ISO 21898 covers non-dangerous goods, so the standard carries no force of law on its own. It becomes binding the moment a buyer writes it into a purchase specification, which is how most distributors in the UK, Europe and North America now handle it. An outdated label format therefore surfaces as a rejection at goods-in, a finding in a customer quality audit, or a failure against an end-user specification, rather than as a problem at the border.
If you are sourcing FIBCs, these are the changes worth checking on your next artwork proof.
1. Can factories still use tick-box and calendar labels?
No. Many factories have historically run generic label stock pre-printed with a range of safe working loads, a range of safety factors, or a grid of production months, leaving a worker to tick the box that applies to a given batch.
The 2024 edition does not permit this. Calendars and lists of safe working loads or safety factors added to be ticked are prohibited.
What this means for you: every label must be formatted for the specific bag design and show only the exact safe working load in kilograms and the exact safety factor applicable to that bag, which will be 5:1 for single-trip or 6:1 for reusable construction. Ask your factory to confirm that pre-printed generic label stock has been withdrawn from the line, not simply set aside.
2. What class terminology must appear on the label?
Generic descriptions such as "multi-trip" no longer satisfy the marking clause. The label must carry one of the defined class terms: heavy-duty reusable, standard-duty reusable, or single-trip.
This matters more than it first appears. The class term on the label is what a receiving warehouse uses to decide whether a bag may be emptied and refilled. A vague term invites a reuse decision that the bag was never tested for.
3. How does the label link back to the test report?
This is the change with the most practical value to a buyer, because it can be verified from an artwork proof in under a minute. The 2024 edition requires the label to act as a direct route to the third-party test report rather than a general claim of conformity.
A compliant label carries:
The manufacturer's reference, unique to one FIBC type
The unique test number
The test date, given as month and year
The name of the approved testing laboratory
Where an FIBC has been certified against a specific product rather than a standard test material such as plastic granules, the description of that product must also be printed on the label.
Take the test number from a label proof, request the matching report from the factory, and check that the design detailed in the report is the design you have ordered. A label that cannot be traced to a specific report is the clearest signal that the underlying testing has not been redone for the current edition.
4. Which material treatments must be declared?
Earlier label formats often omitted the protective or chemical treatments applied to the fabric. The 2024 edition requires these to be stated, covering stabilisation such as UV absorbers, electrostatic protective treatment, insect-repellent treatment, flame-retardant treatment, and the use of coated or laminated material.
What this means for you: audit your label template for a dedicated field covering material details and special treatments. Warehouse personnel handling a treated bag need to know what they are handling, and a buyer paying for a UV-stabilised bag has a printed record that the treatment was specified.
5. What must the stacking symbol show?
Stacking limits can no longer be inferred from the safe working load or from the physical size of the bag. The label must state the maximum number of FIBCs permitted to be stacked on the bottom bag, shown with a standardised stacking symbol, for example an icon indicating one bag plus four above it.
The symbol is only as good as the test behind it. Confirm that the factory has run the compression test that validates the stated figure, and that the resulting report is the one referenced in the traceability block covered in section 3.
6. What handling pictograms are required?
The standard treats visual instruction as part of the label rather than an optional extra, and requires handling recommendations or pictograms to be included. Warehouse staff across multiple language regions rely on the icons rather than the text, so check that the pictograms on your proof are legible at the printed size and not shrunk to fit a crowded layout.
Safe use guidance that sits outside the label
Two points in ISO 21898 are frequently quoted as label requirements when they are in fact guidance on selection and safe use. Both are worth passing to your operations team, and neither belongs on an artwork proof.
Outdoor stacking. Filled FIBCs stored outdoors should be stacked in a pyramid formation. Your team should follow that shape while still observing the numerical vertical limit shown by the stacking symbol.
Fork arm geometry. Fork arms used to lift FIBCs should have rounded edges with a minimum radius of 5 mm, which protects the fabric at the point of contact. This is a handling and equipment recommendation, not something the label has to depict.
How India Pack checks label compliance before production starts
We review label artwork proofs and supporting test certificates against the current edition of the standard before a production run begins, working with audited manufacturers in our network who hold their own certifications and lab reports.
The checks are simple and they happen at the point where a correction still costs nothing: does the artwork carry the class term, the traceability block and a stacking symbol backed by an actual compression report, and does the design in that report match the design on your purchase order. Catching a mismatch at artwork stage takes a day. Catching it at goods-in takes a container.
We also work with buyers carrying legacy artwork. Most label templates in circulation were drawn against the 2004 edition and need reworking rather than replacing, so we mark up the existing artwork against the current clauses, identify which fields are missing, and take the revised proof back to the factory for approval. Where the underlying test reports predate the 2024 edition, we flag which designs need re-testing and coordinate that with the manufacturer before the artwork is finalised, since a label cannot reference a test number that does not yet exist.
To review your FIBC specifications and label requirements with our team, get in touch.
Frequently asked questions
Is ISO 21898:2024 mandatory?
Not by law. It is the current international standard for FIBCs carrying non-dangerous goods, and it replaces the 2004 edition, but compliance becomes contractually binding only when a buyer specifies it in a purchase order or quality agreement. Most buyers now do.
What happens to bags already produced to the 2004 label format?
The standard does not impose a retrospective requirement on stock already manufactured or in the field. In practice buyers agree a cut-off date with the factory, after which all new production carries the updated format. Agree that date in writing rather than assuming it.
Does this apply to UN-certified bags for dangerous goods?
No. ISO 21898 covers non-dangerous goods. Bags certified for dangerous goods are marked under the UN and ADR rules, which are a separate marking regime with their own requirements.