Sending something breakable: which handling symbols help and where they go
A sticker won't replace decent packing. Chosen and placed well, though, it does change how people handle the box.
The awkward truth first: a sticker doesn't protect a parcel. In a sorting hub, boxes ride belts, chutes and automated sorters that can't read symbols. Whether a bottle survives comes down to the packing inside. The label matters at the moments a person picks the box up: loading, unloading and the doorstep.
The symbols that actually help
ISO 780 sets out handling symbols that are understood everywhere without translation. Three cover most jobs:
- The wine glass: fragile contents, handle with care.
- Two arrows pointing up: this way up. Worth it for liquids, equipment that must stay upright, or plants.
- The umbrella: keep dry.
Resist the urge to add more. A box plastered in warnings ends up saying nothing.
Where to put them
On the top and on at least two opposite sides. Stacked boxes often show only one face. Arrows belong on the sides, never on the lid, where they mean nothing.
Away from the address label. Never cover the barcode or the address, and leave a few centimetres clear around it so the scanner reads first time. If you print shipping labels at 100 x 150 mm, keep that area on the lid free.
Flat, on clean board. Not across an edge and not over parcel tape – that's where they peel off at the first scuff.
Size and colour
On a standard carton, a label around 100 x 50 mm stands out without hiding anything else. Red on white or black on orange are still the easiest to read in a warehouse.
What the sticker won't do
It doesn't change your carrier's terms. Many limit or exclude compensation for fragile items that weren't packed properly, symbol or no symbol. Read the small print before posting glass or ceramics.
Print your own or buy a roll?
For a few parcels a month, a printable template does the job. Once you're shipping daily, a roll of pre-printed labels is quicker: it sits on the packing bench and goes on one-handed. Our warning and marking labels come as standard designs or custom-printed in volume through roll label printing.
FAQ
Does a fragile label make the courier more careful?
Not in any guaranteed way. It helps the people who handle the box, but sorting machines can't read it and it doesn't change the carrier's compensation terms.
How many symbols should go on one box?
Usually two or three different ones, repeated on the top and on two opposite sides. More than that dilutes the message.
Where do 'this way up' arrows go?
On the sides, pointing up, ideally on two opposite faces. On the lid they're useless.