How to choose the right barcode label for your application

Selecting the right label isn’t just a detail — it’s a critical decision that affects how well your barcodes scan, how durable your identification will be, and how smoothly your workflows perform. The right label material, adhesive, and format can help avoid costly reprints, misreads, and failures in challenging environments.

Whether you’re tracking assets in a warehouse, managing inventory on the move, printing shipping labels, or applying UL/CSA-rated identification in industrial settings, the choices you make up front determine how reliably your system will perform. Labels must stick — literally and operationally — to surfaces that might be rough, hot, cold, wet, oily, or exposed to abrasion and UV light.

This guide helps you navigate label types, materials, and application considerations so you can confidently match the right solution to your unique use case. From barcode readability to environmental durability, we’ll walk through the key criteria that matter most when evaluating label options.

Start by answering some of the following questions:

• Do you require a label or tag?
• Must the label or tag meet UL/CSA or government specifications?
• What is the surface to which the label will be applied?
• What is the condition of the surface (smooth, grooved, dirty, clean, etc.)?
• What environmental stresses must the label/tag withstand (moisture, chemicals, abrasion, outdoors, UV light, etc.)?
• What is the minimum temperature at the time you apply the label?
• What is the temperature range the label must withstand throughout its life?
• How will the label be read?