Interpretation Response #10-0168

Interpretation Response Details

December 2, 2010

Mr. Jerry Loza
Quality Coordinator
Serenity Packaging Corporation
1601 East Main Street, Suite 2E
St. Charles, Il 60174

Reference No. 10-0168

Dear Mr. Loza:

This is in response to your e-mail asking for clarification of the Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR; 49 CFR Parts 171-180) applicable to the requirements for labels. You submitted an example of a corrosive label that appears to be printed directly on the surface of a package. You ask whether the depicted label meets the HMR labeling requirements regarding the white and black colors.
The answer is no. Section 172.442(b) specifies that in addition to complying with the label specification requirements found in § 172.407, the background of the corrosive label must be white in the top half and black in the lower half. The colors in the pictorial you submitted do not meet these requirements. "White," as defined by the American College Dictionary, is an achromatic color of maximum lightness; as new snow. The variations in the black coloring in the lower half of your example also are not authorized. "Black," as defined by the American College Dictionary, is an achromatic color value of minimum lightness or maximum darkness; darkest hue.
I hope this information is helpful. Please contact this office should you have additional questions.

Sincerely,

T. Glenn Foster
Chief, Regulatory Review and Reinvention
Standards and Rulemaking Division

172.442(b)

§§ 172.407, 172.446

Regulation Sections