Danger Symbol ⚠ and Warning Symbols: Copy, Meaning and Safety Colours

Main Hazard Symbols and What They Mean

Each hazard symbol is a short visual message. People should understand it in one second, even if they cannot read the language on the label. Here are the ones in our copy grid and their usual meaning.

On a printed label, the official sign is usually a full pictogram in a coloured frame. The text characters above are the closest match you can type in a message, a worksheet or a document.

Colours Used in Safety Signs

Safety signs follow a simple colour code that many countries use. Once you know it, you can read a sign from far away, before you even see the picture.

That is why ⚠ is usually printed black on yellow, and the prohibition symbol 🚫 is red. A green square with a white cross is the first aid sign; read more on our doctor and medical symbol page.

Toxic, Cytotoxic and Poison Symbols

The skull and crossbones ☠ is the classic poison symbol and toxic symbol. On chemical containers it warns of acute toxicity, which means even a small amount swallowed, breathed in or touched can cause serious harm. Keep such items locked and away from children.

A cytotoxic symbol is used for cytotoxic drugs, which are strong medicines (often used in cancer treatment) that can harm healthy cells too. Hospitals mark cytotoxic waste with its own cytotoxic hazard symbol on bags, bins and labels so that staff handle it with extra care. There is no Unicode character for the cytotoxic waste symbol, so in a typed note you can write ⚠ Cytotoxic, and follow your hospital's labelling rules for real waste.

Infectious medical waste uses a different sign, ☣. See the full guide on the biohazard symbol.

Radiation, Flammable and Electrical Hazard Symbols

Radiation symbol ☢

The radiation symbol, also called the radioactive symbol or trefoil, has three blades around a small centre circle. A radiation hazard symbol on a door means radiation may be present inside, for example in an X-ray room. Do not enter without permission.

Flammable symbol

The flammable symbol on packaging shows a flame. It appears on petrol, thinner, gas cylinders, perfume sprays and many solvents. There is no exact typed version of this pictogram, so people use 🔥 in chats and notes. Fire safety symbol signs, like fire extinguisher or fire exit signs, are usually red or green.

High voltage symbol ⚡

The high voltage symbol, a lightning bolt, warns of electric danger. In India you often see it with the words "Danger" and a skull on electric poles and transformer fences. Never touch a panel marked with this sign.

Prohibition and No Entry Symbol

A prohibition symbol tells you that something is not allowed. The no entry symbol ⛔ is a red circle with a white bar, the same shape you see on one-way road signs. The prohibited symbol 🚫 is a red circle with a slash, and a picture is often placed under the slash (a cigarette, a phone, a camera).

Examples you can make by typing two characters together:

• 🚫📱 for "no phones"
• 🚫🔥 for "no fire, no open flame"
• ⛔ Staff only

For tick and cross marks used in lists, see the cross symbol page.

Other Safety Symbols in This Set

Not every symbol here warns of danger. Some are safety symbol signs that give information.

• ♿ Wheelchair: accessible entrance, ramp or toilet.
• 🚸 Children crossing: school zones, slow down.
• ⛑ Helmet with white cross: rescue workers and emergency teams.
• ⚕ Staff with a snake: medicine and health care.
• ♻ Recycle: recyclable material, explained on the recycle symbol page.
• ☡ Caution sign: an old road-sign style character that some fonts show as a winding line. It is rare, so ⚠ is the safer caution symbol.

For stronger emphasis in text, ❗ and ‼ are handy, for example "‼ Exam form deadline tomorrow". The exclamation mark page explains the plain ! sign.

How to Type a Warning Symbol

Most of these characters have no standard Alt code. Use one of these methods instead:

• Microsoft Word: type the code from the info table, then press Alt+X. For ⚠ type 26A0, then Alt+X. For ☢ type 2622, then Alt+X.
• Word, Excel, PowerPoint: Insert > Symbol > More Symbols, choose the font Segoe UI Symbol and look in the Miscellaneous Symbols area.
• Windows: press Windows+. to open the emoji panel and search "warning".
• Mac: press Control+Command+Space for Character Viewer.
• Phone: open the emoji keyboard and search "warning", "no entry" or "radioactive".
• Web pages: use the HTML code, for example ⚠ for ⚠.

Only ‼ has an old Alt code (Alt+19 on the numeric keypad with Num Lock on), and it may not work in every app. The full list of codes is on the Alt codes page.

Fragile, Environmental Hazard and Other Labels

Some labels you see on boxes and bottles are not text characters at all. The fragile symbol on parcels usually shows a glass, meaning "handle with care". The environmental hazard symbol shows a dead tree and fish and means the substance is harmful to water life. The corrosive hazard symbol shows liquid eating into a hand and a surface, and the explosive hazard symbol shows a bursting object. For these, copy the closest character (⚠ works for all) and add a clear word: "⚠ Fragile", "⚠ Corrosive".

When you make a school project or office notice, keep the sign big, use the right colour, and write the hazard in words too. A symbol alone can be misread.

All signs and warnings symbol pages

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• ⚖Advocate
• ®Registered
• ™Trademark
• ♻Recycle
• ☣Biohazard