Symbols

144 symbols from labels, packaging and appliances, with what each one means. These are defined by international standards and do not change, which is why the answer is worth writing down once.

Three symbols almost everyone reads backwards

• The Green Dot does not mean recyclable. It is a licence mark showing the producer paid into a national packaging recovery scheme, and unrecyclable laminate carries it as legitimately as cardboard does.
• The crossed-out wheelie bin means the opposite of "not recyclable". It means keep this out of general waste precisely because it must be recovered separately.
• Plastic code 7 tells you least of any code. It is a catch-all: polycarbonate and PLA both carry it, and they have nothing in common — one is rigid and contains BPA, the other is compostable and softens in a hot car.

Laundry and care labels

• Wash (plain tub) The item can be machine washed.
• Wash at 30 °C maximum Machine wash at 30 °C (86 °F) or cooler.
• Wash at 40 °C maximum Machine wash at 40 °C (104 °F) or cooler.
• Wash at 50 °C maximum Machine wash at 50 °C (122 °F) or cooler.
• Wash at 60 °C maximum Machine wash at 60 °C (140 °F) or cooler.
• Wash at 70 °C maximum Machine wash at 70 °C (158 °F) or cooler.
• Wash at 95 °C maximum Machine wash at 95 °C (203 °F) or cooler — a boil wash.
• Mild wash — one bar under the tub Wash at the stated temperature but with reduced mechanical action — the permanent press or synthetics cycle.
• Very mild wash — two bars under the tub Wash at the stated temperature on the gentlest machine cycle, with a much reduced load and spin.
• Hand wash only Wash by hand at 40 °C (104 °F) or cooler. No machine washing.
• Do not wash Do not wash in water at all, by machine or by hand.
• Do not wring Do not twist the item to squeeze water out.
• Any bleach allowed Any bleach may be used, including chlorine bleach.
• Non-chlorine bleach only Oxygen bleach only — no chlorine bleach.
• All 42 laundry and care labels symbols

Plastic resin codes

• Resin identification code (the number in a triangle) Which plastic the item is made of. It is not a statement that the item is recyclable.
• Plastic 1 — PET or PETE (polyethylene terephthalate) Polyethylene terephthalate — clear drinks bottles, salad and fruit punnets, oven-ready trays.
• Plastic 2 — HDPE (high-density polyethylene) High-density polyethylene — milk jugs, detergent and bleach bottles, shampoo, yoghurt drink bottles.
• Plastic 3 — PVC or V (polyvinyl chloride) Polyvinyl chloride — pipe, window frames, blister packs, faux leather, garden hose, some cling film.
• Plastic 4 — LDPE (low-density polyethylene) Low-density polyethylene — carrier bags, bread bags, bubble wrap, squeeze bottles, six-pack rings.
• Plastic 5 — PP (polypropylene) Polypropylene — yoghurt pots, margarine tubs, takeaway containers, bottle caps, microwave dishes, kettles.
• Plastic 6 — PS (polystyrene) Polystyrene — disposable cups and cutlery, meat trays, foam packaging, CD cases, yoghurt pots in some markets.
• Plastic 7 — OTHER Anything that is not codes 1 to 6 — a catch-all, not a material.
• Plastic 7 marked PC — polycarbonate Polycarbonate — a rigid, transparent, impact-resistant plastic made using bisphenol A.
• Plastic 7 marked PLA — polylactic acid Polylactic acid — a compostable bioplastic made from fermented plant sugars, usually maize.

Packaging and recycling

• Mobius loop (chasing arrows) The producer claims the item can be recycled — not that it will be, and not that your council collects it.
• Mobius loop with a percentage The pack contains that percentage of recycled material.
• Green Dot (Der Grüne Punkt) The producer paid into a national packaging recovery scheme. It does not mean the pack is recyclable, recycled, or made of recycled material.
• Tidyman Dispose of this thoughtfully. It has nothing to do with recycling.
• Glass recycling (bottle bank) symbol Take this glass to a bottle bank or glass collection.
• Aluminium recycling (alu) The item is aluminium and can be recycled as aluminium.
• Recyclable steel The item is steel — usually tinplate — and is separated magnetically for recycling.
• Compostable seedling (EN 13432) Certified to break down in an industrial composting facility — not in a home heap, a bin or the environment.
• Home compostable Certified to break down in an ordinary garden compost heap at ambient temperature.
• FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) The wood or paper comes from forests audited against the Forest Stewardship Council standard.
• PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification) The wood or paper is certified under a national forestry scheme that PEFC endorses.
• OPRL — Recycle / Don't Recycle (UK) Whether this specific component is collected by most UK councils.
• Triman (France) In France, this product or packaging is subject to sorting rules and must not go in the general waste.
• Estimated sign (℮) The quantity is an average across the batch, checked under the EU average-quantity system.

Cookware and containers

• Microwave safe The maker states the material is suitable for heating food in a microwave.
• Do not microwave Do not heat this container in a microwave.
• Dishwasher safe The item survives a normal dishwasher cycle. Some versions specify the top rack only.
• Not dishwasher safe — hand wash only Wash this by hand.
• Oven safe The item can go in a conventional oven, up to the stated temperature if one is given.
• Not oven safe Do not put this in a conventional oven.
• Freezer safe The container can be used in a freezer without cracking or failing.
• Induction compatible The pan has a ferromagnetic base and will work on an induction hob.
• BPA free The item contains no bisphenol A. It is a marketing claim, not a certification.
• Do not use metal utensils Use wood, silicone or nylon tools with this surface.

