Forest Stewardship Council - FSC International Standard - Graphic Norms Summary - FSC labels - Part II: Graphic Rules

Oct 3, 2026

Forest Stewardship Council FSC International Standard provides a graphic norms summary for using FSC labels on products and materials. It defines three FSC label categories (100%, Mix, and Recycled), specifies required standard and mini label elements, and sets rules for color, font (Arial Unicode MS), format, minimum sizes, borders, clear space, and placement. It also covers product-type wording, recycled percentage editing, multi-language label text, and business card usage, including approvals when exceptions occur.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages7

Reading Time18 min

AccessFree to download

1 FSC labels

FSC label categories

Standard label

2 FSC labels

Color and font

Format and size

Label text

Percentage of recycled fiber

Placement of the label

Several languages in one label

Mini label

Use of the FSC label on business cards

Forest Stewardship Council FSC International Standard Graphic Norms Summary Forest Stewardship Council 1 FSC LABELS There are three categories of the FSC label, which describe the content of FSC material. The correct label should be chosen depending on the claim with which the product or material has been supplied. Each category has two design options, which can be selected according to the available space for labeling. FSC label categories 1.1 The FSC labels are: a) 100% label for products containing 100% material from FSC certiﬁed forests. The label text is“[Product type] from well-managed forests”. b) Mix label for products containing a combination of material from FSC certiﬁed forests, FSC controlled wood and eligible recycled ﬁber. The label text is “[Product type] from responsible sources”. c) Recycled label for products containing only recycled ﬁber. The label text is “[Product type] made from recycled material”. Standard label 1.2 The required elements for the standard label are: TEXT (Product type) text text text text text C000000 FSC logo FSC website address Label title Label text (with product type, if required) FSC trademark license code 1.2.1 The use of the Moebius loop is optional for Mix and Recycled labels.. 2/6 Forest Stewardship Council PART II: GRAPHIC RULES 2 FSC LABELS Color and font 2.1 Positive green is the standard preferred color. Negative green and black and white (positive or negative) may be used as an alternative. The standard green color of the label should not be altered. 2.1.1 Green color for reproduction shall be: Pantone 626C CMYK 100% cyan / 60% magenta 100% yellow / 20% black RGB 50 red / 80 green / 60 blue 2.1.2 If the print process uses a limited number of colors, the FSC label can appear transparent on a solid color non patterned background, provided that the contrast allows legibility. In this case, the content of the label and the border shall appear only in black or white. The use of a transparent background shall be approved by the certiﬁcation body prior to production. If in exceptional circumstances none of the above color options are possible, an individual solution should be proposed to the FSC Trademark Unit via the certiﬁcation body. 2.2 A border around the label shall always be used, unless the surrounding color is different to the label background. Where the label is deﬁned by color only, the background must always have rounded corners as for the label with a line border. 3/6 Forest Stewardship Council 2.3 The font used for labels is Arial Unicode MS. Format and size 2.4 FSC labels may be used in portrait or landscape versions. 2.5 Minimum size for the portrait label is 17mm in width. 2.6 Minimum size for the landscape label is 12mm in height. 2.7 Where adding the product type or translation requires more space, the portrait label grows in height and the landscape label in width only. Minimum Sizes 17 mm 12 mm 100% From well‑ managed forests C000000 4/6 Forest Stewardship Council Label text 2.9 The label text can be edited to select the appropriate product type. 2.10 A list of words for product type is provided in label generator, such as “wood”,“paper” and “packaging”. These are intended as broad categories. Speciﬁc product names shall not be used. The list is not exhaustive and others are possible, such as new non-timber forest products. The organization shall contact the certiﬁcation body with a request for a new word to be added. Percentage of recycled ﬁber 2.11 The percentage of recycled content shown below the Moebius Loop may be edited as follows a) For the FSC Mix label, the percentage ﬁgure can be added for a Moebius loop. b) For the FSC Recycled label, the ﬁgure is always 100% . Placement of the label 2.12 There shall be enough clear space surrounding the label to ensure that the label remains uncluttered. The minimum space is calculated by using

FAQs

What are the minimum size requirements and when can a mini label be used?

Portrait minimum width is 17 mm, and landscape minimum height is 12 mm. When there is insufficient clear unprinted space for the standard label, the mini label may be used with its own minimum size guidance and at the discretion of the certification body for approval.

Oct 3, 2026

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