PAT Testing Labels: What They Are and Where to Buy Them

Every appliance that passes a portable appliance test needs a clear, durable label stuck to it afterwards. That's what a pat testing label actually is: a small sticker showing the test date, the next retest date, a pass or fail result, and often the engineer's name or company. Without one, nobody, not you, your tenants, or a visiting inspector, can tell at a glance whether that kettle or extension lead is safe to use.

If you're searching for these labels, you're probably trying to work out which type suits your property and where to actually buy them. Portable appliance testing labels come in several formats, from basic pass/fail stickers to personalised versions printed with your business details, and they're sold by most electrical suppliers and online retailers in packs of various sizes.

This article walks through what information a proper label needs to include, the different label types available, and where landlords, businesses, and letting agents across London typically source them. We'll also flag when it makes more sense to have a qualified engineer handle the labelling as part of a full PAT testing service, rather than buying labels yourself.

Why PAT testing labels matter for compliance

The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 place a legal duty on employers and landlords to keep electrical equipment safe for use. Neither piece of legislation names PAT testing specifically, but the Health and Safety Executive treats regular inspection and testing of portable appliances as a practical way to meet that duty. A properly attached label is the visible proof that this duty has been carried out, and it's usually the first thing an HSE inspector, fire officer, or insurance assessor looks for during a site visit. You can read the HSE's own guidance on maintaining electrical equipment at hse.gov.uk.

Beyond the legal angle, labels solve a practical problem that trips up a lot of landlords and office managers: knowing what's already been checked. Picture a shared office kitchen with six kettles, three microwaves, and a dozen phone chargers rotating in and out over a year. Without a retest date stamped on each item, nobody can tell which appliances are due and which were tested last month. This is where a pat testing label earns its keep, it turns an invisible compliance record into something anyone can check in two seconds.

A label is the only part of PAT testing a tenant, employee, or inspector will actually see.

Who relies on the label

Different people read the same sticker for different reasons, and it's worth thinking about all of them when you decide how thorough your labelling needs to be:

• Landlords use labels to demonstrate to tenants and letting agents that appliances supplied with a rental property are safe, which matters for both the Landlord and Tenant Act obligations and general duty of care.

• Facilities managers rely on labels during audits to confirm that every piece of equipment on an asset register has a matching, in-date test result.

• Insurers often ask for evidence of PAT testing after an electrical fire claim, and a dated label is far quicker to produce than digging through paperwork.

• Employees and visitors get a quick visual reassurance that the kettle or laptop charger they're about to use hasn't failed a safety check.

The cost of getting it wrong

Skipping labels, or worse, leaving a failed appliance labelled as if it passed, creates real exposure. Insurers can decline a claim if they find equipment wasn't properly tested and marked, and in a commercial setting that gap can also breach fire risk assessment requirements under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. Testing without labelling is almost as bad as not testing at all, because there's no way to prove the work happened or to stop someone using a fail item by mistake. Unlabelled fail items are particularly risky in shared spaces like communal kitchens or hot desks, where equipment moves between rooms and people faster than any spreadsheet can track it.

Think of the label as the last, cheapest step of a testing job that's otherwise done properly. You've paid an engineer, run the tests, recorded the results, so it makes little sense to leave the appliance itself unmarked. Every sticker you skip is a gap in your paperwork trail that someone else, an inspector, a claims handler, a new tenant, might one day ask you to explain.

How to complete and attach a PAT test label

Filling out a pat testing label properly takes seconds, but it's the step most likely to get rushed on a big batch of appliances. Get the details wrong, transpose a date, skip the tester's initials, and the label becomes worthless as evidence even though the appliance itself passed. Most engineers fill labels in as they go rather than batching them at the end, which cuts down on mix-ups between similar-looking kettles or extension leads.

Filling in the label correctly

Getting this right is mostly about working through the same order every time, so nothing gets missed under time pressure:

1. Confirm the test result first. Only write "pass" once the appliance has cleared every check, visual inspection, earth continuity, insulation resistance.

2. Record today's date in the test date field, not the date you plan to write up the report.

3. Calculate the retest date based on the appliance type and environment, then write it clearly rather than leaving it blank to fill in "later".

4. Add the tester's name or initials, plus a company reference if you're working under a business name.

5. Use permanent ink or a pre-printed label where the details are entered digitally and then printed, since handwritten labels can smudge or fade within months.

A label with the wrong retest date is more dangerous than no label at all, because it gives false confidence.

Attaching the label properly

Once completed, the label needs to go somewhere it will actually survive the appliance's working life. Stick it on a flat, clean, dry section of the casing, away from vents, hinges, or anywhere it'll rub against a cable or socket. Surfaces get grimy fast in kitchens and workshops, so wipe the spot down before applying anything, otherwise the adhesive won't hold past a few weeks.

Heat and moisture are the two things that ruin most portable appliance testing labels prematurely. Kettles, toasters, and anything near a sink need labels rated for damp or warm conditions, not standard paper stickers that curl and peel within a month. Vinyl or polyester labels cost slightly more per unit but save you from relabelling the same appliance twice in a year, which quickly eats into any saving from buying the cheaper option.

