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NFPA label maker
An NFPA label is the NFPA 704 diamond: health on the left in blue, flammability on top in red, instability on the right in yellow and special hazards at the bottom in white, with each colored part rated from 0, minimal, to 4, severe (NFPA). Enter the ratings from your safety data sheet below and download a printable label as a PDF or SVG, from 1 to 15 in wide. It is free, and nothing is uploaded.
Updated October 12, 2026
Hauling chemicals rather than storing them? Trucks use DOT placards, a different system: see the DOT hazard classes and placard lookup.
Morsa is not affiliated with or endorsed by NFPA. NFPA 704 is named here only to describe the layout the tool draws; the ratings are yours.
What the four parts mean
What each number means
| Number | Health (blue) | Flammability (red) | Instability (yellow) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | Can be lethal | Vaporizes at normal pressure and temperature, or disperses in air, and burns readily | Readily capable of detonation or explosive decomposition at normal temperatures and pressures |
| 3 | Can cause serious or permanent injury | Can be ignited under almost all ambient temperatures | Can detonate or explode, but needs a strong initiating source or heating under confinement |
| 2 | Can cause temporary incapacitation or residual injury | Must be moderately heated, or in high ambient temperatures, before it can ignite | Readily undergoes violent chemical change at elevated temperatures and pressures |
| 1 | Can cause significant irritation | Must be preheated before it can ignite | Normally stable, but can become unstable at elevated temperatures and pressures |
| 0 | No hazard beyond that of ordinary combustible materials | Will not burn under typical fire conditions | Normally stable, even under fire conditions |
Under emergency conditions. Summarized from NOAA’s CAMEO Chemicals guide to the NFPA diamond. The rating criteria themselves are in NFPA 704, which NFPA lets you read free online with a free account.
| Position | Color | What it rates | How it reads |
|---|---|---|---|
| Left (9 o’clock) | Blue | Health | 0 to 4, minimal to severe |
| Top (12 o’clock) | Red | Flammability | 0 to 4, minimal to severe |
| Right (3 o’clock) | Yellow | Instability | 0 to 4, minimal to severe |
| Bottom (6 o’clock) | White | Special hazards | W with a bar, OX or SA |
From NFPA’s FAQ on NFPA 704. The ratings cover short-term (acute) exposure under fire, spill or similar emergency conditions, not long-term health effects.
NFPA’s FAQ says the exact shades of red, blue and yellow are not regulated as long as they contrast, and that the diamond can use colored backgrounds with contrasting numbers or colored numbers on white. The tool offers both: Colored and White.
The special hazard symbols
W with a bar through it: the material reacts unusually with water, a caution about using water to fight a fire or clean up a spill.
OX: the material is an oxidizer.
SA: the material is a simple asphyxiant gas, such as nitrogen, helium, neon, argon, krypton or xenon.
NFPA says these are the only authorized symbols. Marks such as COR or ACID are not used, because corrosive hazards are already counted in the health rating.
Where the numbers come from
Look for the ratings on the SDS. NFPA ratings are not required on a safety data sheet, but some SDSs print the diamond with the numbers filled in, and some list the numbers in the text. The section varies by supplier.
Do not use the Section 2 hazard categories. The GHS category numbers in Section 2 of an OSHA HazCom SDS run the other way, with 1 the most severe, and NFPA and OSHA both say not to copy them into the diamond.
If the SDS has no NFPA ratings, a technically qualified person rates the material by comparing SDS data with the criteria in the current NFPA 704. NFPA’s FAQ points to SDS Sections 2, 4, 8, 9 and 11 for health, 2, 3 and 9 for flammability, 5, 7 and 10 for instability, and 5, 9, 10 and 11 for special hazards. NFPA and OSHA’s quick card points to nfpa.org/704 to view the standard online.
For a room with many chemicals, NFPA 704 gives methods for rating the area as a whole; check the standard and your fire department.
This tool draws the numbers you enter. It does not rate materials, and it does not reproduce NFPA 704’s rating criteria.
