What does the umbrella symbol mean?

We encounter them almost daily, as labels, stickers or printed directly on the carton: the umbrella, the double arrow or the broken glass. What exactly do the symbols, pictograms and icons on shipping packaging mean? What are the most common signs in connection with packaging? And: Are they valid everywhere?

Symbols: Intuitive imagery

Do you know this? You are in a foreign country, see a sign and don’t know what the symbol on it is trying to tell you? No wonder – other countries, other signs. Certain motifs, however, have their own language that is understood internationally: a stop sign that makes you stop anywhere in the world, or toilet signs that easily show the way.

It works similarly with the labelling of shipments that are sent worldwide. Various packaging symbols already explain from the outside how a shipment should be handled so that nothing happens to the contents. Adequate marking is an indispensable part of the packaging: if the cargo is unclearly marked, there can be no compensation in the event of damage. In the case of Hazardous goods labelling even compulsory. Therefore, one should inform oneself in advance about all possibilities of a necessary and sensible marking.

What makes a good pictogram?

With the light bulb...

...we already have one of the best examples. It is understood worldwide as a symbol for research and knowledge, i.e. for symbolic "enlightenment". Exclamation marks, the cogwheel, the paper clip or the fire symbol are also intuitively assigned the right meaning, regardless of language.

A pictogram

must be self-explanatory. Particularly in the field of hazard labelling or health care, quick and clear comprehension is important. But even with the toilet symbol mentioned at the beginning, long guesswork can turn into a problem...
is a purely pictorial message and as such can be understood internationally. The image is reduced and presented as simply as possible.
usually consists of simple geometric shapes and the highest possible colour contrast (often black - white - red).

Goods must be adequately marked be. This labelling fulfils several objectives:

Delivery to the correct destination (address information)
Ensuring correct handling and the avoidance of accidents (handling instructions – which also include the “umbrella”)
Preventing, or at least detecting, mass and quantity losses
Proper customs clearance or avoidance of customs penalties

How to mark your parcels and shipments

Generally recommended is an arrow symbol indicating where “up” is. A glass means “Caution, fragile!”, a symbolic umbrella (sometimes also with descriptive drops) means “Protect from moisture”. On transport boxes, a stop with a cross and a dot marks the centre of gravity of the load. The symbols for handling instructions for packaging are laid down in ISO R/780 (International Organization for Standardization) and in DIN 55 402 (Deutsches Institut für Normung) in an internationally uniform way. They are self-explanatory and are intended to avoid language problems in international trade. It makes sense to additionally indicate the weight of the freight on the outside of the packaging, which should be clearly visible. RAJA offers various possibilities for marking with its warning labels, the low-noise warning tapes with matching imprint, the shipping labels or also the innovative warning wet adhesive tape.

The sense of handling instructions

Parcel shipments are usually processed by machine. Even with warning labels, they pass through conveyor belts and chutes in large parcel centres. So in the sorting facilities, the “Caution fragile – handle with care” sticker (presumably) makes no difference. The situation is different during loading, transport and delivery.

DHL, for example, recommends in an official video: “I seal the box with tape and also make a mark with ‘Caution glass’ over it, because then it is handled with extra care.”

This is what the German Insurance Association (GDV) says:

Sufficient marking is an indispensable part of the packaging. If the markings deviate from the information in the shipping documents, this can lead to complaints from customs authorities, for example. Insufficient handling marks can lead to the exclusion of liability of those who transported, handled or stored the goods and through whose handling the damage occurred.Fazit: GDV

Hazardous goods labelling is compulsory

Clear labelling of dangerous goods is mandatory according to ADR, the European Agreement concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Road. A dangerous good is anything that could affect the life and health of humans or animals, public safety or the environment. For the transport of dangerous goods, there are – depending on the class and subclass into which the dangerous goods are divided due to their nature or ingredients – special legal regulations for labelling and packaging. Here, too, special Hazard labels from RAJA can clearly mark a dangerous load in an internationally understandable way.

More explanations on the meaning of dangerous goods labelling:
https://www.rajapack.de/verpackungsnews/kennzeichnen-mit-gefahrgutetiketten/