No. ANSI Z535 is a set of voluntary consensus standards. It becomes mandatory only where a regulation, contract or customer specification adopts it; OSHA, for example, references the 2011 editions of Z535.1, Z535.2 and Z535.5 as options in its sign and tag rules (see our OSHA sign guide ).

Which part of ANSI Z535 covers labels on equipment and products?

ANSI Z535.4, Product Safety Signs and Labels. Signs posted in a building or on a site fall under Z535.2, and temporary tags fall under Z535.5.

Does every Z535.4 label need a symbol?

No. The symbol panel is optional; a label can be words only. A well-chosen symbol helps people who read quickly, do not read the language on the label, or see it from a distance, and it is also the bridge to ISO-style labels.

What should the message on a product safety label say?

It should name the hazard, say what can happen, and tell the reader how to avoid it, in that spirit and in short plain sentences. For example: "Rotating blade. Can cut fingers. Keep guard in place and disconnect power before servicing."

Which edition of ANSI Z535 should we follow?

Normally the current edition, unless a regulation or customer specification names a specific one. OSHA's rules reference the 2011 editions, while the current product label edition is Z535.4-2023; check the edition your customer, regulator or product standard expects.

Can Wholesale Customize Labels tell me whether my label is compliant?

No. We print labels to the wording, symbols and layout you supply or approve, and we can lay a label out in the ANSI Z535.4 format. Whether the label is right for your hazard and satisfies a law or standard is for you to decide, as our terms explain.

ANSI Z535 Safety Labels: How the Standard Works

ANSI Z535 gives safety signs and labels in the United States a shared visual language: the same signal words, the same colors and the same panel layout, so a worker or user recognizes a warning before reading a word of it. The standards are developed by an ANSI-accredited committee, with the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) as secretariat and publisher. This guide explains what each part covers, how a product safety label is put together under Z535.4, and how facility signs under Z535.2 differ.

The parts of ANSI Z535

The series has six core parts, plus a newer seventh part for electronic media. Each part builds on the others: the color part feeds the sign and label parts, and the symbol part sets the criteria for the pictograms they use.

Part	Title (short form)	What it covers
Z535.1	Safety Colors	The color specifications for safety red, orange, yellow, green, blue and the other safety colors.
Z535.2	Environmental and Facility Safety Signs	Permanent signs in workplaces and public areas: buildings, plants, sites and grounds.
Z535.3	Criteria for Safety Symbols	How safety symbols are designed, evaluated for understanding and used.
Z535.4	Product Safety Signs and Labels	Safety labels and signs placed on products and equipment.
Z535.5	Safety Tags and Barricade Tapes (for Temporary Hazards)	Tags and tapes used while a hazard is temporary, such as during repair or lockout.
Z535.6	Product Safety Information in Product Manuals, Instructions and Other Collateral Materials	Safety messages in manuals, instructions and similar printed material.
Z535.7	Product Safety Information in Electronic Media	Safety information shown on screens, in video, apps and websites (first published in 2024).

The parts are revised on their own schedules. At the time of writing, the product label part is Z535.4-2023 and the facility sign part is Z535.2-2023. OSHA's rules still reference the 2011 editions of Z535.1, Z535.2 and Z535.5, so the edition that matters to you depends on why you are following the standard.

What a Z535.4 product safety label contains

A Z535.4 label is built from up to three panels. Each panel has one job, and together they answer three questions for the reader: how serious is this, what is the hazard, and what do I do about it.

1. Signal word panel

The signal word panel sits at the top (or, in some layouts, the left) and holds one signal word: DANGER, WARNING, CAUTION, NOTICE, or a safety instruction heading such as SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS. The word and its background color tell the reader how serious the hazard is: DANGER is white on red, WARNING is black on orange, CAUTION is black on yellow, and NOTICE is white italic on blue. Our guide to signal words explains how to choose between them.

2. The safety alert symbol

The safety alert symbol is the equilateral triangle with an exclamation mark. On a Z535.4 label it appears in the signal word panel, to the left of DANGER, WARNING or CAUTION, and it means a personal injury hazard is present. It is not used with NOTICE, because NOTICE messages are about things other than personal injury, such as damage to equipment.

3. Symbol or pictorial panel

An optional panel shows a safety symbol: a hand caught in gears, a lightning bolt, a hot surface, a person reading a manual. A good symbol shows the hazard, the consequence or the action to take, and it reaches readers who skim or do not read the label's language. Z535.3 sets the criteria for symbols, including testing whether people understand them. Many symbols are shared with the ISO 7010 register, which is covered in ourISO 7010 guide.

4. Word message panel

The message panel carries the text. Z535.4 expects the message to cover three things:

The hazard: what it is, named plainly ("Rotating auger", "Hazardous voltage").
The consequence: what happens if the reader interacts with it ("Will cause death or serious injury", "Can cut fingers").
Avoidance: what to do or not do ("Lock out power before opening", "Keep hands clear").

Messages work best as short, active sentences or phrases, with one idea per line. Bullets or line breaks help readers scan. When one label covers more than one hazard, the signal word should match the most serious one.

Arrangement, size and life

Z535.4 shows several panel arrangements: symbol on the left with the message to the right, symbol above the message, or text only. It also gives a method for relating letter height to the safe viewing distance, so the label can be read from where a person first meets the hazard. The standard asks manufacturers to place labels where they are readily seen and to consider how long the label must stay legible on the product. For material choices, see our guide to outdoor and harsh-environment materials.

How Z535.2 facility signs differ

Z535.2 and Z535.4 share the same signal words, colors and safety alert symbol, so a facility sign and a product label look like members of the same family. The differences come from where they are used:

Point	Z535.2 facility signs	Z535.4 product labels
Where	Walls, doors, fences, rooms, tanks, sites and public areas	On the product or machine itself
Who reads it	Anyone entering or working in an area, often from a distance	Operators, service staff and users of that product
Typical content	Area hazards, PPE requirements, restricted access, emergency and safety equipment locations	Hazards of the product, consequences and how to avoid them
Extra sign types	Includes formats for safety equipment location, fire safety and directional signs	Focused on hazard labels and safety instruction labels
Responsibility	Usually the facility owner or employer	Usually the manufacturer of the product

Both parts also address ISO-formatted signs and labels, so a facility or product can use ISO 3864 shapes and symbols alongside, or instead of, the classic ANSI panel layout.

What ANSI Z535 does not decide for you

The standard tells you how to format a safety message. It does not tell you which hazards your product or site has, which ones need a label, or what the right instruction is. Those come from a hazard analysis or risk assessment, the product's own safety standard, and the regulations that apply. A label laid out in the Z535.4 format is a format choice; whether the content is right for the hazard is a separate question that the product's maker or the employer has to answer.

Ordering Z535-format labels

If you already have label drawings, send them with your part numbers through the quote form. If you are starting from wording, the label builder lets you choose a signal word, symbol, message, size and stock and add the design to a quote. Ready-made designs are incustom safety labels and custom safety signs. You approve a proof before anything is printed.