Warning Labels

What Are Warning Labels?

Warning labels (also called shipping labels, caution stickers, fragile stickers, or freight labels) are self-adhesive labels applied to cartons and parcels to alert couriers, warehouse handlers, and recipients to the careful handling needed for the contents. Bold colours (typically orange or yellow with high-contrast black text) and instantly-recognisable messages — Fragile, Handle With Care, This Way Up, Heavy, Glass With Care, Top Load Only — make sure the warning is visible from across a warehouse floor or the back of a truck.

The genuine business benefit: fewer damaged parcels, fewer returns, fewer claims. Couriers handle hundreds of parcels per shift; without a clear visual warning, fragile or orientation-sensitive parcels get treated like any other carton. A bold sticker dramatically reduces the chance of a parcel being thrown, dropped, stacked upside-down, or buried under heavy items.

QIS stocks 6 of the most-used warning labels, all 100mm × 75mm, supplied 666 labels per roll. Stock items, same-day dispatch on orders before 12pm.

Why Choose QIS Warning Labels?

The 100mm × 75mm size is the standard Australian shipping label format — large enough to be visible from a few metres away (essential for forklift-driver visibility in warehouses), small enough to fit on smaller cartons without dominating the surface. The 666-per-roll pack size is the typical commercial bulk supply for a small-to-medium e-commerce or dispatch operation, with strong per-label economy compared to small packs.

The bright orange and yellow colours used across the range are deliberately attention-grabbing — orange for general warnings (Fragile, Handle With Care, This Way Up, Glass With Care, Top Load) and yellow for weight warnings (Heavy). This colour-coding helps couriers and handlers quickly categorise the type of warning at a glance. Backed by QIS's 5% price-beat guarantee.

How to order: Choose your warning type from the table below and order online by the roll. For bulk pricing or custom-printed warning labels (with your company name or specific instructions), fill out our enquiry form or call us on 1800 555 343.

Available Warning Labels

All 6 labels are 100mm × 75mm and supplied 666 per roll. Click any product for full details:

How to Use Warning Labels Effectively

The labels only work if handlers actually see them. Best-practice application:

• Apply at least two labels per carton — one on the top, one on a side. Couriers grab cartons from any orientation, and a single label on one face will be missed half the time.
• Place near the address label — this is where couriers' eyes go first. A warning sticker next to (or above) the shipping label gets seen at every handling point.
• Use the right warning for the actual risk — generic "Fragile" stickers on every carton dilute the warning value. Reserve them for genuinely fragile contents, and use "Handle With Care" for general sensitivity.
• For orientation-critical parcels, use "This Way Up" on TWO opposite sides — the side that ends up facing up depends on which way the carton is set down. Two stickers on opposite vertical sides ensures it's always visible.
• Combine with Fragile Warning Tape for extra-fragile shipments — the wrap-around tape catches eyes from every angle while the labels provide the specific message.

Which Labels Do You Actually Need?

A practical starter kit for most e-commerce and small-business dispatch operations:

• Fragile — the most common warning. Buy this first if you ship anything breakable.
• Handle With Care — second most common. Generic care alert for goods that aren't strictly "fragile" but need attention.
• This Way Up — if you ship liquids, beverages, electronics with batteries, or anything orientation-sensitive.
• Heavy — for industrial, hardware, or heavy-product dispatch where weight is a worker safety concern.

For specialised operations (glass merchants, lab supplies, antiques) the Glass With Care and Top Load Only labels handle specific risks the general labels don't cover.

Who Uses QIS Warning Labels?

Warning labels are essential across:

• E-commerce and online retailers — daily fragile dispatch, customer experience protection, return rate reduction
• Glass and ceramics merchants — primary use case, almost every carton needs Fragile + Glass With Care + This Way Up
• Electronics and computer suppliers — fragile + orientation-sensitive (battery transport regs)
• Furniture and homewares — Handle With Care, This Way Up for assembled goods
• Hardware, plumbing, and trades — Heavy labels for industrial parts, valves, fittings
• Lab and scientific suppliers — Glass With Care, Fragile, sometimes specialised orientation marks
• Wine, beer, and beverage distributors — Fragile + This Way Up + Glass With Care combo
• Removalists — labelling household goods for transit, fragile-content cartons
• Hospitals, medical, and pharma — fragile equipment, sensitive supplies, specimen transport
• Manufacturers and wholesalers — finished-goods dispatch, B2B freight
• Art and antique dealers — high-value fragile items requiring multiple warning labels
• Plant nurseries and garden suppliers — This Way Up for potted plants

Buy Warning Labels Online — Australia-Wide

QIS warning labels ship fast across Australia — Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, and regional areas. Same-day dispatch on orders placed before 12pm Monday–Friday.

For complete fragile-shipment protection, pair these labels with Fragile Warning Tape (wrap-around tape for extra-visible warnings), bubblewrap for cushioning fragile contents, voidfill for filling empty carton space, stock cartons for shipping boxes, packing and sticky tape for sealing parcels, or adhesive envelopes for attaching invoices and packing slips.

For bulk pricing, custom-printed warning labels with your company name, or to discuss specific dispatch protection needs, fill out our enquiry form or call us on 1800 555 343.