Top 5 Considerations When Choosing Freezer Labels

Labels provide clear and easy identification for a wide variety of items. Industrial facilities are among the many establishments that rely on labels for safe and efficient execution of their work processes. Since a number of these facilities feature extreme temperature working environments, the labels used need to withstand these conditions without failing.

Freezer labels are used mostly for the food packaging and storage industry and in laboratory settings. They stay adhered when frozen, unlike standard labels which would fall off because general purpose adhesive deadens in cold temperatures.

Freezer labels

Choosing a freezer label without accurate information can be hurtful to your business. Prior knowledge of the freezer label’s elements and how they perform in different conditions is a must if you want to get quality for your money’s worth.

There is an almost limitless choice when it comes to custom freezer label manufacturing. You can decide on the label’s face stock, colour, way of printing, type of adhesive and dimensions. However, there are some rules to follow, in order to choose the right combination of factors for the freezer label you need.

What type of freezer adhesive do I need?

The first thing to consider is the adhesive. It is important to know if you need to have a permanent adhesive or a removable adhesive for your freezer label. Also does your label need a more aggressive or high tack adhesive? Then the surface in which you place your freezer label will help determine your adhesive – is it a smooth surface or a corrugated surface? Then you need to determine the application temperature (will it be high or low) and then the storage temperature.

Freezer labels

What type of freezer level substrate should I use?

Label substrate of face stock is the base material upon which the information is printed. Depending on the shape and material of the product that needs labelling you will need different types of material.

Freezer labels typically fall under two categories of use: ‘dry conditions’ and ‘wet conditions’. For dry, we use paper material specifically meant for cold/dry exposure.

For wet, we would use a synthetic material (polyester/vinyl) meant for cold/wet exposure such as frost or condensation.

What are the different types of materials I can choose from?

Paper is the most common type of freezer label stock and it can have a gloss, semi-gloss or matte finish. It is low costing and can easily die-cut to your preferred shape, but it has no moisture, chemical, tear or UV resistance.

Polyester (PET) is a synthetic material with high resistance to moisture and decay.

Vinyl (PVC) is a very durable material that is resistant to chemical solvents, moisture, tearing and UV exposure.

Will the labels be applied before or after freezing the product?

To avoid the freezer label falling off the product in the freezing process, it is very important to know in advance what stage application will take place. You should know the lowest temperature that the label will be exposed to in the freezer, and the temperature of the room that the labelling occurs.

If you are applying the label at room temperature and waiting before placing the product in the freezer, an all temperature adhesive label will be fine, If the application is to take place on already frozen products, inside the freezer, or on products which will immediately be put inside the freezer, you will need a true freezer grade adhesive that withstands temperatures from – 65 degrees to 200 degrees.

Do I need a particular ink ribbon?

The material ribbon you will use depends on the material of label. Once your freezer level substrate has been chosen we can determine the correct ribbon material for you. There are three ribbon materials:

• Wax
• Wax Resin
• Resin

As one of Ireland’s largest manufacturers of labels we have a vast amount of experience with manufacturing freezer labels. If you have any questions, or need any advice please feel free to contact us.

ADC Barcode is involved in the supply of barcode scanners, barcode label printers, barcode verifiers and label applicators. We also provide custom software, EPOS systems & hardware, RFID and wireless networking technology amongst other professional services. Get in touch now and obtain more information.