Hazard warnings

• Exploding bomb (GHS01) Explosive, self-reactive, or an organic peroxide that can explode.
• Flame (GHS02) Flammable — or a substance that heats up, ignites in air, or gives off flammable gas when wet.
• Flame over circle (GHS03) Oxidising — it will feed a fire, including one that has nothing else to burn with.
• Gas cylinder (GHS04) Gas under pressure — compressed, liquefied, refrigerated or dissolved.
• Corrosion (GHS05) Causes severe skin burns and eye damage, or corrodes metal.
• Skull and crossbones (GHS06) Acute toxicity — fatal or toxic in small amounts by swallowing, skin contact or inhalation.
• Exclamation mark (GHS07) Irritant, skin sensitiser, harmful if swallowed or inhaled, or may cause drowsiness — the lower-severity hazards.
• Health hazard (GHS08) Serious long-term health effects — cancer, genetic damage, harm to fertility or the unborn child, organ damage, asthma from inhalation, or fatal if swallowed and it enters the airways.
• Environment (GHS09) Hazardous to the aquatic environment — toxic to fish and other water life.
• Orange explosive (E) Explosive, under the old European system.
• Orange oxidising (O) Oxidising agent, under the old European system.
• Orange flammable (F, F+) Highly flammable (F) or extremely flammable (F+), under the old European system.
• Orange toxic (T, T+) Toxic (T) or very toxic (T+), under the old European system.
• Orange harmful or irritant (Xn, Xi) Harmful (Xn) or irritant (Xi), under the old European system.
• All 20 hazard warnings symbols

Electrical and appliance

• CE mark The manufacturer declares the product meets the EU rules that apply to it.
• UKCA mark The manufacturer declares the product meets Great Britain's rules — the British counterpart to CE.
• UL Listed A complete product tested by Underwriters Laboratories against its safety standard.
• UL Recognized Component A component certified for use inside a larger product — not a certification of the finished item.
• FCC mark The device meets US limits on radio-frequency interference.
• RoHS compliant The product restricts ten hazardous substances, including lead, mercury, cadmium and four phthalates.
• Crossed-out wheelie bin (WEEE) Do not put this in household waste — take it to a separate collection for electrical items or batteries.
• Crossed-out bin with Pb, Cd or Hg A battery for separate collection which also contains lead, cadmium or mercury above the reporting threshold.
• Double insulated (Class II) The appliance is protected by two layers of insulation and needs no earth connection.
• Protective earth (ground) This terminal must be connected to the protective earth conductor.
• IP rating (IP67, IPX4) How well the enclosure keeps out solids and water. First digit solids 0–6, second digit water 0–9.
• EU energy label (A to G) How efficient the appliance is, on a scale from A to G, alongside consumption figures.
• EnergyGuide label (US) The estimated annual energy cost of this appliance in the US, and how it compares with the range for its class.
• Alternating current (AC) Alternating current. On a power supply it marks the mains input side.
• All 16 electrical and appliance symbols

Certification marks

• Energy Star The product meets US Environmental Protection Agency efficiency criteria for its category.
• Fairtrade Mark The certified ingredients were bought on Fairtrade terms, including a minimum price and a premium paid to the producer organisation.
• OEKO-TEX Standard 100 Every component of the textile was tested for harmful substances and passed.
• Woolmark The product is made from pure new wool and meets the Woolmark performance specifications.
• NSF certification Tested and certified by NSF against a public health or food equipment standard.
• BSI Kitemark BSI has tested the product and audits the factory that makes it.
• GS mark (Geprüfte Sicherheit) Tested safety — a German voluntary mark requiring independent testing and factory surveillance.
• Kosher certification (OU and others) A certifying agency attests that the product is kosher, often with a letter alongside for the category.
• Halal certification A certifying body attests that the product complies with Islamic dietary rules.
• USDA Organic seal At least 95% of the ingredients are certified organic under the US National Organic Program.
• EU organic leaf At least 95% of the agricultural ingredients are organic under EU rules.
• Crossed grain (certified gluten free) Independently certified to contain no more than 20 parts per million of gluten.
• Vegan Society sunflower Registered with the Vegan Society: no animal ingredients and no animal testing at any stage.
• Leaping Bunny Certified cruelty free: no animal testing by the company, its suppliers or third parties after a fixed cut-off date.

Product care

• Upholstery cleaning code W Clean with water-based cleaners only.
• Upholstery cleaning code S Clean with solvent-based cleaners only — no water.
• Upholstery cleaning code W-S Either water-based or solvent-based cleaners may be used.
• Upholstery cleaning code X Vacuum or brush only — no liquid cleaner of any kind.
• Period after opening (open jar with 12M) How many months the product stays good after you first open it.
• Cosmetics hourglass (minimum durability) The best-before date of a cosmetic product — it is best used before the date shown.
• Footwear: leather That part of the shoe is leather.
• Footwear: coated leather That part is leather with a surface coating no thicker than a third of the total thickness.
• Footwear: textile That part of the shoe is a textile, natural or synthetic.
• Footwear: other materials That part is made of something that is neither leather nor textile.

Food and food contact

• Food safe (glass and fork) The article is intended to come into contact with food.
• Not for food contact This material must not be used with food.
• One star freezer compartment Reaches −6 °C. Store already-frozen food for about a week.
• Two star freezer compartment Reaches −12 °C. Store already-frozen food for about a month.
• Three star freezer compartment Reaches −18 °C. Store already-frozen food up to the date on the packaging.
• Four star freezer — freezes fresh food Reaches −18 °C or colder and can freeze fresh food from room temperature.
• Vegetarian mark (India) In India, the product contains no animal-derived ingredient.
• Non-vegetarian mark (India) In India, the product contains an animal-derived ingredient, including egg.