Ordering weatherproof, durable outdoor labels requires many different decisions around the inks, materials, and adhesives that work best for the environment and purpose.
Especially in the early steps of the label design process, making the right decisions for your weatherproof label is critical. Go in the wrong direction, and you can wind up with a label that fades, peels, or cracks over time — which can potentially impact your product’s performance, create a negative brand impression, ding your reputation, and even cause safety issues for your customers.
On the other hand, making the right decisions can extend your weatherproof label’s lifespan and dramatically improve your label’s performance.
So how will your supplier help you make the right choices for your outdoor labels? It all starts with understanding a few basic factors.
Key Takeaways:
Regardless of where you live, you’ll need to consider the environmental factors that your outdoor, weatherproof label will be exposed to over time, such as UV exposure, moisture, temperature changes, and surface stress.
It’s critical that your label can stay put against all environmental odds to inform and warn users. Your label printer will ask you about all sorts of scenarios where you might affix your labels, such as:
The environment your label lives in — whether that's freezing temps, direct sunlight, chemical exposure, or constant moisture — determines which materials and coatings will hold up and which ones will fail. Matching your label material to its specific conditions is the most reliable way to prevent fading, tearing, smearing, and premature adhesive failure.
Sunlight can cause a process called “photodegradation.” If you’ve ever seen a badly faded road sign, you’ve seen photodegradation at work. The sun’s rays — primarily those in the ultraviolet end of the spectrum — can break down the chemical bonds that give pigments and dyes their color.
Ice is a multifaceted threat. Not only is ice wet when it melts (see more about rain and water below), but when objects freeze and thaw, they tend to contract and expand. This movement can warp and rip labels and weaken adhesive bonds.
Rain and snow can be surprisingly among the most destructive forces in nature. It can:
Heat can prevent adhesives from establishing a tight grip. And extreme heat, like extreme cold, can warp surfaces and strain any label affixed to them. This can happen to any material, including metal, glass, plastic, and wood.
Despite many environmental factors to address, there are various durable options that your label supplier might recommend — such as UV-resistant inks, synthetic materials like vinyl or polyester, and adhesives engineered for specific surfaces and environments. Though a label printer’s first question will likely be, “What is the main use of your outdoor label?”
Find out how to make your industrial and automotive labels compliant and outperform outdoors. Read the Guide.
Outdoor equipment labels primarily serve three functions: warning users of safety hazards, providing operational instructions, and reinforcing brand identity. Because these labels are exposed to harsh conditions, they must remain legible and intact throughout the life of the product — not just at the point of sale.
For an outdoor equipment label that must be durable, chances are the purpose isn’t simply to make your product look< appealing. There are many roles it must play, but some are more crucial than others.
No matter what, if your label becomes damaged, peels off, or becomes illegible, it may fail to fulfill its function and become uncompliant. This can lead to problems for your brand and can even imperil your customers and employees.
Warning Labels: One frequent use of outdoor equipment labels is to serve as a warning. Outdoor equipment — ranging from construction machinery to sporting goods — can inflict pain, injury, and death when misused. Effective outdoor warning labels show users and bystanders how to avoid electrical shocks, dangerous projectiles, falls, and other safety risks.
Warning labels are typically required by state and federal laws. When warning labels fail, outdoor equipment brands can face stiff legal penalties.
Instructional Labels: Another use for outdoor labels is to provide instructions. A label attached to a gas grill, for example, might tell users how to regulate the flame. This is an important lesson not just for safety, but also for the full enjoyment of the product.
Branding Labels: Branding is another essential use for outdoor labels. If the label falls off a plastic outdoor bin after a few rainy seasons, it may not hurt anyone, but it can damage your brand’s standing in consumers' eyes. To most people, durability is a sign of quality.
To help your outdoor product label achieve its purpose, you need to work with your label supplier to make the right choices concerning the three basic label elements: inks, materials, and adhesives.
The inks you use for your UV-resistant label matter to keep your label legible despite sun exposure, particularly for bright-colored inks like yellows, oranges, and reds, which tend to fade more quickly.
