GHS pictograms GHS01–GHS09: names, meanings and examples

The 9 pictograms and their meaning

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  GHS01 · Exploding bomb

  Explosives, self-reactive substances and the most severe types of organic peroxides. Example: unstable explosive (H200).

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  GHS02 · Flame

  Flammable gases, aerosols, liquids and solids; pyrophoric and self-heating substances and substances that emit flammable gases in contact with water. Example: highly flammable liquid and vapour (H225).

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  GHS03 · Flame over circle

  Oxidising gases, liquids and solids: even if they do not burn themselves, they cause or intensify combustion. Example: may intensify fire; oxidiser (H272).

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  GHS04 · Gas cylinder

  Gases under pressure: compressed, liquefied, refrigerated liquefied and dissolved gases. Example: contains gas under pressure; may explode if heated (H280).

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  GHS05 · Corrosion

  Skin corrosives, substances causing serious eye damage and substances corrosive to metals. Example: causes severe skin burns and eye damage (H314), causes serious eye damage (H318).

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  GHS06 · Skull and crossbones

  The three most severe acute toxicity categories (1–3): fatal or toxic if swallowed, in contact with skin or if inhaled. Example: toxic if swallowed (H301).

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  GHS07 · Exclamation mark

  Less severe health hazards: acute toxicity category 4, skin and eye irritation, skin sensitisation, respiratory tract irritation or drowsiness (single exposure, category 3). Example: causes skin irritation (H315).

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  GHS08 · Health hazard

  Long-term and serious health hazards: carcinogenicity, mutagenicity, reproductive toxicity, respiratory sensitisation, specific target organ toxicity and aspiration hazard. Example: may be fatal if swallowed and enters airways (H304).

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  GHS09 · Environment

  Aquatic acute category 1 and chronic categories 1 and 2. Chronic categories 3 and 4 get no pictogram. Example: toxic to aquatic life with long lasting effects (H411).

Pictogram and signal word

A pictogram alone does not tell you how severe the hazard is; the signal word does: Danger for the more severe categories, Warning for the less severe ones. A label always carries a single signal word; if one of the classes requires "Danger", "Warning" is not used. Some pairings are fixed: GHS06 always comes with "Danger", GHS07 always with "Warning". GHS08 can take either, depending on the category (e.g. carcinogen category 1B "Danger", category 2 "Warning"). Aquatic chronic category 2, which comes with GHS09, has no signal word.

Which pictograms are not used together?

When a product falls into more than one hazard class, the pictogram of each class is added to the label, but CLP Article 26 removes some duplications:

• If GHS06 applies, GHS07 is not used. The skull and crossbones already covers the hazard the exclamation mark describes.
• If GHS05 applies, GHS07 is not used for skin or eye irritation. The exclamation mark stays if it is required for another class (e.g. acute toxicity 4).
• If GHS08 applies for respiratory sensitisation, GHS07 is not used for skin sensitisation or skin/eye irritation.
• If GHS01 applies, GHS02 and GHS03 are optional (unless more than one is mandatory).
• If GHS02 or GHS06 applies, GHS04 is optional.

Example: for a mixture that results in both skin corrosion (H314) and skin irritation (H315), only GHS05 appears. You can enter your own product's H codes into the CLP label tool to see which pictograms remain and why the others are dropped.

Format and size rules

• A red-bordered square standing on one corner; a black symbol on a white background.
• The red border must be wide enough to be clearly visible on the label.
• Each pictogram must cover at least 1/15 of the minimum surface area of the label and must not be smaller than 1 cm² (CLP Annex I 1.2.1).
• Black-and-white printing and pictograms without a border are accepted only for certain inner packaging and exceptions; on normal sales packaging the red border is mandatory.

How they differ from transport marks (ADR)

The ADR hazard labels used in road transport are coloured and differently designed (e.g. the red-background "3" label for flammable liquids). Section 14 of the GBF (the Turkish SDS) shows these transport classes, Section 2 shows the CLP pictograms; one does not replace the other. For a single-packaged product that is being transported, if the ADR label shows the same hazard, the CLP pictogram does not need to be repeated on the outer packaging (CLP Article 33).

Frequently asked questions

Sources

• CLP Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008, Articles 19, 20, 26 and 33; Annex I 1.2.1; Annex V (hazard pictograms).
• SEA Regulation (11/12/2013, Official Gazette No. 28848).
• Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2023/707 (new hazard classes).
• ECHA, Guidance on Labelling and Packaging in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008.