ISO 7409 Fertilizers — Marking — Presentation and declarations

ISO 7409:2018 specifies the procedure for marking containers and labels for fertilizers, and applies to all fertilizers whether packaged or in bulk. Edition 2 was published on 9 March 2018 and replaces ISO 7409:1984.

The standard fixes the physical layout of the declaration: marking area and its position on the container, minimum character sizes arranged in a hierarchy so that the most important declarations are the most legible, and different provisions for containers above 25 kg, between 5 and 25 kg, and below 5 kg. For very small packages a recommended minimum marking space of 120 mm × 70 mm applies where feasible.

Required declarations include the word 'FERTILIZER', the product type and grade such as NPK 12–15–18, nutrient contents and their forms and solubilities, fineness where relevant, net mass or volume, the name and address of the organisation responsible for marking, directions for use with dose rates and application method, and safety warnings drawing on Globally Harmonized System phrases.

Marking may be printed, applied as a label or sticker, or delivered electronically through 2D codes. Electronic labelling is permitted but must be conspicuous and must carry at least the same information as the package marking. Bulk fertilizers may be labelled by adhesive or tie-on labels, with the container requirements applying.

The standard is deliberately the least product-specific in the fertilizer family: it says nothing about what a fertilizer must contain and everything about how that content must be communicated. That makes it the piece most often referenced by national regulators when they write mandatory labelling rules — GB 18382 in China, the EU Fertilising Products Regulation and Canadian labelling requirements all operate in the space ISO 7409 defines.