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The APVMA requires at least 30% luminance contrast between letters and their background. If you manufacture agricultural or veterinary chemical products, laboratory testing can provide objective LRV results for your finished label and packaging.

Your label looks contrasting. But how do you know it achieves 30%?

This is the practical question that follows any discussion about the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) requirements for label colour.

Under Section 3.5, Colour, of the APVMA label presentation and layout requirements, printed letters must contrast distinctly with their background.

More specifically: There must be a luminance contrast of at least 30% between letters and background.

Looking at a label and deciding the text appears clear helps during design, but visual judgement alone does not provide an LRV or a calculated luminance contrast result.

To determine the actual luminance contrast, start by establishing the Light Reflectance Value (LRV) of the relevant colours.

What is being measured?

LRV is a numerical measurement of the amount of visible light reflected from a surface.

Once the LRVs of the lettering and background are established, you can compare those values to determine the luminance contrast between them.

For an APVMA label, that might involve testing dark lettering against a light label background, light lettering against a dark colour panel, or other text and background combinations used on the finished packaging.

This is different from identifying a colour by its RGB, CMYK, HEX or Pantone reference.

Those systems help specify and reproduce colours, but the APVMA requirement is expressed as luminance contrast.

When verification is required, testing the physical product provides information about the actual finished surface rather than relying solely on the artwork’s appearance on a screen.

Send us the finished label or packaging

LumiLab provides LRV and luminance contrast testing from our Melbourne test facility. For product label and packaging assessments, we need physical samples that represent the finished product.

Depending on the product, this might include finished printed labels, cartons, bottles, containers, tubs or other packaging on which the relevant text and background colours appear.

Where possible, send the actual production labels or packaging, rather than a colour printout of the artwork. Ink, substrate, surface finish, coating, and printing method can all affect the material’s finished appearance. Ideally, provide a few labels so we can average these values.

Please also provide enough information for us to identify each sample correctly, including the product name, product code and colour name, where applicable. If the surface has a clear coating or sealer, please identify this as well.

If you need to assess several text/background combinations, clearly identify the areas requiring testing. A copy of the label artwork with the relevant areas marked can be useful.

If the areas requiring measurement are particularly small, contact LumiLab before cutting or preparing samples so we can discuss what will be suitable for testing.

Package the samples safely

Samples sent to LumiLab must be suitable for manual handling in a typical office environment.

All sample edges must be smooth and free from sharp edges, and samples must weigh no more than 10kg.

This is particularly relevant where a manufacturer intends to submit sections of rigid packaging, metal containers, cut panels or other materials rather than complete consumer-sized products.

Tell us which parts of the label need to be compared

This helps identify the specific text and background combinations that need assessment.

A label might contain white text against dark green, black text against yellow, coloured warning text against white and smaller lettering within another coloured panel.

Rather than assuming which combination is relevant, provide a copy of the artwork or mark the areas you want assessed. If there are several colour combinations, LumiLab can determine the relevant LRVs and, where required, undertake multiple comparisons.

This can be particularly useful before committing to a large production run.

What happens when the samples arrive?

LumiLab’s normal laboratory process involves measuring the LRV of the submitted materials using specialist testing equipment.

The LRV results can then be used to assess luminance contrast between the nominated surfaces.

For label testing, the assessment generally considers the relationship between the printed lettering and the background on which it appears.

The result provides something that looking at a PDF cannot: measured values from the physical sample.

LumiLab can prepare a test certificate outlining the testing methodology and LRV findings. If you need a luminance contrast assessment of two or more materials or colours, we can also undertake the comparison and prepare a report.

The results are then provided electronically. Testing work is undertaken commercial-in-confidence.

Testing before a production run can be worthwhile

Manufacturers do not necessarily need to wait until a product is already on shelves before checking contrast.

If a proposed label design uses colour combinations with uncertain results, manufacturers can test representative production samples before the full packaging order proceeds.

This provides an opportunity to identify a potential contrast issue while changes to the artwork or printing specification are still manageable.

It can also be useful where a manufacturer is changing:

• a printing supplier;
• an ink or colour specification;
• the label material;
• a coating or laminate;
• the packaging substrate; or
• the graphic design of an existing product.

A colour combination that worked on one substrate should not automatically be assumed to produce exactly the same result on another.

Where to send your samples

Please address packages to:

LumiLab, Unit 29/89 Lewis Road, Wantirna South VIC 3152

Packages can be delivered between 9am and 5pm, Monday to Friday, excluding public holidays.

LumiLab personnel are not always in the building, so a video intercom and parcel drop boxes are available on site. Additional space is also provided beneath the parcel boxes for larger packages.

