Warehouse colour coding: a system that actually sticks
Four colours, one rule on the wall and a roll within reach – often that's all it takes. You just need to avoid the usual mistakes.
In plenty of warehouses and workshops, the best labelling system isn't software or a barcode scanner but a coloured dot sticker in the right place. You can see it from across the aisle, it needs no training and it costs next to nothing. The catch is that these systems often quietly fall apart after a few months. Here's how to stop that happening.
Three uses that genuinely work
Stock rotation. One colour per week (or month) of delivery. Pickers always take the oldest colour first. It's the simplest way to run FIFO without scanning anything.
Quality checks. Green: checked and passed. Red: quarantined. Yellow: waiting for inspection. A pallet with a red dot doesn't leave the building – no arguments.
Stock-takes. Each counting team gets its own colour. At the end, anything without a dot hasn't been counted, and a walk down the aisles shows you the gaps.
The mistakes that kill colour coding
- Too many colours. Beyond four or five, nobody remembers them. Fewer colours, used consistently, beats a rainbow.
- No visible key. The rule needs to be written down at every workstation, not just in the shift manager's head.
- Colours that look alike. Orange and red under yellowish lighting, blue and green in a dark corner – pick colours that are clearly different.
- Dots that fall off. On plastic totes that get wiped down, or on cold, damp cardboard, a standard adhesive can let go. Test on your actual containers.
Roll or sheet?
On the warehouse floor the roll almost always wins: it hangs on a belt or sits on the bench, you can peel a dot one-handed, and there are no half-used sheets lying around. Sheets suit the office better.
What size?
8–10 mm is fine on paperwork or small boxes. For totes, cartons or pallets you need to identify from the aisle, go bigger – around 20–25 mm.
Printed dots
When colour alone isn't enough, a number, a week or a word ("PASS", "HOLD") can be printed on the dot itself. The colour reads from a distance; the detail reads up close. Our guide to colour coding with labels covers more systems.
Our coloured round labels come on rolls in all the popular colours, with removable adhesive on request for temporary marking. For printed versions in volume, see custom roll label printing.
FAQ
How many colours should a colour-coding system use?
Four or five at most. Any more and people mix them up and stop using the system.
Do dot stickers stay on plastic totes?
On clean, dry plastic, yes. On surfaces that are wiped often, or are cold or damp, test on your own totes before rolling it out.
Can dot stickers be removed without residue?
Yes, with removable adhesive – useful when the marking changes often, such as weekly stock rotation.