Types of PAT testing labels and what they show

Not every pat testing label looks the same, and picking the right format matters more than most people assume. Some jobs call for a simple pass sticker, others need a fail label that's impossible to miss, and larger organisations often want their branding printed on every single one. Knowing the differences before you order a pack saves you from ending up with the wrong stock halfway through a testing run.

The main label formats

Here's a quick comparison of what's commonly available from UK suppliers:

The colour and wording on a label should tell someone the outcome before they even read the date.

Pass, fail, and everything in between

Green pass labels are the most common portable appliance testing labels you'll see stuck to office kettles and monitors, and the colour coding is deliberate, it lets anyone scanning a room spot a fail item instantly. Fail labels typically use red and bold capital lettering precisely because they need to stop someone plugging the item back in. Combined labels, where the tester ticks a box rather than choosing a whole separate sticker, work well for smaller domestic jobs but get fiddly once you're testing hundreds of items a month.

Branded labels deserve a mention too, since many electricians and facilities teams order packs printed with their company name and phone number. This isn't just marketing, it gives a tenant or employee an obvious number to call if an appliance later develops a fault. Choosing the right format upfront, rather than switching halfway through a contract, keeps your records looking consistent across every appliance on site.

What information a PAT testing label must include

There's no single legal template for a pat testing label, but there is broad industry agreement on what needs to appear, and most of it traces back to the guidance in the IET Code of Practice for In-Service Inspection and Testing of Electrical Equipment. Missing even one field can turn an otherwise well-tested appliance into a paperwork headache the next time someone questions your compliance record. Getting the basics right every time matters more than how the label looks.

The core fields

Before ordering or printing a batch, check that your chosen design leaves room for all of the following:

• Test date: the day the appliance was actually inspected and tested, not the day the report was written up.

• Retest date: when the appliance is next due, calculated from its type, environment, and risk level.

• Result: a clear pass or fail, ideally reinforced with colour coding rather than small print alone.

• Tester identification: the engineer's name, initials, or unique ID number.

• Company details: the business name and contact number, especially useful on branded labels.

• Unique appliance or asset reference: a number matching the item to its entry on the test register, so records stay traceable even if the sticker fades slightly.

A label missing a retest date is a compliance record with a hole in it.

Why every field earns its place

Each line on a portable appliance testing labels template exists because someone, at some point, needed that exact piece of information and didn't have it. Auditors cross-reference the test date and retest date against your written records to spot gaps or inconsistencies. Insurers ask for the tester's identification when investigating a claim, since it proves a competent person carried out the work rather than an untrained staff member ticking boxes. Facilities teams lean on the asset reference to match a sticker on a kettle to a line in a spreadsheet holding hundreds of entries.

Skipping a field to save space on a small label rarely pays off. If your appliances are compact, phone chargers, small tools, choose a smaller label format rather than dropping a required field, since a cluttered but complete label still beats a tidy one missing the information someone actually needs.

Where to buy PAT testing labels in the UK

Most landlords and facilities teams source a pat testing label from one of three places: electrical wholesalers, general online retailers, or specialist label printers. Wholesalers like City Electrical Factors and Rexel stock standard pass and fail packs alongside the testers and PAT kits they're used with, which suits anyone already popping into a trade counter for other supplies. General online retailers, Amazon and eBay included, carry the same generic packs at competitive prices, though stock and label quality vary a lot between sellers, so check reviews before committing to a bulk order.

Buying in bulk only saves money if you'll actually get through the labels before the adhesive or ink starts to degrade.

Choosing between generic and printed suppliers

Specialist label printers sit a step above wholesalers when you want something branded. Companies such as Seton and Labelservice UK let you upload a logo and custom text, then print full runs of portable appliance testing labels with your business name baked in rather than added by hand. This route costs more per label, typically double a generic pack, but it pays off for electricians and facilities contractors who label hundreds of appliances a month and want consistent branding across every site they visit.

When it's simpler to let the engineer supply them

For most landlords and small businesses, though, buying labels separately adds an unnecessary step. Qualified engineers carrying out a PAT test almost always bring their own stock of pass, fail, and asset-reference labels as standard, printed with their own details and calibrated retest dates already worked out for your appliance types. Skipping the DIY label hunt and booking a proper testing service means every appliance leaves the job correctly tested, labelled, and logged in one visit, with no risk of mismatched batches or missing fields on a sticker you printed yourself.

Staying on top of PAT test labelling

A pat testing label only works when it's filled in correctly, attached properly, and carries every field an inspector or insurer might ask for. Get those basics right and you've got proof, at a glance, that an appliance is safe and when it's next due. Get them wrong, a missing retest date, a smudged signature, a fail sticker left on by mistake, and you've got a compliance gap that's harder to explain than if you'd skipped labelling altogether.

Sourcing labels yourself works fine for small, occasional jobs, but larger portfolios and busy commercial sites benefit from having a qualified engineer handle testing and labelling together. That way every appliance gets tested, marked, and logged in one visit, with no mismatched batches or guesswork on retest dates. If you'd rather leave the labelling to someone who does it daily, get a quote from our engineers and get your appliances properly tested and labelled in one