For information about LRV and luminance contrast testing services, visit http://www.lumilab.com.au.

Before sending a large or unusual sample

Most labels and standard product packaging are straightforward to submit. If the product is unusually large, heavy, difficult to handle, contains hazardous material, or the area requiring measurement is very small, contact LumiLab before sending it.

This lets us determine whether the sample is suitable for laboratory testing and what material we need to supply.

Don’t leave contrast as a visual judgement

The APVMA requirement is expressed numerically: at least 30% luminance contrast between the letters and their background.

That means manufacturers have an objective benchmark against which to assess relevant colour combinations.

A label can look attractive. The text can appear reasonably clear on a monitor. The graphic designer can be satisfied with the colour palette.

None of those things, by themselves, provide an LRV measurement.

Where you need to establish the luminance contrast of the finished label, send representative samples to LumiLab. We can test the physical materials, determine the relevant LRVs, and assess luminance contrast.

Please contact LumiLab to discuss your accessibility needs. Visit our website to learn more or call us on 1300 142 841.

Disclaimer: This publication provides general information only and does not constitute legal, certification or project-specific advice. Requirements may vary between projects and change over time. Always verify the current NCC, legislation and applicable Australian Standards, and obtain project-specific advice where required.

LumiLab guides, webpages, and articles discussing luminance contrast, accessibility, or optometry and ophthalmology are intended only for educational and informational purposes and do not constitute medical or professional advice. The information presented, including but not limited to text, graphics, images, and other material, is for informational purposes and is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice, medical diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your physician, optician, or other health care professional if you have questions about your eye health or vision.

Images: PICCI-supplied imagery is licensed to the publisher and may not be reproduced or modified without permission. Third-party content remains subject to its applicable licence. Images are illustrative unless stated otherwise.

Reference: Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA), Label presentation and layout, Section 3.5 – Colour, Australian Labelling Code.

Download this as a factsheet.

Luminance contrast is not limited to accessible buildings and signage. Australian Government requirements for agricultural and veterinary chemical labels provide another example of measurable luminance contrast being used to improve the legibility of important information.

Luminance contrast outside the built environment

For access consultants and designers, luminance contrast is most commonly associated with the built environment. It appears in requirements for elements such as signage, doorways, sanitary facilities and tactile indicators.

The same visual principle has applications elsewhere.

The Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) regulates agricultural and veterinary chemical products in Australia. Its Agricultural Labelling Code includes requirements covering the presentation and layout of product labels, including print size, typeface, print quality and colour.

Section 3.5, Colour, sets a specific luminance contrast requirement.

There must be a luminance contrast of at least 30% between letters and background.

This is a measurable requirement, not a general instruction to select colours that appear sufficiently different.

Colour difference and luminance difference are not the same thing

The APVMA requires printed letters to contrast distinctly with the background. It directs the use of light-coloured text against a dark background and dark text against a light background.

It also recommends well-contrasted colours with widely differing hues and an appreciable difference in value, while advising against strongly saturated colour pairs for the text and background.

There is a useful distinction here.

Two colours can be obviously different in hue but still have relatively similar luminance. For example, a designer looking at a bright red beside a bright green may see two very different colours. That does not necessarily mean the combination provides a strong luminance difference or good legibility for every reader.

This is one reason colour selection alone should not be relied upon where a measurable luminance contrast requirement applies.

The background can undermine otherwise legible text

The APVMA also addresses a problem that regularly occurs in graphic design: placing text directly over photographs, illustrations or multi-coloured backgrounds.

A photograph may be dark behind one part of a word and considerably lighter behind another. Even where the lettering itself does not change, the effective contrast can vary across the text.

The APVMA advises that text printed directly over pictorial or multi-coloured backgrounds may be difficult to read and should be avoided. It suggests placing a plain background, preferably white, beneath the lettering to improve legibility.

That is a practical detail with much wider application.

The same issue can occur with building signage, directories, maps, control panels and wayfinding information. A visually interesting background may work well as a graphic treatment but perform poorly once important information is placed over it.

Where information needs to be read quickly and reliably, a simple background often provides much greater control.

Colour blindness is specifically considered

The APVMA requirements also recognise that colour combinations can affect people differently.

Its guidance identifies combinations involving green, yellow, orange and red as potentially problematic for people with colour blindness. In particular, avoid red lettering on a green background, or green lettering on a red background.

The guidance also advises against placing red, green, brown, grey and purple immediately adjacent to, or on top of, one another.

This reinforces a useful design principle: colour should not be the only visual characteristic separating important information from its surroundings.

A 30% requirement from another Australian regulatory setting

For building professionals, the APVMA requirement is noteworthy because it shows an Australian Government regulatory authority using a 30% minimum luminance contrast requirement outside the building accessibility framework.

