Nowadays, it has been the age of online shopping. It is very easy to get the ideal products you are looking for via searching the Internet, staying at home and waiting for your products arrival. Together with the goods you bought, there are various packages. Before you opened your packages, have you noticed those special symbols on the packages? Each of the symbol has its own meaning and informs us about the nature of the goods, as well as the handling instructions to be followed to avoid damaging them.
Therefore, understanding packaging symbols is necessary. For example, the RED STOP in traffic signs alerts drivers to intersections and other areas where traffic may be traveling in opposite or crossing directions.
Packaging symbols play an important role in products marketing and handling industry. Consumers not only require the products with high quality, but they care the packages including packing method, as well as a thorough knowledge of what they are buying, and where the product would end up after use. Considering the increasing awareness of consumers, manufacturers always spare no effort to convey all major and necessary information to the consumer through the use of these symbols. Obviously, getting to know the symbols and their meanings will effectively help save you a lot of troubles. In this article, we have collected some of the most common symbols for different products. If you are interested in learning these packaging symbols, please go on reading.
Group 1 - Legality Symbols
Trademark Symbol
Just as its name indicates, this group of packaging symbols are based on legal standards. Those symbols are only applied government or specialty party-approved products.
The symbol TM (Trademark) sometimes used when a trademark has been applied but not yet registered. Trademark can be renewed indefinitely.
Registered Symbol
As soon as the trademark has been definitively registered, the R symbol is used. This stands for Registered Trademark. This sign offers protection to the product and character details, thus they must not be used in a misleading way.
The copyright symbol, or copyright sign, is the symbol used in copyright notices for works other than sound recordings. This symbol grants a temporary (meaning it may eventually expire) protection of writings, music and works of art. Each copyrighted work must be branded with the copyright symbol.
Group 2 - Symbols for Protecting Contents
This group includes a range of symbols and icons which are widely used to a variety of products. They are very general and common to see in our daily packages. Those following packaging symbols are mainly used to transfer information about how the contents of the carton should be protected. What’s more, some products are special, need careful package and handling, like glass products. Thus, you may see more than one packaging symbols on the cartons, including Fragile Symbol, as well as Handle with Care Symbol. Now let’s together to get the basic knowledge of this group symbols one by one.
Fragile
A symbol for fragile goods. This symbol depicting a broken glass is very common. It indicates the goods in carton are fragile and must be handled with care to avoid breakage. Each party involved in the process from the stage of packaging, storage, handling as well as transport will get the information that the content is easy to broken and requires careful operation.
Keep Dry
This symbol depicting an umbrella with rain drops on packaging conveys that the contents should be kept dry, always away from water.
This Way Up
A horizontal line with two vertical arrows pointing upwards indicated which way up the packaging should be kept during storage / transport.
Away From Direct Sunlight
This sign shows a box under sunlight with a line across it. This could mean that the contents inside the box can be damaged when placed under the sun or that they are flammable and can be burn. This symbol is similar to temperature-sensitive but less specific as to what temperature to store it in.
Temperature Sensitive
Temperature-sensitive is depicted with the logo of a thermometer and the degree in which it should be stored. Even if the general rule of thumb is to keep it away from direct sunlight and the rain, some products like pharmaceutics, might need to be stored in closer ranges of temperature.
Group 3 - Symbols For Handling
The following packaging symbols are used to convey instructions for safe handling.
Handle With Care
This is another common packaging symbol easily to be founded on your packages. Two hands surrounding a box tells the handler and even the end user that the carton should be handled with care.
Don’t Drop
This symbol, to some degrees, same as Handle With Care. We all know that transport is always rough, and handlers just drop the delivery at the door, which may break the contents inside especially for those fragile goods like glass. While this symbol can give people handling your packaging another indication that they should take care when handling.
Don’t Place Near Magnets
Certain electronics or specialist equipment can be sensitive to magnetic forces. If this is the case, use this symbol of a magnet to instruct people not to place the box near magnets.
Don’t Open With Knife
A symbol of a knife with a cross either next too or striking through the symbol details that the packaging should not be opened with a knife for this may damage the contents inside.
Stacking Height
Two bars with a number above provides information on how high the boxes can be safely stacked. The number can therefore vary depending on the nature of the packaging and it’s contents.
