GHS Pictograms Chart: All 9 Hazard Symbols on One Printable Page
Short answer: there are nine GHS pictograms, and OSHA’s Hazard Communication Standard requires eight of them. The ninth, environment (aquatic toxicity), is not required by OSHA because environmental hazards are outside its jurisdiction. The chart below lists the hazards each pictogram covers, in OSHA’s own words from its pictogram QuickCard. Print it as one page or download the free PDF to post beside your SDS binder; tap any symbol’s name for its full guide.
GHS Hazard Pictograms — OSHA Hazard Communication (29 CFR 1910.1200)
Hazards each pictogram covers, as listed on OSHA QuickCard 3491-08R (2024). Dashed box = not required by OSHA.
Health Hazard
- Carcinogen
- Mutagenicity
- Reproductive toxicity
- Respiratory sensitizer
- Target organ toxicity
- Aspiration toxicity
Flame
- Flammables
- Pyrophorics
- Self-heating
- Emits flammable gas
- Self-reactives
- Organic peroxides
- Desensitized explosives
Exclamation Mark
- Irritant (skin and eye)
- Skin sensitizer
- Acute toxicity (harmful)
- Narcotic effects
- Respiratory tract irritant
- Hazard not otherwise classified (non-mandatory)
- Hazardous to ozone layer (non-mandatory)
Label rules (29 CFR 1910.1200, Appendix C): a pictogram is a black symbol on a white background in a red square set on a point; a red frame with no symbol is not allowed (C.2.3.1). Each pictogram appears only once on a label (C.2.3.4). If the skull and crossbones is used, the exclamation mark is not used for acute toxicity; if corrosion is used, the exclamation mark is not used for skin or eye irritation; if the health hazard is used for respiratory sensitization, the exclamation mark is not used for skin sensitization or skin or eye irritation (C.2.1). Always check Section 2 of the product’s SDS for its actual classification. · Free chart from SDSentry — sdsentry.0xpi.com/guides/ghs-pictograms-chart.html
How to use the chart
- Post it beside the SDS binder or wherever staff decant chemicals into spray bottles and jugs.
- Train with it. HazCom training must explain the labels on shipped containers and your workplace labeling system (29 CFR 1910.1200(h)(3)(iv)), and the pictograms are the part of the label staff see first. Pair the chart with our HazCom training quiz.
- Check it against the SDS. The chart tells you what a symbol can mean; Section 2 of the product’s safety data sheet tells you which hazard class and category actually earned it.
- Label secondary containers with the same pictograms: the free GHS label maker prints them for you. The rules are in secondary container labeling under GHS and GHS label requirements.
Why the environment pictogram is optional under OSHA
GHS covers health, physical and environmental hazards. OSHA adopted the health and physical hazards; its FAQ says the standard requires eight pictograms, “the exception being the environmental pictogram, as environmental hazards are not within OSHA’s jurisdiction.” Appendix C likewise names eight standard hazard symbols (C.2.3.2). Suppliers that sell internationally often print the environment pictogram anyway; seeing it on a US label is not an error. See the environment pictogram for details.
Not to be confused with NFPA or HMIS
The colored fire diamond on a building door is an NFPA 704 diamond, and the color-bar labels some workplaces put on containers are HMIS labels. Both rate hazards from 0 to 4, with 4 the most severe — the opposite direction to GHS hazard categories, where Category 1 is the most severe. Neither uses the GHS pictograms.
- OSHA QuickCard, Hazard Communication Standard Pictogram (OSHA 3491-08R 2024) — the nine pictograms and the hazards under each, environment marked non-mandatory, the two non-mandatory exclamation-mark entries, once-per-label rule.
- OSHA, Hazard Communication Questions and Answers — nine GHS pictograms, eight required, environment excepted because environmental hazards are outside OSHA’s jurisdiction. The live page returned an error on October 10, 2026; we read OSHA’s text from the Internet Archive copy of February 10, 2026.
- eCFR, 29 CFR 1910.1200 Appendix C — C.2.1 precedence, C.2.3.1 pictogram design, C.2.3.2 eight standard hazard symbols, C.2.3.4 once per label.
Frequently asked questions
How many GHS pictograms does OSHA require?
Eight. There are nine GHS pictograms, and OSHA's Hazard Communication Standard requires eight of them. The exception is the environment pictogram (aquatic toxicity), because environmental hazards are not within OSHA's jurisdiction; OSHA's pictogram QuickCard marks it non-mandatory.
What hazards does each GHS pictogram cover?
Per OSHA's QuickCard: health hazard for carcinogens, mutagenicity, reproductive toxicity, respiratory sensitizers, target organ toxicity and aspiration toxicity; flame for flammables, pyrophorics, self-heating, emits flammable gas, self-reactives, organic peroxides and desensitized explosives; exclamation mark for irritants, skin sensitizers, harmful acute toxicity, narcotic effects and respiratory tract irritation; gas cylinder for gases and chemicals under pressure; corrosion for skin corrosion, eye damage and corrosive to metals; exploding bomb for explosives, self-reactives and organic peroxides; flame over circle for oxidizers; skull and crossbones for fatal or toxic acute toxicity; and environment, non-mandatory, for aquatic toxicity.
Can the same pictogram appear twice on a label?
No. Appendix C to 29 CFR 1910.1200 says a pictogram may only appear once on a label, even if several hazards call for it. Some pictograms also replace others: if the skull and crossbones is on the label, the exclamation mark is not used for acute toxicity, and if the corrosion pictogram is on the label, the exclamation mark is not used for skin or eye irritation.
Is there a free printable GHS pictogram chart?
Yes. This page prints as a single US Letter sheet, and the same chart is available as a free PDF at sdsentry.0xpi.com/templates/ghs-pictograms-chart.pdf. Post it beside your SDS binder and use it in HazCom training.
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