Its regulatory purpose differs from AS 1428.1, and the APVMA requirement should not be treated as creating or modifying a building accessibility requirement.

The comparison is nevertheless useful.

In both settings, the issue is not simply whether two colours have different names or look different on a drawing. What matters is whether the relevant elements are sufficiently visually separated.

This becomes particularly relevant when specifications rely heavily on nominated colours.

A drawing might identify “white text on blue”, for example, but that description alone does not establish a specific luminance contrast percentage. The final result depends on the actual characteristics of the selected colours or materials.

The same problem can arise when products are substituted. A replacement colour may look broadly similar to the originally specified product while producing a different luminance relationship.

Rendering cannot demonstrate compliance

Computer screens can also create false confidence.

Brightness, display calibration, viewing conditions, and how software renders colours can all influence how strongly two colours appear to contrast. Printed documents introduce another set of variables.

A graphic that appears clear on a designer’s monitor does not, by itself, demonstrate that a nominated luminance contrast has been achieved.

Where the applicable requirement sets a measurable threshold, the documentation should identify that requirement rather than relying solely on colour rendering to communicate design intent.

The APVMA’s 30% requirement is a good example. The regulatory instruction is measurable: at least 30% luminance contrast between the letters and their background.

A useful reminder for designers

The APVMA labelling requirements show how luminance contrast can be a practical tool for improving the legibility of important information.

They also reinforce several principles that extend beyond product labels: don’t assume different colours automatically provide good contrast; avoid unnecessarily complicated backgrounds behind important text; consider users with colour vision deficiencies; and distinguish between visual appearance and measurable luminance contrast.

For access consultants and building designers, it is another Australian example of a familiar principle being applied in a very different regulatory environment.

Sometimes the simplest question is also the most useful one: does the information actually stand out from what is behind it?

Please contact LumiLab to discuss your accessibility needs. Visit our website to learn more or call us on 1300 142 841.

Disclaimer: This publication provides general information only and does not constitute legal, certification or project-specific advice. Requirements may vary between projects and change over time. Always verify the current NCC, legislation and applicable Australian Standards, and obtain project-specific advice where required.

LumiLab guides, webpages, and articles discussing luminance contrast, accessibility, or optometry and ophthalmology are intended only for educational and informational purposes and do not constitute medical or professional advice. The information presented, including but not limited to text, graphics, images, and other material, is for informational purposes and is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice, medical diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your physician, optician, or other health care professional if you have questions about your eye health or vision.

Images: PICCI-supplied imagery is licensed to the publisher and may not be reproduced or modified without permission. Third-party content remains subject to its applicable licence. Images are illustrative unless stated otherwise.

Reference: Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA), Label presentation and layout, Section 3.5 – Colour, Australian Labelling Code.

Download this as a factsheet.

Your product label may look clear on screen, in the artwork proof and on the packaging. But if the lettering does not achieve the required luminance contrast against its background, good graphic design alone may not be enough.

For manufacturers of agricultural and veterinary chemical products, label design is more than branding, packaging and fitting mandatory information into a limited space.

The Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) establishes requirements for how information is presented on labels. One requirement that can easily disappear into the graphic design process is luminance contrast.

Under Section 3.5, Colour, of the APVMA’s label presentation and layout requirements:

There must be a luminance contrast of at least 30% between letters and background.

For manufacturers, that small sentence deserves attention.

Does your artwork actually achieve 30%?

A designer may specify white lettering on blue, black lettering on yellow or another combination that appears to have strong contrast.

That does not necessarily establish that the required luminance contrast has been achieved.

Colour and luminance are different characteristics. Two colours can be obviously different in hue while having a much smaller difference in luminance reflectance than their appearance initially suggests.

The APVMA does not simply require the colours to be different. It requires the printed letters to contrast distinctly against the background and sets a minimum luminance contrast of 30%.

That makes the requirement measurable.

For a manufacturer approving artwork for production, the relevant question therefore becomes more specific than:

Can I read this?

It should also include:

Does this lettering and background combination achieve the required luminance contrast?

The requirement can affect more than your main product name

Modern labels can contain numerous visual treatments.

The front of the container may have a strong, high-contrast product name, while other information appears in smaller panels, coloured boxes, tables, warning areas, or over graphic elements.

Contrast therefore needs to be considered across the label rather than judged from its most visually prominent section.

The APVMA states that light-coloured text should be used on dark backgrounds and dark text on light backgrounds. It also recommends well-contrasted colours with widely differing hues and an appreciable difference in value.

Avoid strongly saturated colour pairs for text and background.

This has practical implications when developing brand palettes and label templates. A corporate colour combination that works well for advertising or general packaging may not necessarily be suitable for every area containing regulated label information.

