Autoclave labels are designed for items undergoing sterilisation (for those who don’t know, an autoclave uses high pressure steam to sterilise medical and laboratory equipment). Due to the harsh conditions these labels face, autoclave labels can withstand high pressure and maintain both adhesive strength and legibility. They are also resistant to chemicals and disinfectants.

The most common use case for this kind of label is marking medical and laboratory instruments, containers, etc. They do this by including indicators that change colour or display a pattern when exposed to the correct sterilisation conditions.

Autoclave labels are made from heat-resistant materials like polyester, polypropylene, and polyimide, these can all endure high pressure and temperatures that are part of an autoclaving process. They will also remain intact in the presence of steam and chemicals. Adhesive options are high performance (usually acrylic or silicone-based) and maintain strong bonding in challenging conditions, for easy identification and tracking of sterilised medical/laboratory equipment.

Labelservice supplies Autoclave labels in standard shapes like rectangles, squares, and circles, as well as custom shapes tailored to specific needs.

Multi-part piggyback autoclave labels have a dual layer design with a removable top layer that can be attached to another surface. Standard autoclave labels are single layered and can’t be reapplied. The multi part designs let users transfer information from one item to another while still retaining their label integrity and legibility after autoclaving. The most common use case for multi-part labels is more efficient tracking and identifications of sterilised lab instruments or materials.

Many of our customers do use thermal printing on the autoclave labels we supply. Thermal printers work well for printing on autoclave labels as they product durable, high quality images and text that can also withstand the conditions in an autoclave machine. Thermal printed labels ensure that the information remains legible and intact – perfect for use in medical or laboratory settings.