Warehouse Labelling - Top Tips and Best Practise

When kicking off a WMS project, the spotlight almost always lands on the software; its functionality, its fit, and the benefits it promises. Next comes the hardware: label printers, mobile computers, scanners… all the usual suspects. But one element that consistently gets pushed to the bottom of the list, or worse, treated as an afterthought is warehouse location labelling.

In reality, your location labels deserve just as much attention as your devices. If they’re not designed, placed and printed correctly, you’ll feel the pain the moment the system goes live. Poor scan angles, unreadable barcodes, badly thought out designs - all of these can undermine even the best‑designed WMS.

Get the labelling right early and everything else works smoother. Leave it until the end, and you’re inviting avoidable headaches.

Let’s take a look at why location labelling deserves far more attention:

There are several practical, and often overlooked, reasons why poor labelling can derail an otherwise well‑planned WMS project. These issues don’t usually show up in the boardroom discussions or the software demos… but they absolutely show up on the warehouse floor.

Labelling Your Warehouse Racking: Why It Matters More Than You Think

When it comes to warehouse racking, the location labels you choose and how you apply them, plays a critical role in how smoothly your WMS will run once it’s live. Each shelf edge needs a clear, durable label containing both a barcode and human‑readable text, accurately matching the location structure defined in your WMS. It sounds simple, but the details matter.

One of the biggest considerations is racking height. The higher the bay, the more challenging it becomes for operators to scan labels consistently. This is where your labelling strategy and your hardware choices intersect.

• High‑bay locations may require labels placed at height, long‑range scanning or angled label holders to ensure operators can capture the barcode without awkward positioning.

  
  

• In many cases, a multi‑level labelling solution is the smarter choice, placing all level identifiers at eye height, with colour‑coding or directional arrows to point operators to the correct pick face.

  
  

• And of course, the type of handheld device you select must align with your labelling approach. A short‑range scanner won’t cope with high‑bay labels, while a long‑range imager may be unnecessary if you opt for consolidated, ground‑level labels.

  
  

Aisle Location Labelling

Floor Location Labelling

Multi-Level Location Labels

Vertical and Single Location Labels

Equipment matters: man‑up vs reach trucks

Your choice of material‑handling equipment directly influences how your locations should be labelled.

• Man‑up trucks lift the operator to the picking level. That means you’ll need single location labels on every level because the worker will be scanning at eye height as they move through the aisles.

  
  

• Reach trucks, on the other hand, keep the operator at ground level. In this case, a multi‑level location label at the lower levels is essential, because the operator won’t be at the same height as the pallet or pick face. Colour bands, arrows and clear level indicators help operators identify the correct upper‑level bay from the ground without relying on extended‑range scanners for every scan.

This is where thoughtful design pays off: the right combination of label layout, colour coding and scanner capability can dramatically reduce mis‑scans and speed up picking.

Not all stock lives on racking

Of course, not every warehouse has the luxury of neat, uniform racking. Many operations rely on floor‑stacked areas, bulk zones or awkwardly shaped storage spaces. These areas still need clear, scannable location identifiers - they just require a different approach.

You have two main options:

1. Overhead suspended location plates

Large, high‑contrast plates can be suspended from wires or fixed to beams or trunking. These display oversized barcodes and human‑readable text, designed to be scanned from ground level using extended‑range scanners. They’re ideal for bulk storage, marshalling lanes or any area where floor space is limited or constantly shifting.

2. Floor‑mounted plates

These are a popular choice for clearly defining floor‑stacked locations, but they come with practical considerations. Floor plates must be extremely rugged to withstand foot traffic, pallet trucks, forklifts and the inevitable knocks and scrapes of daily operations. They also need to cope with uneven surfaces, which can make installation more complex and more expensive.

Size, material and scan distance: getting the basics right

As a general rule, the bigger the barcode, the easier it is to scan. That sounds obvious, but it’s surprising how often labels are ordered without considering the real‑world distances they’ll be scanned from; whether that’s an operator sitting in a forklift, walking the aisle, or scanning from a man‑up truck.

Think about the working distance your operators will face day‑to‑day. A barcode that scans perfectly at arm’s length may fail completely when viewed from a seated position in a truck or from the ground when trying to hit a high‑bay location.

Label material also plays a part. Reflective materials can dramatically improve scan distance and readability, which is why they’re commonly used for overhead suspended barcodes. They help scanners pick up the code quickly, even in challenging lighting conditions or from awkward angles.

Test first, install second

Taking all these points into account before you commit to printing thousands of labels will save you time, money and frustration. A small amount of testing with the actual scanners, in the actual aisles, at the actual distances is worth far more than any theoretical specification sheet.

You can have the best WMS in the world but if your operators can’t scan locations quickly and accurately, the system will never reach its full potential. Good labelling isn’t a nice‑to‑have; it’s a critical part of making your warehouse efficient, accurate and operator‑friendly.

Plan it early. Test it properly. Match it to your equipment. And if you want it done right first time, talk to us. From full WMS solutions to hardware and high‑quality racking labels, we help warehouses run smarter, faster and with fewer headaches.