Be careful with photographs and multi-coloured backgrounds

There is another common design treatment that manufacturers should consider carefully.

Text over photography can look excellent in a packaging mock-up.

It can also create inconsistent contrast.

Consider white lettering positioned over an image of an animal, crop or landscape. One part of the lettering might sit over a dark section of the photograph and be clearly visible. Another part of the same sentence might cross a much lighter area.

The text colour has not changed, but its relationship with the background has.

The APVMA specifically addresses this problem. Text printed directly over pictorial or multi-coloured backgrounds may be difficult to read and should be avoided.

When necessary, place a plain background, preferably white, beneath the lettering to improve legibility.

For manufacturers, this is worth considering early in the artwork process. Adding a plain field behind text at the design stage is straightforward. Reworking approved packaging artwork later is considerably less convenient.

Don’t rely on the computer screen

A PDF proof can be deceptive.

Screen brightness, monitor calibration, viewing conditions and software settings can all influence the apparent difference between colours.

The same applies to a printed office proof. The printer, ink, paper and print settings may not reproduce the finished packaging accurately.

If a regulatory requirement specifies a measurable 30% luminance contrast, simply looking at the artwork and deciding that the colours appear different is not the same as verifying the requirement.

This is particularly relevant when artwork moves between the manufacturer, graphic designer, regulatory consultant, printer and packaging supplier.

Somewhere in that chain, responsibility for contrast should be clear.

Product substitutions can change the result

Manufacturers should also consider what happens when the approved design reaches production.

A change in substrate, ink, printing process, coating, or background colour may alter the finished label’s appearance.

Even relatively small production changes can matter where compliance depends on the relationship between two finished colours.

This is similar to a problem regularly encountered in building design. A drawing can specify two contrasting colours, but a later product substitution can change their actual luminance relationship.

The design intent remains. The finished result has changed.

Manufacturers should therefore consider whether the final production method maintains the required contrast, rather than treating the digital artwork as the end of the assessment.

Colour blindness also matters

The APVMA guidance specifically considers colour blindness when discussing label presentation.

It identifies combinations involving green, yellow, orange and red as potentially problematic and advises against red lettering on a green background or green lettering on a red background.

It also advises against placing colours such as red, green, brown, grey, and purple immediately adjacent to, or on top of, one another.

This is another reason not to treat colour difference as a substitute for luminance contrast.

A colour combination that appears distinctive to the designer may provide considerably less useful differentiation to someone with a colour vision deficiency.

Build luminance contrast into the label approval process

The simplest approach is to consider luminance contrast before artwork reaches final approval. Manufacturers could include it in the label-design and artwork-review process alongside other APVMA presentation requirements. Questions worth asking include:

• Does lettering achieve at least 30% luminance contrast against its actual background?
• Is important text positioned over photographs, patterns or changing colours?
• Are any strongly saturated colour combinations being used for text and background?
• Could colour-blind users have difficulty distinguishing the selected colours?
• Have changes to inks, substrates, coatings or printing processes altered the intended result?
• Is the assessment based only on how the artwork looks on a computer screen?

These are much easier questions to address before thousands of labels or containers have been produced.

A good-looking label still needs to perform

Manufacturers understandably invest heavily in branding and packaging. A label needs to identify the product, align with the company’s visual identity, and present a considerable amount of information in a restricted area.

The APVMA requirements add another consideration: the information must remain legible.

The 30% luminance contrast requirement provides a measurable benchmark between lettering and its background. Therefore, treat it as a technical component of label design rather than something left entirely to visual judgement.

Before approving the next label for production, review the colour combinations again.

They may look different. But have you confirmed the luminance contrast?

Please contact LumiLab to discuss your accessibility needs. Visit our website to learn more or call us on 1300 142 841.

Disclaimer: This publication provides general information only and does not constitute legal, certification or project-specific advice. Requirements may vary between projects and change over time. Always verify the current NCC, legislation and applicable Australian Standards, and obtain project-specific advice where required.

LumiLab guides, webpages, and articles discussing luminance contrast, accessibility, or optometry and ophthalmology are intended only for educational and informational purposes and do not constitute medical or professional advice. The information presented, including but not limited to text, graphics, images, and other material, is for informational purposes and is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice, medical diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your physician, optician, or other health care professional if you have questions about your eye health or vision.

Images: PICCI-supplied imagery is licensed to the publisher and may not be reproduced or modified without permission. Third-party content remains subject to its applicable licence. Images are illustrative unless stated otherwise.

Reference: Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA), Label presentation and layout, Section 3.5 – Colour, Australian Labelling Code.

Download this as a factsheet.