Toy Warning Labels for Board Game Boxes

Toy warning labels tell parents who made a game, where, and what risks it holds. Every board game box needs a few lines of information. A game for children under 14 also needs warnings, a batch number and the marks for each market. Wrong labels are the most common reason a game fails its safety test. This guide lists every line, then shows a fully labelled example box.

What Every Box Must Show

These three things go on every game box, whatever the players' age:

• Who sells it: the name and address of the publisher, distributor or manufacturer, with an email or phone number.
• Where it was made: the city and the country, for example "Made in Yiwu City, China".
• The age range: for example 8+ or 9–99. Be honest about it. If you print an older age to avoid testing, and a younger child is hurt, you face penalties.

What Games for Children Under 14 Also Need

A game for children under 14 is a toy in most markets, so its box also needs:

• A batch number: a code for each print run, so the batch can be traced. Use the first letters of the game's name and a number, for example DDG1000, then DDG1001 for the next run.
• The date of production: the month and year, for example 08/26.
• A local address for each market: an address in the US, the EU, the UK, Australia or wherever you sell. A virtual address is fine. You need one only where you store and sell your games, not where you just ship single orders.
• A warning and the hazard: what the risk is, such as small parts or sharp edges.
• The "not for children under 3" icon: if the game has small parts.
• The conformity marks: the CE mark for the EU and the UKCA mark for Great Britain, where they apply.

Warning Signs and Their Sizes

The warning sign is a triangle with an exclamation mark, next to the word WARNING. Put a choking hazard label on any game with small parts that a young child could reach. The standard choking hazard warning reads: "WARNING: CHOKING HAZARD – Small parts. Not for children under 3 years." Its minimum size depends on the size of the box front:

• Box front under 190 cm² (30 square inches): the triangle and the word WARNING at least 3.3 mm high.
• Box front 190 to 645 cm² (30 to 100 square inches): at least 4.1 mm.
• Box front 645 to 2,580 cm² (100 to 400 square inches): at least 6.4 mm.

The "not for children under 3" icon must be at least 10 mm wide. Always scale the whole warning block as one piece, and never change its proportions or letter spacing. A yellow triangle is the safe choice; our latest guide allows other colours if the triangle stays easy to recognise. In the US, a game for children under 6 must show the warning on the front of the box. Which parts count as small parts, and why, is explained in our guide to board game components for kids. These small parts warning label rules are the same in our labelling files, ready to use.

The CPSIA Tracking Label (US)

A game for children sold in the US needs a CPSIA tracking label. CPSIA is the US Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act. The label lets anyone trace the game back to its batch, and it lists:

• the manufacturer's name;
• the date of production and the batch number;
• where it was made: the city and the country;
• the seller's or importer's name, address and contact details (a website is enough).

Our guide to the CPSC certificate for board games explains the US tests behind it.

Conformity Marks by Market

• EU: the CE mark, at least 5 mm high.
• Great Britain: the UKCA mark, at least 5 mm high, alongside the CE mark.
• US, Canada, Australia and the rest of the world: no mark is required. You may add "Complies with ASTM F963 standards" for the US, "Complies with AS/NZS ISO 8124 standards" for Australia and New Zealand, or "Complies with ISO 8124 standards" elsewhere.

Keep the height-to-width ratio of the CE and UKCA marks when you resize them. The official mark files are in our labeling assets.

Where the Labels Go

Labels go on the permanent parts of the game. Never put them on a sticker on the shrink wrap or on packaging that is thrown away. A tuck box counts as packaging, so for a card game in a tuck box, print the warning and details on one of the cards as well.

A Fully Labelled Example Box

Here is a fully labelled box for a made-up game, Duck Duck Game, a card game for ages 8 and up with small parts. The front carries the age, the choking hazard warning and the age icon. The side carries everything else.

Please use the actual labels, warning sign and age icon for each country from our labeling assets and the box labeling and safety marks guide. The warning sign, age icon and CE and UKCA marks in this example are drawn for illustration only and are not accurate.

Here is the same example as text, line by line:

• Front: DUCK DUCK GAME. A family card game, 2–4 players, ages 8+.
• Front warning: WARNING: CHOKING HAZARD – Small parts. Not for children under 3 years. With the "not for children under 3" age icon.
• Side, age and hazard: Ages 8+. Contains small parts.
• Side, publisher: Published by Duck Duck Games Ltd. US: 100 Example Avenue, Springfield, IL, USA. EU: Beispielweg 1, 10115 Berlin, Germany. UK: 1 Example Road, London, United Kingdom. AU: 1 Example Street, Sydney NSW, Australia. info@duckduckgames.example
• Side, manufacturer and origin: Manufactured by Hero Time Limited. Made in Yiwu City, China.
• Side, tracking: Batch: DDG1000. Date of production: 08/26.
• Side, marks: CE and UKCA marks. Complies with ASTM F963 standards. Complies with AS/NZS ISO 8124 standards.

Line by line, the side panel holds the age and hazard, the publisher with an address for each market, the manufacturer, the city and country of origin, the batch number and production date, and the marks. A barcode (UPC or EAN-13) is optional, but it helps shops and warehouses. A game for players 14 and over can also add: "This product is not a toy. Not recommended for persons 14 years of age or younger."

Age Grading and Amazon

Age grading means choosing the age printed on your box, and it decides which tests you need. On Amazon, a listing for an age under 12 or 14 must show a safety certificate. Choose the age that matches who will really play the game. Our guide to how board game safety testing works explains the tests that follow.