The updated BS 5609 standard explained: What changed and what to do next

When a chemical container goes overboard at sea, its label becomes the only way to identify what’s inside. Required under International Maritime Dangerous Goods (IMDG) regulations, BS 5609 ensures that GHS warning labels on hazardous chemical containers remain attached and legible after three months of marine immersion. For label materials used on chemical drums and other chemical containers shipped by sea, compliance is the baseline — and for the first time since 1986, the standard has been updated.

Breaking down what BS 5609 demands from a label material

BS 5609 covers the complete labeling system across two distinct sections:

Section 2 evaluates the base labelstock — adhesive performance, temperature cycling, marine exposure and dimensional stability on blank, unprinted material.
Section 3 evaluates the printed label system as a whole, testing the specific combination of printer, ink or ribbon and facestock for abrasion resistance, print key adhesion and weathering durability.

In an industry where only a handful of test laboratories globally offer BS 5609 testing, compliance across both sections signals a level of durability and quality the market recognizes. A label that survives three months of saltwater immersion and still reads clearly is a label built for the worst conditions global shipping can throw at it.

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Four things that have changed in BS 5609

The revision introduces four significant changes:

HDPE is now a mandatory test substrate alongside aluminum. This reflects the industry’s shift toward plastic chemical drums and intermediate bulk containers. Until now, adhesion testing was required only on aluminum. HDPE presents a low-surface-energy challenge that not all materials can meet — something Avery Dennison has already observed in early testing.
Sections 2 and 3 can now be evaluated and certified independently. Base labelstock can achieve Section 2 compliance on its own and Section 3 print system testing no longer strictly requires pre-approved Section 2 base stock.
Section 3 introduces standardized abrasion and adhesion testing rules, including explicit setups for print-key cross-hatch tape tests and precise sand-to-saline slurry mixture ratios, ensuring uniform testing globally.
Legacy certification provisions protect existing compliant products. Labels already certified under Section 3 of BS 5609:1986 do not require retesting. Base stocks certified under Section 2 of BS 5609:1986 only require incremental delta testing on HDPE surfaces to achieve 2024 compliance.

How to navigate BS 5609:2024 qualification with confidence

BS 5609:2024 came into effect on 31 December 2024, with a transition window running until 31 December 2030, at which point BS 5609:1986 will be officially withdrawn. The qualification process itself is lengthy — the base material requires a three-month saltwater immersion test before anything else can progress, and the printed label system evaluation adds further time on top. Customers who want to specify a material today and use it reliably over the long term should already be qualifying against the new version, and we can help with that from the very first step.

Avery Dennison has been performing BS 5609 testing for more than 20 years, operating its own dedicated test station in the ocean in the UK and laboratory capability in the US. With testing spaces at accredited laboratories extremely limited globally, that in-house capability means we can move efficiently and also test custom products designed for specific applications. We are currently testing our highest priority 20 products on HDPE for saltwater immersion, with work well underway across our portfolio of PE, PP, PVC and PET materials, as well as special materials for water-based inkjet, laser copy and overlamination films.

And we work in close cooperation with printer OEMs and ink and ribbon suppliers to support compliant printing, and can advise converters and end users on which printing technologies, inks and ribbons have already been tested. We can also test printed labels on converter demand to ensure compliance with BS 5609 Section 3. For customers operating globally, our expertise and materials are aligned with colleagues in the US, Asia and South Africa — so the same support is available wherever it’s needed.

Get in touch

For more information or to discuss your BS 5609:2024 requirements, contact our team at label.support@eu.averydennison.com.

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The updated BS 5609 standard explained: What changed and what to do next