We constantly get enquiries about the length of acceptable time for labels to ‘survive’ in ice buckets and/or heavy condensation. I understand that for marketers this is a battle in trade shows and cellar doors with the constant ‘in and out’ of bottles for tasting.

The answer is that no paper label will ever be able to withstand the full exposure to ice or submersion in cold water conditions for long periods of time. Ice has very harsh ‘biting’ properties which eat into the face stock of the label material. This always comes to the fore when you take the product ‘in and out’ of the conditions and it goes from cold to warm conditions constantly.

Cold water or condensation will hold better against the face stock, but only for a length of time. Raw material suppliers guarantee and base their tests on the average time of product consumption by the end user. Therefore, the materials do handle these conditions ‘okay’ for 2-3 hours, but beyond this it is up to the stock being used plus the temperature of water.

It is always best for customers to trial a selection of materials before producing labels to ensure your tests and expectations are met. A full polypropylene label will withstand any wet conditions; however, the end result and feel of the label is different. We are more than happy to work this through with customers should they require a bullet proof label!!