 28). Print the full statement text in the label language. H-codes or P-codes on their own are not enough.
GHS pictograms
CLP uses the GHS pictograms: a square set on a point, with a black symbol on a white background and a red frame. Precedence rules stop some pictograms appearing together. If GHS06 (skull and crossbones) applies, GHS07 (exclamation mark) does not appear. If GHS05 (corrosion) applies, GHS07 is dropped where it would only be for skin or eye irritation (Article 26).
Supplemental information and the UFI
Supplemental information, such as EUH statements, goes in its own section of the label. A unique formula identifier (UFI) is required for mixtures within the poison-centre notification rules. Those rules concern mixtures classified for health or physical hazards, not substances or mixtures classified only for environmental hazards (Article 45 and Annex VIII). Where a UFI is required, it is shown with the prefix "UFI:" and must be clearly visible, legible and indelible. For mixtures supplied for use at industrial sites, and for unpackaged mixtures, the UFI can go in the safety data sheet instead (Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/11). A UFI never replaces the other label elements.
Article 25(4) also bans statements such as "non-toxic", "non-harmful" or "ecological" where they conflict with the classification (Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008).
Language and layout for labelling of chemicals
The label must be in the official language or languages of each Member State where the product is placed on the market, unless that state provides otherwise. You can use several languages on one label if the same details appear in each (Article 17(2)). English alone does not work across the EU.
The pictograms, signal word, hazard statements and precautionary statements must sit together on the label. Group statements by language when the label has more than one (Article 32).
The label is affixed firmly to the packaging that directly holds the chemical. It must read horizontally when the package is set down normally. The elements may also be printed clearly on the packaging itself (Article 31). Fold-out labels are now expressly allowed and have a set layout (Regulation (EU) 2024/2865).
The digital label added by the revision is extra to the physical label. A QR code can't replace mandatory hazard information. Only the relevant Article 25(3) supplemental information may be digital-only (Regulation (EU) 2024/2865).
CLP label size requirements
Annex I sets minimum dimensions for the area that carries the Article 17 information, based on the capacity of the package. They cover the hazard information, not the whole product label.
| Package capacity | Minimum label dimensions |
|---|---|
| Up to 3 litres | At least 52 × 74 mm, if possible |
| Over 3 litres, up to 50 litres | At least 74 × 105 mm |
| Over 50 litres, up to 500 litres | At least 105 × 148 mm |
| Over 500 litres | At least 148 × 210 mm |
Source: Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008, Annex I.
Each pictogram must cover at least one fifteenth of the minimum label area dedicated to the Article 17 information, and at least 1 cm² (Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008). Pictograms also have capacity-based dimensions in Annex I Table 1.3. Check the current consolidated table before you finalise artwork.
Small packages are not automatically exempt. Annex I section 1.5 gives conditional derogations. One example: some statements may be left off packs of 125 ml or less, but only for certain classifications (Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008). Check the derogation for your exact hazard and pack before you rely on it. For small or awkwardly shaped packaging, the rules allow tie-on tags or use of the outer packaging, but the inner label still carries specified elements (Regulation (EU) 2024/2865).
Example of a CLP label layout
Illustrative layout, not a ready-to-use compliant label.
+-------------------------------------------------------------+
| [Product identifier] |
| Mixture: [trade name] + [contributing substances] |
| [Nominal quantity, where applicable] |
| |
| [Pictogram] [Pictogram] [SIGNAL WORD] |
| |
| [Full text of each applicable hazard statement] |
| [Full text of selected precautionary statements] |
| |
| Supplemental information: |
| [Applicable EUH statements] |
| UFI: [code, where required] |
| |
| [EU supplier name, address, telephone number] |
+-------------------------------------------------------------+
A layout can't make a label compliant by itself. The classification decides which blocks belong on it (Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008, Regulation (EU) 2024/2865 and Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/11).
When the new CLP labelling rules apply
The 2024 CLP revision applies in stages. The enacted "stop-the-clock" Regulation (EU) 2025/2439 changed its Article 2 timetable (Regulation (EU) 2025/2439).
From 1 July 2026, the EU-established supplier rule, the revised fold-out label framework and the digital labelling provisions apply. From 1 January 2028, the new formatting and font-size rules apply, along with the new Article 30 relabelling deadlines and the revised advertising and distance-sales rules. Until then, the existing duties stay in place (Regulation (EU) 2025/2439).
The future minimum font sizes are x-heights, not point sizes: 1.2 mm up to 0.5 litres, 1.4 mm over 0.5 to 3 litres, 1.8 mm over 3 to 50 litres and 2.0 mm over 50 litres. The future rules also require black text on white, line spacing of at least 120% of the font size and a single sans-serif font (Regulation (EU) 2024/2865).
A further set of changes, the Omnibus VI proposal, is still going through the legislative process. The European Parliament adopted its first-reading position on 22 October 2026 and the file is waiting for the Council's position (Legislative Observatory, 2025/0531(COD)). Until an amending act is published, 1 January 2028 is the legal date. Stock already on the market may have its own transition, so check the applicable transitional provision for your products.
CLP labelling in the UK
Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) applies GB CLP. EU CLP continues to apply in Northern Ireland. Check a UK-bound label against GB CLP or EU CLP depending on whether it goes to Great Britain or Northern Ireland (HSE, CLP and Brexit and HSE, the CLP Regulation).
RegAffairs AI answers this CLP labelling question with links to the source documents.