Custom Industrial Warning Labels
UL authorized. OSHA compliant.
Custom industrial warning labels built from your approved signal words, messages, and symbols, matched to the reader, the task, and the placement. Produced as a UL approved label supplier in an ISO 9001:2015 certified facility.
About warning labels
Notifying operators of machine hazards, weights, and specifications while they are using your equipment is a basic part of putting a machine into service. A warning label displays that information at the point of operation, at all times, without depending on anyone having read the manual.
Which means the label has one job and one failure mode. If it is still there and still readable in year twelve, it worked. If it has faded, peeled, or been scoured off, the hazard is unmarked and the machine is carrying a risk nobody can see.
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Hazard and danger warnings at the point of operation
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Pinch point, crush, and entanglement warnings on moving assemblies
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Electrical hazard and arc flash labels
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Hot surface, pressure, and chemical exposure warnings
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Weight, capacity, and load limit notices
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Lockout and service warnings for maintenance access points
Signal words and symbols
Industrial warning labels follow a signal-word hierarchy that operators across industries already recognize. Using it consistently is most of what makes a label work, because the operator does not have to read the whole message to know how much attention it needs.
DANGER
A hazard that will cause death or serious injury if not avoided. Reserved for the most severe situations, and weakened by overuse.
WARNING
A hazard that could cause death or serious injury. The most common signal word on industrial equipment.
CAUTION
A hazard that could cause minor or moderate injury.
NOTICE
Information about practices not related to personal injury — equipment damage, or a procedure that must be followed.
Symbols and pictograms
Carry the hazard across language barriers and at distances where text cannot be read. Essential where equipment is operated by a multilingual workforce or exported.
We produce labels to the standard your specification calls for, and to your approved artwork. If you tell us the standard you are working to, we will proof against it.
Warning label materials and finishes
Choose from a variety of materials, finishes, colors, and adhesives. Unlimited PMS, standard, or custom colors are available.
Polycarbonate — .005″–.125″
Clear gloss, clear gloss scratch resistant, clear matte scratch resistant, velvet gloss, velvet matte, velvet UV resistant, suede, and brushed. Mar resistant and easy to emboss, thermoform, and die cut.
Polyester — .002″–.010″
White gloss, yellow gloss, clear matte, bright and matte silver chrome, brushed silver chrome, writable matte chrome, and bright gold. UL recognized, with 2–5 year expected exterior life.
Vinyl — .002″–.030″
3M Controltac™ in clear, white, or sunflower yellow; 3M Scotchcal™ in white, black, red, or white reflective; plus matte and gloss blacks, satin silver aluminum, satin and fluorescent yellow, and clear static cling.
MetalWhere the warning must outlast any flexible substrate, the same message can be produced as an etched or Metalphoto® plate. See
metal nameplates.
Warning label durability
A faded warning label is worse than no label, because it signals that the hazard was marked while no longer communicating what it is. Three things decide whether yours is still doing its job in a decade.
Substrate
Polyester over vinyl for anything outdoors or handled. Vinyl conforms better to curves and costs less, but gives up service life.
OverlaminateA clear film over the printed face takes the abrasion, UV, and chemical contact instead of the ink. UV clearcoat is available to prevent fading. See
laminating.
Adhesive
Matched to the surface. A label specified for bare metal and applied to textured powder coat is the most common reason warning labels lift at the corners.
Sub-surface printing
On clear substrates, the graphics are printed on the underside so the material itself protects them. Nothing abrasive ever touches the ink.
Tell us the exposure honestly. Wash-down, direct sun, solvent contact, and abrasive dust each change the construction, and the cost difference is usually small against the cost of replacing labels in the field.
Formats and delivery
Finished labels ship in rolls, strips, or individual pieces, sheared, trimmed, die cut, or digitally cut to shape.
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Individual pieces for low-volume or large-format warnings
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Rolls wound to your applicator where the same label goes on every unit
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Kiss-cut on a carrier sheet so an operator peels them in sequence
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Consolidated with the rest of a machine’s decals as a
label set
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Bundled with plates and panels as a
kit
How a warning label order runs
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Tell us about the hazard and the machine. What the label warns about, where it mounts, and who reads it. Our seasoned art department turns artwork into a press-ready proof at no charge.
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We recommend the construction. Substrate, overlaminate, and adhesive, chosen against the mounting surface and the exposure.
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You approve the proof. Wording, symbols, color, and size are signed off before anything is printed.
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Production. Most jobs finish 7–10 days after the proof is approved, in an ISO 9001:2015 certified facility. Rush work runs 3–5 business days for an additional fee.
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Delivery or release. Orders ship within a 10% over/under quantity standard, or run against a stocking program.
Warning label RFQ checklist
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The wording and any symbols, or the current label if you are replacing one
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Finished size, and whether a custom shape is needed
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Any standard or customer specification the label must meet
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What the label mounts to, including the surface finish
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What it is exposed to — sun, wash-down, solvents, abrasion, temperature
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Whether you need rolls, strips, individual pieces, or a set
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Quantity and your timing, including the date the line actually needs parts
If you do not have all of that yet, send what you have and call 319-895-8804. Customer service is open 8:00 AM–4:30 PM CST Monday through Thursday and 7:00 AM–3:30 PM CST Friday, and you will always reach someone in person.
Since 1946
Family-owned and operated in Mount Vernon, Iowa
3,000+
OEMs supplied across the U.S. and abroad
25 years
Outdoor exposure, some products guaranteed longer
7–10 days
Typical production after proof approval
$0
Tooling fee on in-house equipment
Why U.S. Nameplate Co.
Why OEMs source warning labels from U.S. Nameplate Co.
One partner, one roof
Metal identification and flexible labels are produced under one roof in Mount Vernon, Iowa, so a single supplier covers plates, tags, overlays, decals, and safety labels instead of three.
No tooling fee on in-house equipment
U.S. Nameplate Co. does not charge a tooling fee for any in-house equipment. A one-time charge applies only when a tool has to be created for your order.
You reach a person
Customer service representatives are available 8:00 AM–4:30 PM CST Monday through Thursday and 7:00 AM–3:30 PM CST Friday. You will always reach someone in person.
Built to outlast the equipment
Metal nameplates are built to withstand up to 25 years of outdoor exposure, with some products guaranteed for 25 years or more. Safety labels are UL authorized and OSHA compliant, produced in an ISO 9001:2015 certified facility.
Family-owned since 1946
Supplier of choice to more than 3,000 original equipment manufacturers in the U.S. and abroad, with team members averaging 10+ years of service.
One piece or one million
The 55,000 sq ft climate-controlled facility is equipped to handle orders from a single plate to production volumes, on repeat release schedules.
Request a quote for warning labels
We offer free quotes on all warning labels orders. Send the drawing, artwork, quantities, application, and timing you have today — our art department turns a blueprint into a press-ready proof, and we will tell you what is still open.
Most jobs finish 7–10 days after the proof is approved. Rush orders can be produced in 3–5 business days for an additional fee. Orders ship within a 10% over/under quantity standard.
Request a Quote or call 319-895-8804 and you will reach someone in person.
