Prevention · precautionary statement
P251 — Do not pierce or burn, even after use.
Prevention statements describe how to keep the harm from happening at all. No substance with a harmonised EU classification carries this code.
01 · Wording
What P251 says
Do not pierce or burn, even after use.
Prevention · GHS revision 9
Does your label need P251? That depends on the hazard classes of your product, on whether it goes to the public or to professionals, and on what else is already on the label — Annex IV column 5 lets one statement remove another. Work it out from a classification →
02 · Languages
P251 in the 24 official EU languages
A label put on the market in an EU country must carry the wording of that country's own language version of CLP — not a translation of the English one. These 24 lines are quoted from the consolidated regulation, Annex IV, and are the text to print.
| Language | Official wording of P251 |
|---|---|
| BG български Bulgarian | Да не се пробива и изгаря дори след употреба. |
| ES español Spanish | No perforar ni quemar, incluso después de su uso. |
| CS čeština Czech | Nepropichujte nebo nespalujte ani po použití. |
| DA dansk Danish | Må ikke punkteres eller brændes, heller ikke efter brug. |
| DE Deutsch German | Nicht durchstechen oder verbrennen, auch nicht nach Gebrauch. |
| ET eesti Estonian | Mitte purustada ega põletada isegi pärast kasutamist. |
| EL ελληνικά Greek | Να μην τρυπηθεί ή καεί ακόμη και μετά τη χρήση. |
| EN English English | Do not pierce or burn, even after use. |
| FR français French | Ne pas perforer, ni brûler, même après usage. |
| GA Gaeilge Irish | Ná toll agus ná dóigh, fiú tar éis úsáide. |
| HR hrvatski Croatian | Ne bušiti, niti paliti čak niti nakon uporabe. |
| IT italiano Italian | Non perforare né bruciare, neppure dopo l’uso. |
| LV latviešu Latvian | Nedurt vai nededzināt, arī pēc izlietošanas. |
| LT lietuvių Lithuanian | Nepradurti ir nedeginti net panaudoto. |
| HU magyar Hungarian | Ne lyukassza ki vagy égesse el, még használat után sem. |
| MT Malti Maltese | Ittaqqbux u taħarqux, anki wara li tużah. |
| NL Nederlands Dutch | Ook na gebruik niet doorboren of verbranden. |
| PL polski Polish | Nie przekłuwać ani nie spalać, nawet po zużyciu. |
| PT português Portuguese | Não furar nem queimar, mesmo após utilização. |
| RO română Romanian | Nu perforați sau ardeți, chiar și după utilizare. |
| SK slovenčina Slovak | Neprepichujte alebo nespaľujte ju, a to ani po spotrebovaní obsahu. |
| SL slovenščina Slovenian | Ne preluknjajte ali sežigajte je niti, ko je prazna. |
| FI suomi Finnish | Ei saa puhkaista tai polttaa edes tyhjänä. |
| SV svenska Swedish | Får inte punkteras eller brännas, gäller även tömd behållare. |
Source: CELEX:02008R1272-20260501, Annex IV. © European Union, https://eur-lex.europa.eu — only the electronic Official Journal of the European Union is authentic. Irish is one of the 24 official languages and its H and P texts are printed inside the multilingual Annex tables, but no consolidated CLP has ever been published in Irish — which is why an Irish-primary label cannot be built here.
03 · Legal status
Where P251 is current
GHS is a United Nations model text, revised every two years, and each jurisdiction adopts a revision on its own timetable. A code can be legally current in one system and deleted in another — that is normal, not an error.
| Jurisdiction | Basis | Status of P251 |
|---|---|---|
| EU CLP | Regulation (EC) 1272/2008 CLP Annex IV, Part 2 (consolidated) | Current |
| US OSHA HazCom | 29 CFR 1910.1200 Appendix C UN GHS Rev.7 (final rule of 20 May 2024) | Current |
| US HazCom 2012 | legacy · GHS Rev.3 UN GHS Rev.3, Annex 3 | Current |
| UN GHS | Rev.11 (2025) UN GHS Rev.11, Annex 3 | Current |
Currently in force under: EU CLP, US OSHA HazCom, US HazCom 2012, UN GHS. Sources: EU CLP · US OSHA HazCom · US HazCom 2012 · UN GHS
04 · Substances
Substances carrying P251
No substance with a harmonised classification in CLP Annex VI carries this code. That does not mean it is unused — suppliers apply it to their own mixtures.
All precautionary statements
The full list of P-codes with the jurisdiction switch lives on the precautionary statements hub. For the hazard side, see hazard statements (H-codes).
Wording quoted from the regulation named above. Substance counts come from harmonised classifications in CLP Annex VI — the statements on a real product also depend on the supplier's own classification. Always check the supplier safety data sheet.