Naturally, if these colors are important for your label, then it’s important to take that into consideration from the start. For instance, if your label must warn users about a risk, you might use one of the ANSI (American National Standards Institute) Safety Colors, such as red, orange, or yellow. If the wrong ink is selected and that color fades in a few months, your label can’t do its job – with potentially disastrous consequences.
The type of ink used on a label can dramatically impact how well the color holds up in sunlight. Today, there is a wide range of choices to fit different budgets and needs. For example, many fade-resistant inks are available, specifically formulated to withstand sunlight exposure for much longer than standard inks. UV-blocking protective laminates also improve the label's staying power.
Keep in mind, though, that all inks will fade to varying degrees over time when exposed to direct sunlight. When possible, place the label in a location sheltered from direct UV light to greatly extend its lifespan.
During your design process, your label printer will help you determine which materials are right for whatever humidity and temperatures your label will need to withstand.
Paper, while a great choice for many, is perhaps the worst choice for damp environments. Water can reduce paper to pulp in a matter of moments. When paper gets wet, the hydrogen bonds that hold the wood fibers together dissolve.
Waterproof label materials are gaining popularity because brands want labels that look good and perform well, even in harsh settings. Synthetic materials such as polyethylene and polypropylene repel water. They are also more durable than paper, making them good options when you expect moisture.
Vinyl may be the most waterproof of all common label materials. (It’s no coincidence that they make raincoats out of vinyl.)
Films such as polypropylene and polyester perform well outdoors, as will vinyl. But in elevated temperatures, polyester will outperform vinyl. In moderate temperatures, vinyl will prove more flexible.
Flexibility matters when choosing durable label material, because it must adhere to surfaces that may change in outdoor environments with fluctuating temperatures and moisture. To accommodate these surface factors, the label material will also need to expand and then contract back to its original shape.
This is where vinyl stands out as an excellent choice for outdoor labels. Vinyl is “multidimensionally stable,” which means it can expand and contract in multiple directions without cracking or peeling under the strain. So, vinyl’s flexibility translates to durability for outdoor labels.
When selecting an outdoor label adhesive, the two most important factors are the surface the label will bond to and the environmental conditions it will face — including temperature extremes, moisture, UV exposure, and chemical contact. Getting both of those right is what separates a label that stays put from one that fails in the field.
Different adhesive types exhibit different properties when used with different label materials and application surfaces. For example, an adhesive that works well on porous cardboard surfaces may fail entirely when applied to smooth, nonporous glass or metal — and vice versa.
Add environmental factors into the mix, and the adhesive equation gets more complicated. Moisture, heat, cold, and caustic chemicals can all reduce adhesive strength, potentially leaving a gooey mess where a label was meant to be.
An experienced label printer will use their knowledge of how various adhesives interact with the environment, label materials, and application surfaces to help you choose an adhesive that won’t let you down when the rain starts pouring … or the sun starts shining.
Environmental exposure requirements: How long might your product label be exposed to the outdoors, in the sunlight, ice, heat, and rain? Will your product be in the elements continuously, or will it move locations depending on the season?
Expected lifespan (months vs years): You don't need to engineer every label for decade-long performance, but you do need to be honest about what you're asking the label to do. Talk with your supplier about the realistic use cycle: Is this a product with a two-year shelf life, or is it one that will be in the field for a decade? The answer changes everything from material selection to adhesive chemistry.
Surface compatibility: Consider whether the label is applied to a textured or smooth surface type (e.g. metal, plastic, wood), whether it is moist or dry, and how it responds to temperature.
Compliance needs (safety labels, warnings): Outdoor labels — especially safety and warning labels — are subject to OSHA, ANSI, and other federal and state regulatory standards that mandate labels remain legible and securely attached for the life of the equipment. If a warning label fades, peels, or becomes unreadable, it may be considered noncompliant, exposing your organization to liability, recalls, or fines. Your label supplier should be familiar with the relevant industry standards and be able to confirm that your chosen materials, inks, and adhesives will remain compliant over time.
Ultimately, the key point to remember when ordering a label for outdoor use is that you have options.
But to accurately weigh those options and make the right selections, your label supplier first needs a solid understanding of the environment in which your label must survive.
This is where your choice of label supplier can make a difference. An experienced and professional supplier will ask the right questions to clarify exactly what you need, so they can point you in the right direction for success.