Brady B-423: BradyBondz(TM) Thermal Transfer Printable Glossy White Polyester Label Stock

B-423 is a thermal transfer printable glossy white polyester label stock on a permanent acrylic adhesive, used for electronic PCB and component identification, bar code labels and rating plates, and solar panel identification. Its agency approvals are ribbon-conditional: the UL969 Recognition holds only when the label is printed with the Brady Series R6000 Halogen Free and Brady Series R4900 ribbons, and the CSA acceptance only with the Brady Series R6000 ribbon, so a customer who needs an approval has to print on the right ribbon. Its UL Recognition for Outdoor Use is limited to three named surfaces — glass, thermoset polyester plastic and polyvinyl fluoride plastic — and in short term heat the label becomes nonfunctional at 210°C due to label shrinkage.

Figure 1: Brady B-423 — Permanent Gloss White Polyester on smooth metal equipment rating plates & PCB circuit boardsField Application Photo

Orderable Part Numbers, Packaging & Distributor SKUs

Official Brady SKUs, roll dimensions, package quantities, list pricing, Grainger part numbers, and printer compatibility for B-423.

Extracted directly from Brady Technical Data Sheets to prevent real-world application failures and chemical degradation:

• UL969 Recognition is ribbon-conditional — "UL: B-423 is a UL Recognized Component to UL969 Labeling and Marking Standard when printed with the Brady Series R6000 Halogen Free and Brady Series R4900 ribbons. See UL file MH17154 for specific details. UL information can be accessed on line at UL.com in the UL Product iQ area." The sheet names only these two ribbons in the UL statement; it prints no UL status for the Brady Series R4400 or R6200 ribbons that also appear under Recommended Ribbons.
• CSA Acceptance is ribbon-conditional and narrower than the UL claim — "CSA: B-423 is CSA Accepted to C22.2 No.0.1595 Adhesive Labels Standard when printed with the Brady Series R6000 ribbon. See CSA file 041833 for specific details. CSA information can be accessed online at https://www.csagroup.org/testing-certification/product-listing/". The standard number is transcribed as printed ("No.0.1595"); at 300 DPI it renders on the normal baseline, so it is not a superscript footnote marker. The CSA statement names one ribbon, where the UL statement names two.
• UL Recognition for Outdoor Use is limited to three named surfaces — Printed under SPECIAL FEATURES: "Brady B-423 is UL Recognized for Outdoor Use on glass, thermoset polyester plastic and polyvinyl fluoride plastic surfaces to support solar panel identification applications." The sheet claims Outdoor Use Recognition for no other surface.
• Weee-RoHS compliance status is not stated on the sheet — The sheet gives only pointers: "For information on the Weee-RoHS compliance status for a Brady Product go to one of the following websites: In Canada: www.bradycanada.ca/weee-rohs / In Europe: www.bradyeurope.com/rohs / In Japan: www.brady.co.jp/products/labelsuse/rohs / All other regions: www.bradyid.com/weee-rohs". No status, result or date is printed.
• DIN VDE 0472 Part 815 halogen-free claim, and the basis stated for it — "DIN VDE 0472 Part 815: Brady B-423 meets requirements of a halogen-free material per DIN VDE 0472 part 815. (Statement based on review of product construction and confirmation halogen content test run at an independent test laboratory.)"
• Short term heat has a stated failure point — On the Short Term High Service Temperature row (test method "5 minutes at various Temperatures"), the results cell ends "Label becomes nonfunctional at 210°C due to label shrinkage." This verdict belongs to that row only; the High Service Temperature row (30 days at various Temperatures) reports the label still functional at its highest stated temperature, 145°C.
• Acetone and Toluene strip the print on both tested ribbons — On the Acetone and Toluene rows, the WITH RUB result is 5 for both the R6000 Halogen Free and the R6200 columns. The rating scale defines 5 as "complete print and/or topcoat removal". These are the only two reagents rated 5 on both ribbons.
• Print durability differs between the two tested ribbons on three reagents — Do not read one ribbon's verdict onto the other. Gasoline, WITH RUB: 1 on R6000 Halogen Free, 4 on R6200. Brake Fluid DOT 3, WITH RUB: 2 on R6000 Halogen Free, 4 on R6200. Skydrol® 500B-4: WITHOUT RUB 1 on R6000 Halogen Free and 2 on R6200; WITH RUB 3 on R6000 Halogen Free and 5 on R6200.
• Five reagents cause adhesive ooze in the label stock — The EFFECT TO LABEL STOCK column reads "Slight adhesive ooze" on the Acetone, Toluene, Gasoline, JP-8 Jet Fuel and Skydrol® 500B-4 rows. That column is a single column that is not split by ribbon, so these verdicts attach to the label stock itself and not to either printed configuration.
• "Unless noted, results are the same for both ribbons" sits above the performance properties table, not the chemical resistance table — The sentence is the last line of the paragraph immediately preceding the PERFORMANCE PROPERTIES table. The chemical resistance table further down has its own introductory paragraph and reports results in separate R6000 Halogen Free and R6200 columns, which differ on three rows. The sheet does not state whether the sentence was intended to reach that table, so it should not be carried down to it.
• All reported results are scoped to one mounted, printed configuration — Both the performance properties and the chemical resistance tables are prefaced with notes stating the samples were printed with the Brady Series R6000 Halogen Free and Brady Series R6200 ribbons and laminated to aluminum with a 24 hour dwell before testing. The sheet reports no performance or chemical results for the R4400 or R4900 ribbons, or for any other mounting substrate.
• Chemical resistance test conditions — "Testing was conducted at room temperature and consisted of 30 minute immersions in the specified test fluid. After immersion, the samples were removed from the test fluid and the printed image rubbed 10 times with a cotton swab saturated with the test fluid." Results outside these conditions are not reported.
• Shelf life and storage conditions — "Shelf life is two years from the date of receipt for this product as long as this product is stored in its original packaging in an environment below 80° F (27° C) and 60% RH. It remains the responsibility of the user to assess the risk of using this product. We encourage customers to develop testing protocols that will qualify a product's fitness for use in their actual application."
• Values are averages and not for specification purposes — "Note: All values shown are averages and should not be used for specification purposes. Test data and test results contained in this document are for general information only and shall not be relied upon by Brady customers for designs and specifications, or be relied on as meeting specified performance criteria. Customers desiring to develop specifications or performance criteria for specific product applications should contact Brady for further information."
• Compliance information is supplied by others, not independently verified by Brady — "Product compliance information is based upon information provided by suppliers of the raw materials used by Brady to manufacture this product or based on results of testing using recognized analytical methods performed by a third party, independent laboratory. As such, Brady makes no independent representations or warranties, express or implied, and assumes no liability in connection with the use of this information."

ASTM Physical & Mechanical Properties

Standardized laboratory test data measured in accordance with ASTM D 1000, ASTM D 2979, and ASTM D 2671.

Thermal Transfer Ribbon Compatibility

Official Brady recommended ribbons engineered for maximum contrast, smear resistance, and UL certification compliance.

Chemical & Solvent Resistance Matrix

Standardized dip and rub immersion test observations across industrial fuels, oils, solvents, and cleaners.

Environmental & Aging Durability Testing

Verified Target Applications & Use Cases

• Electronic PCB and component identification
• Bar code label and rating plates
• Solar panel identification