What 'Keep Away From Heat' Means For Packaging

Keep Away From Heat A marking requiring the package to be kept away from heat sources or excessive temperatures.

The Keep Away From Heat instruction is a simple but critical label often applied to packages that contain temperature-sensitive products. It signals to handlers, carriers, and storage personnel that the package must not be exposed to direct heat sources (sunlight, heaters, engine compartments) or environments where ambient temperatures exceed safe thresholds for the contents. Examples include candles, certain adhesives, batteries, cosmetics, food with melting points, and many chemical reagents.

Why The Marking Matters

Temperature exposure can damage goods, create safety hazards, or void warranties. Heat can melt, soften, accelerate chemical reactions, or increase vapor pressure inside sealed containers. For hazardous or pressurized goods, elevated temperatures may raise the risk of leakage, rupture, or combustion. For consumer products, heat exposure can deform packaging, spoil contents, or degrade performance — all outcomes that increase returns, claims, and replacement costs for merchants and 3PLs.

Common Use Cases

• Food And Confectionery: Chocolate, butter-based items, and confections that will melt at moderate temperatures.
• Temperature-Sensitive Chemicals: Solvents and adhesives with low flash points or that react faster at higher temperatures.
• Consumer Electronics Batteries: Batteries and devices whose performance and safety decline when stored or shipped hot.
• Personal Care Products: Cosmetics and creams that separate, melt, or spoil when overheated.

How To Apply And Interpret The Marking

Not all carriers or regulations mandate a specific artwork for this instruction, but best practice is to use a clear, visible pictogram or text label on at least two adjacent faces of the package. Include supplemental handling notes when needed (for example, a safe storage temperature range). When combined with other temperature controls (cold-chain labels, insulated packaging), the marking clarifies non-refrigerated but heat-sensitive handling needs.

How Heat Actually Damages Goods

Heat affects products through several mechanisms. Physical melting or softening alters shape and structural integrity. Chemical reactions accelerate with temperature, increasing degradation or off-gassing. Pressure rises in sealed containers, raising burst risk. Even intermittent exposure during transit — sitting on an unrefrigerated trailer parked in sunlight — can push a product past its safe limit. Understanding the failure mode helps determine whether the package needs insulation, phase-change materials, or only a clear label.

Practical Example

A merchant shipping hand-poured candles marks boxes with Keep Away From Heat and stacks them away from loading-dock doors and heaters. The fulfillment team adds a visible label on two faces and includes a one-line note in the packing slip: “Store below 25°C / 77°F.” During a summer afternoon transfer, a dock worker sees the label and moves the cartons off a sunlit pallet — preventing softening and deformation that would have generated returns.

Tips For Fulfillment Centers

• Label Placement: Apply on at least two adjacent sides and near handling corners where it’s visible during palletization and scanning.
• Combine Controls: Use insulation, thermal liners, or phase-change packs where occasional heat spikes are expected.
• WMS Flags: Create a WMS handling attribute for SKUs that require heat-avoidance to force staging away from heat sources and alert pickers.
• Training: Train dock and staging staff to recognize the label and to avoid sun-exposed or heater-adjacent storage.

In short, the Keep Away From Heat marking is a preventive, low-cost instruction that protects product quality, reduces safety risks, and reduces returns. When combined with clear temperature ranges, packaging controls, and operational rules in the warehouse, it provides effective protection for heat-sensitive shipments.