There was a time when glass bottle markings were used to identify the age of glass bottles. Old glass bottle markings usually had some portions or digits missing, which indicated their age. However, the trend has changed today. Glass bottle markings are no longer limited to identifying the age of glass bottles. They explain much more than that, such as the mold, the manufacturer, the material, etc.

This blog explains several symbols and glass bottle markings. If you are related to the glass bottle manufacturing industry or an enthusiast who wants to learn about glass bottle symbols and markings, this blog is an interesting read.

Most Common Bottle Symbols

E-Mark

The e-mark is a symbol found mostly in glass bottles manufactured in European countries. In the glass bottle markings, the E mark is a unique symbol representing the bottle’s manufacturing according to European directives. However, the E mark is not exclusive to glass bottles. It can be present on other products as well.

An e-mark is represented by a symbol. The symbol is in the form of an” e.” The basic meaning of the E mark symbol is “nothing outside the European Union.

PAO Mark

The full form of PAO is the point after opening. The PAO mark is an alternative to “best before and date of expiration.” It simply tells the consumer that once you open the seal, the product is best to use within a particular time frame. The symbol with an open lid and marks such as 24M or 12M are all PAO marks. These marks are most commonly found in cosmetic products such as moisturizers, creams, etc.

Flammable

The flammable symbol is extremely important in glass bottle markings, especially for perfumes. It warns users to avoid unpleasant circumstances. Alcoholic beverages and liquid fuels are all highly flammable. You might have noticed a flame symbol on several packages. This symbol represents the potential for flammability for the particular product.

Refer to Icon

Referring to the icon is an amazing symbol. This mere symbol is a great advantage for manufacturers who produce small-sized products. This one symbol says it all.

In the case of glass bottles, if you have a small glass bottle and want to say something about the product or the substance inside, but you are short of space, then you just place or emboss a refer to icon symbol. The information which the symbol is referring to is displayed on the package. The referring icon symbol directs the consumer to read the packaging to know more about the product.

Fragile

In the glass bottle markings niche, “fragile” is the most important symbol. As we all know, glass is a delicate material. From packaging to storage and transportation, it needs special arrangements to avoid any damage. Therefore, a fragile symbol is usually pasted on the cardboard boxes storing and carrying glass products such as glass bottles. This symbol gives an alarming indication to the people handling the boxes to handle the boxes with care.

Keep Away from Sunlight

Many products are affected when they come in contact with sunlight. To inform the staff that UV-sensitive products are inside, the keep away from sunlight symbol is pasted on storage boxes. This is true for perfumes and essential oils. Such products are stored in amber-colored or cobalt-blue glass bottles to avoid contact with sunlight.

What are Embossed Markings?

Embossed marking is a technique that creates a raised design onto a substrate. This substrate can be metal, plastic, or a glass bottle. It is a tried-and-true marking process. The raised design results from using a male and female die set, which is unique and exclusive to each design.

You must be thinking where can I find embossed markings on a glass bottle?

It depends upon the shape of the bottle. Sometimes, it is present on the edges, but most of the time, it is present at the bottom of the glass bottles. Perfume bottle manufacturers can create embossed markings as per their customers’ demands.

Meanings of Different Bottle Markings

Mold Code

If you are talking about the most important glass bottle markings, mold code is the first marking that should come to mind. The representation of mold code is in the following forms:

• Alphanumeric

• Dot Code

• Digital Code

Mold code is a unique way to identify a glass bottle or container. You can manually sort out glass bottles that have alphanumeric mold codes. However, when the glass bottles have dot codes and digital codes, you need to do automatic sorting.

The mold code has a special purpose behind its name. It refers to the mold that was used to create the glass bottles. Mold code has an important advantage as well. It is an important inspection process in the pre-packaging stage of glass bottles. It helps in the identification of defective glass bottles.

Manufacturer’s Mark

The manufacturer’s mark in glass bottle markings shows where the glass bottle was manufactured. It is represented by a unique symbol that is exclusive to the manufacturer and can be different for each manufacturer.

