Suffocation warning labels for poly bags

A poly bag protects a product and creates a hazard: a large, thin film that a small child can pull over their head. That is why marketplaces require a warning on any bag above a threshold size, and why a shipment without one is stopped at receiving.

Part of the marketplace label requirements guide.

The threshold

The commonly applied rule: a poly bag with an opening of 5 inches (12.7 cm) or more requires a suffocation warning.

Bag	Opening	Warning needed
4 × 6 in	~4 in	Generally no
6 × 9 in	~5 in	Yes — at the threshold
8 × 10 in	~6.5 in	Yes
10 × 13 in	~8 in	Yes
12 × 15 in	~10 in	Yes

The measurement that matters is the opening, not the flat width. A bag sold as “6 × 9” opens to roughly 5 inches across the mouth, which puts it right at the line. When a bag is near the threshold, add the warning — the cost is a few cents and the alternative is a refused shipment.

The wording

The standard US wording used across the packaging industry:

WARNING: To avoid danger of suffocation, keep this plastic bag away from babies and children. Do not use in cribs, beds, carriages, or playpens. This bag is not a toy.

Marketplaces publish their own version of this requirement, and the exact phrasing can change. Check the current text in the marketplace’s help pages before a large print run rather than copying an old label.

Placement and legibility

Requirement	Practice
Visible on the outside	Not inside the bag, not under another label
Legible without effort	If a buyer has to squint, assume it fails
On the bag or on a label	Either, if the label is secure
Not covered by the product label	The bag label goes on the opposite face
Present on every bag	Not just the outer one in a multi-pack

Two placement mistakes cause most rejections:

1. The warning is printed on the bag’s bottom fold, where it is hidden once the product is inserted.
2. The product label is applied over it, usually because the label was sized for the bag without accounting for the warning block.

When a bag needs more than a warning

Some products have extra bagging rules beyond the warning:

• Liquids — bagged with absorbent material, and the bag sealed.
• Loose items — bagged so nothing escapes in transit.
• Sets — bagged together and labelled as a set, not separated.
• Baby and toddler products — often required to be in a sealed bag with the warning, and some categories require the bag to be heat-sealed rather than taped.

The pattern: the warning is the minimum, and the product category decides whether there is more.

Printed bag or label?

Approach	Cost	When it makes sense
Pre-printed bags	Higher per bag, lower per unit at volume	Repeat shipments, stable bag size
Warning labels on stock bags	Low setup, higher per unit	Existing stock, short runs, mixed bag sizes
Printed on the product label	No extra part	When the label and bag are designed together

For a first shipment, warning labels are the pragmatic choice: they work on whatever bags you already have and they can be applied in the same pass as the product label.

What this means for buyers

Measure the opening, not the flat width. A nominal 6 inch bag is right at the 5 inch threshold.

Do not assume a purchased bag has the warning. Check a physical bag before the shipment, not the product photo.

Keep the warning clear of the product label. Size the two together, or apply them on opposite faces.

Use the current wording. Marketplace requirements change; a label printed from a 2019 template may not match.

Order warning labels with the unit labels. One print run, one shipment, one application step.