5S Floor Marking Color Standard

Use As the border color for:

Yellow : Aisleways, traffic lanes and work cells

White : Equipment and fixtures (workstations, carts, floor stand displays, racks, etc.) not otherwise color coded

Blue, green and/or black : Materials and components, including raw materials, work-in-progress and finished goods

Orange : Materials or product held for inspection

Red : Defects, scrap, rework, and red tag areas

Red & white : Areas to be kept clear for safety/compliance reasons (e.g., areas in front of electrical panels, firefighting equipment, and safety equipment such as eyewash stations, safety showers and first aid stations.)

Black & white : Areas to be kept clear for operational purposes (not related to safety and compliance)

Black & yellow : Areas that may expose employees to special physical or health hazards.

• Use as few colors as possible. This will make it easier for employees to remember the intended meaning of each color and reduce the number of floor marking products that must be kept in inventory.

• Color coding workcell and equipment borders. Some companies choose to mark equipment locations using the same color employed for aisleways and work cell boundaries. This has the benefit of simplicity. However, consideration should also be given to the fact that the overall layout of lanes and sectors within the plant is made more visually clear when different colors are used for these purposes.

• Color coding material storage areas. Use the same border color for all material storage areas unless there is an important reason for differentiating between raw materials, work in progress and finished goods. As an alternative, consider using one border tape color in conjunction with different colored labels to visually distinguish between the various material types.

• Color coding non-material storage fixtures. Floor markings for fixtures such as racks that hold raw materials, work in progress or finished goods should be color coded in green, blue and/or black. Otherwise use white or gray to mark the location of all other fixtures.

• Color coding areas to be kept clear for safety and compliance. Some companies use red or red-and-white stripes in front of firefighting equipment, and green or green-and-white stripes in front of safety equipment. For simplicity sake, however, we recommend standardizing on one color for all applications where the intent is to keep the area in front of equipment clear for safety or compliance reasons. That said, we also recommend that the firefighting and safety equipment itself - as well as any associated wall signage - be color coded using red and green, respectively, to enhance visibility and facilitate easy location of the equipment from a distance.

• Color coding areas in front of electrical panels. Under this standard, red and white should also be used to mark the floor in front of electrical panels. Some facilities use black and yellow to indicate the presence of an electrical hazard, but the primary purpose of the marking is to keep the area in front of the panel clear. Danger labels should be displayed on the outside of the panels to warn employees of potential shock and arc flash hazards.

• Color coding operational “keep clear” areas. Use black and white marking to indicate that an area should be kept clear for operational reasons, such as ensuring sufficient clearance for forklifts. As objects without a home tend to naturally congregate in open areas, employ black and white marking to discourage the use of open floor space for unintended purposes.

• Color coding hazardous areas or equipment. Black and yellow striped marking should be used as a border around any area or piece of equipment where employees may be inadvertently exposed to a special hazard. For example, use black and yellow borders around flammable or combustive material containers. The intent of the black and yellow border is to indicate that special caution should be exercised when entering and working in the area.

5S Floor Marking Color Standard

Use As the border color for:

Yellow : Aisleways, traffic lanes and work cells

White : Equipment and fixtures (workstations, carts, floor stand displays, racks, etc.) not otherwise color coded

Blue, green and/or black : Materials and components, including raw materials, work-in-progress and finished goods

Orange : Materials or product held for inspection

Red : Defects, scrap, rework, and red tag areas

Red & white : Areas to be kept clear for safety/compliance reasons (e.g., areas in front of electrical panels, firefighting equipment, and safety equipment such as eyewash stations, safety showers and first aid stations.)

Black & white : Areas to be kept clear for operational purposes (not related to safety and compliance)

Black & yellow : Areas that may expose employees to special physical or health hazards.

• Use as few colors as possible. This will make it easier for employees to remember the intended meaning of each color and reduce the number of floor marking products that must be kept in inventory.

• Color coding workcell and equipment borders. Some companies choose to mark equipment locations using the same color employed for aisleways and work cell boundaries. This has the benefit of simplicity. However, consideration should also be given to the fact that the overall layout of lanes and sectors within the plant is made more visually clear when different colors are used for these purposes.

• Color coding material storage areas. Use the same border color for all material storage areas unless there is an important reason for differentiating between raw materials, work in progress and finished goods. As an alternative, consider using one border tape color in conjunction with different colored labels to visually distinguish between the various material types.

• Color coding non-material storage fixtures. Floor markings for fixtures such as racks that hold raw materials, work in progress or finished goods should be color coded in green, blue and/or black. Otherwise use white or gray to mark the location of all other fixtures.

• Color coding areas to be kept clear for safety and compliance. Some companies use red or red-and-white stripes in front of firefighting equipment, and green or green-and-white stripes in front of safety equipment. For simplicity sake, however, we recommend standardizing on one color for all applications where the intent is to keep the area in front of equipment clear for safety or compliance reasons. That said, we also recommend that the firefighting and safety equipment itself - as well as any associated wall signage - be color coded using red and green, respectively, to enhance visibility and facilitate easy location of the equipment from a distance.

• Color coding areas in front of electrical panels. Under this standard, red and white should also be used to mark the floor in front of electrical panels. Some facilities use black and yellow to indicate the presence of an electrical hazard, but the primary purpose of the marking is to keep the area in front of the panel clear. Danger labels should be displayed on the outside of the panels to warn employees of potential shock and arc flash hazards.

• Color coding operational “keep clear” areas. Use black and white marking to indicate that an area should be kept clear for operational reasons, such as ensuring sufficient clearance for forklifts. As objects without a home tend to naturally congregate in open areas, employ black and white marking to discourage the use of open floor space for unintended purposes.

• Color coding hazardous areas or equipment. Black and yellow striped marking should be used as a border around any area or piece of equipment where employees may be inadvertently exposed to a special hazard. For example, use black and yellow borders around flammable or combustive material containers. The intent of the black and yellow border is to indicate that special caution should be exercised when entering and working in the area.