When you need a diamond, and where it goes
NFPA 704 itself does not say when a diamond is required. Another code or the authority having jurisdiction, usually the fire department, decides that. NFPA’s FAQ names the Fire Code (NFPA 1), the Flammable and Combustible Liquids Code (NFPA 30), the laboratory standard (NFPA 45), the Compressed Gases and Cryogenic Fluids Code (NFPA 55) and the Hazardous Materials Code (NFPA 400) as codes that call for it. As a minimum, NFPA’s FAQ suggests posting it on two exterior walls of the building, at each access to a room or area, and at each principal access to an outside storage area.
Label sizes
The tool makes diamonds 1, 2, 4, 6, 10 and 15 in wide. Sign makers sell a similar range: ComplianceSigns lists diamonds from 1 x 1 in to 30 x 30 in, Seton sells 2 and 4 in roll labels, and Labelmaster sells 3/4 in, 4 in and 10 1/2 in labels and 6, 10 3/4 and 15 in signs. The size you need depends on how far away the numbers must be read; Chapter 9 of NFPA 704 covers that, so check it before you pick a small label for a wall or tank.
Print the PDF at 100% or Actual size so the diamond comes out at the width you chose.
For an office printer, the sheet PDF repeats the same diamond on one Letter or A4 page: up to 48 at 1 in, 12 at 2 in, 6 at 3 in or 2 at 4 in (fewer with a name under each). Cut them out or print on full-sheet label stock.
Use label stock suited to where it goes: outdoors, on a tank, or in a cold room.
The optional name under the diamond helps people match the label to the container or room.
Printing NFPA labels on label sheets
Most people print on an office printer. The sheet PDF repeats your diamond on one Letter or A4 page: up to 48 at 1 in, 12 at 2 in, 6 at 3 in or 2 at 4 in, with half-inch margins and a quarter inch between labels (fewer with a name under each). Print it at 100% on full-sheet label stock and cut the labels apart, or on plain paper to check the size first. For a single large sign, download one label at 6, 10 or 15 in instead.
NFPA 704 diamonds, DOT placards and HazCom labels
| Label | What it is for | Where you see it |
|---|---|---|
| NFPA 704 diamond | Hazards during an emergency response | Outside buildings, on doors and tanks, where responders will look |
| DOT placard | Hazards in transportation, for transport workers and responders | Trucks, rail cars, cargo and portable tanks, freight containers |
| OSHA HazCom label | Hazards for workers under normal use | Drums, containers and pipes in the workplace |
Adapted from Table 1 of NFPA’s FAQ on NFPA 704.
A chemical can carry all three at different points: the HazCom label on the drum, a DOT placard on the truck that delivers it, and an NFPA diamond on the storeroom door. For the truck, use the DOT hazard classes and placard lookup.
Common questions
What is an NFPA label?
It is the NFPA 704 hazard diamond that tells emergency responders how a material behaves in a fire or spill: health, flammability and instability rated 0 to 4, plus special hazard symbols. It is posted outside buildings, on doors and on tanks, where responders will look.
Are NFPA labels still required?
NFPA 704 itself does not say when a diamond is required. Other codes and the authority having jurisdiction, usually the fire department, decide that, and NFPA’s FAQ names NFPA 1, 30, 45, 55 and 400 as codes that call for it.
Is this an official NFPA label?
No. Morsa is not affiliated with or endorsed by NFPA. The tool draws a diamond in the layout NFPA 704 describes, with the numbers you enter; you are responsible for the ratings and for meeting your local code.
Can I make a blank diamond?
Yes. Click “Start from a blank diamond”, or set every rating to Blank, and download: you get an empty diamond to fill in by hand, one label or a full sheet.
Does it keep my labels?
No. Everything runs in your browser and nothing is uploaded. Download the PDF or SVG to keep it.
Limits
A drawing tool, not a hazard assessment. It does not check that ratings are right for a material, does not cover NFPA 704’s rules for mixtures and multiple materials, and is not training. When in doubt, ask the chemical’s supplier and your fire department.
WHERE MORSA FITS
SDS missing for an incoming chemical?
When a chemical is ordered or arrives without a safety data sheet, Morsa asks the supplier for it and follows up until it is on file, so the people who label and store it have what they need. It works in email, Teams, WhatsApp or whatever you already run on.