Manufacturer’s marl is also known as maker’s mark. It can be a whole name , an icon or just a symbol. Trademark and manufacturer’s marks are also one and the same thing.

It shows that a particular manufacturer is responsible for producing glass bottles. It answers the “what, where, and who” questions about glass bottles.

The manufacturer’s mark is not exclusive to glass bottles. It can also be found on other items, such as furniture and jewelry.

Standard Marking

In case of standardization of glass containers standard marking represents the capacity pf a glass bottle or container. It is represented by two symbols. These are “M” and “ε”. For products with a capacity of less than forty ml, the symbol “M” is used. Symbol “ε” represents the products with a capacity greater than 40.

This mark or symbol of standard marking shows certain standards or criteria the product meets. This criterion can be based on several factors, such as:

• Packaging

• Performance

• Manufacturing method

• The material used for manufacturing the product

The basic purpose of standard marking is to inform the customer about the product. Standard markings are not exclusive to glass bottles. They are also found in other products such as food items, jewelry, etc. They include marks that specify whether a food commodity is vegetarian or non-vegetarian. They also specify whether the product complies with certain certifications such as ISO, FDP, etc.

Bearing Surface

In simple words, a bearing surface is just a point where two objects meet. Although it is present mostly in bearings and bolted joints, the meaning of a bearing surface in glass bottles is different. Just lift your glass bottle and see the bottom. You see either a ribbed pattern or dots. These are known as bearing surfaces in glass bottles.

What is the purpose of bearing surface?

Its purpose is to mask the scratches that the glass bottle gets while being handled during the production process. The ring resulting from the bearing surface on the outside of the glass bottle is actually where the glass bottle rests.

In a glass bottle, markings on the surface are intended to hide scratches and make the bottle stable.

Volume and Fill Level

Each glass bottle indicates its capacity by both volume and fill level. You can find either just volume or both.

Both these values are different from the perspective of glass bottle markings. The fill volume is the volume between the upper and lower surfaces of the glass bottle, which is the case when the upper surface is below the lower surface. Volumetric fills help manufacturers identify the maximum value at which they can fill a glass bottle. Fill level helps them fill all bottles up to the same level. Whichever criteria they choose, the quality of glass bottles remains unaffected.

Additional Markings

Additional markings are quite different from other glass bottle markings. This is because they largely depend upon the individual manufacturer, who decides which additional markings to emboss on their glass bottles.

Additional markings include batch numbers, company logos, etc.

Mold Number Under the Glass Bottle

We have previously described the concept of mold number under the glass bottle. But what do the markings on the bottom of the glass bottle mean?

Generally, whole numbers from 1 to 9 are embossed on the bottom of the glass bottles. These numbers represent the mold from which the bottle was shaped and produced. For example, the number 04 embossed under the glass bottle represents mold number 04 that was used to create this bottle. So during quality inspection, if a bottle with mold number 04 shows any damage, it would be easy to sort out all bottles created using the corresponding mold. This is helpful because glass bottles are usually manufactured in bulk.

Instead of using manual injection molding techniques, some glass bottle manufacturers have automated all their processes. From manufacturing to quality inspection, everything is done through machines. In such cases, the mold number is in the form of gaps and dots at the bottom of the glass bottle. Automated quality inspection machines track these dots and gaps to identify quality issues. In comparison to manual quality inspection and mold tracing, this is a more accurate quality inspection method.

Conclusion

Now that you know all the important glass bottle markings and symbols and their meanings, you can make better purchase decisions. You know how long a product is going to last, and you know where to look for particular information. This blog has clearly explained the importance of mold numbers.

Glass bottles are delicate in appearance, but they have a whole amalgam of art and science behind and inside them. From their manufacturing to storage and distribution, everything has to be delicately and carefully handled. This is possible only with ample knowledge of glass bottle markings and symbols.