Do Not Stack
A symbol of two horizontal bars stacked next to a cross means that the boxes can be stacked. These boxes are too fragile or contain items that can damage easily with pressure.
Do Not Hook
This sign is represented by a hook with an X marked on it. It means that the boxes are too heavy to be hooked onto something or to be carried using a hook. Doing so might cause the boxes to open from below.
Two Person Lift
If you see this symbol on the box, it can indicate that the box is too heavy for a single person to carry. Therefore, please ask someone for help to carry to box together.
Heavy – Do Not Lift
This symbol depicting a person trying to lift the box with a prohibition sign. This sign, similar to the symbol of Two-person Lift, cautions people that this package may be too heavy or too large size to lift alone. You’d better to get a hand from others.
Group 4 - Symbols For Recycling
Recycling symbols are widely used on corrugated cardboard boxes.
Recycle Symbol
This is one of the most commonly recognized signs on any box. This sign indicates that the package is made from recycled materials, which can be reused.
Resin Identification Code
Each of the these numbers inside the triangle of cycling arrows shows what type of polymer resin the plastic product is made out of so plastics of the same polymer resin types can be recycled properly together.
FSC Symbol
FSC is an acronym of Forest Stewardship Council, with the logo identifying packaging products that contain wood from well managed forests and recycled sources. Use of this symbol requires permission, which means that not everyone can use the FSC sign. Due to the Chain-of-Custody certification process, every business that wants to produce or outsource an FSC-certified product or package must also be FSC.
Tidy Man Symbol
This isn’t a recycling symbol. It appears on packaging as a reminder to the consumer to be considerate with how they dispose of it. Do not litter and recycle where appropriate Keep Britain Tidy.
Group 5 - Hazard Toxic Symbols
Hazard symbols or warning symbols are those symbols designed to warn about hazardous or dangerous materials, locations, or objects. Hazard and toxic pictograms alert us to the presence of a hazardous chemical. The pictograms help us to know that the chemicals we are using might cause harm to people or the environment. These signs appear in the shape of a diamond with a distinctive red border and white background, which will catch your attention with bright colors and dangerous pictograms.
Explosive
Explosives are defined as chemicals, substances, and any workplace occurrence that may cause an explosion. The symbol represents an exploding bomb, meaning the contents may cause exploding
Flammable
This symbol refers to any flammable chemicals or other substances that ignite on contact with air, a small ignition source, has a low flash point or can evolve highly flammable gases when in contact with water. The symbol is a large open flame. It is also a warning of keeping the product away from sources of heat.
Oxidising
Oxidising covers chemicals that in their preparation, can lead to a dangerous reaction with other chemicals. The symbol is a flame over a circle.
Corrosive
This packaging symbol indicates that the contents inside are destructive and can corrode or eat through materials.The corrosive symbol is used to warn against chemicals that may damage living tissue on contact. The image shows a chemical spill causing the corrosion of a hand a surface material.
Toxic
If you see this symbol of a skull and crossbones on the package, it represents the product inside is toxic or poisonous which will damage your health or harm the environment.
Radioactive
This is an international symbol used to indicate radioactive materials or areas. If you see the sign on the package, please be caution. Because the product within the package could emit radiation.
Biohazard
A biological hazard or biohazard, is a substance that poses a threat to the health of living organisms, primarily humans. Therefore, you can’t be too careful in the case of a package with this symbol.
Group 6 - Other Frequently Used Packaging Symbols
Besides those packaging symbols used for legality, protecting contents, safety handling, recycling, there are a number of other symbols which are frequently used on corrugated packaging. Please go further reading.
PAO Symbol
The period-after-opening symbol or PAO symbol is a graphic symbol that identifies the useful lifetime of a cosmetic product after its package has been opened for the first time. The number followed by the M represents the specific number of months the product is effective after opening.
Conclusion
Every industry has its own special character which will provide many packaging symbols. Thus, it is impossible to list all the symbols in this article. So here we just collected a generalized list of symbols which are most common and widely used. I believe now you have a better knowledge of packaging symbols and acquire the importance of the symbols. In the future, you will choose the right packaging wisely.
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