# panel labeling



## Sblk55 (Sep 8, 2017)

Hi All
I am new my name is Steve, have been industrial electrician for 25 years.
Would like to know, is there an industry standand for labeling panels and the things they feed? Such as outlets, switches, or disconnects that makes it easer to locate panel and breaker.


----------



## matt1124 (Aug 23, 2011)

You're lucky if there's anything at all. Sometimes you're even luckier and they are label things like "record player" in residential or "Pastor Dan's Office Lights" I saw in a church on time.

I try to be descriptive. "NW BED RECPT" "LTS NRTH ROOMS" "CRNR BED WIND RCPT" things like that.

"Lites" and "Recepts" seem to be common as well. Oh, and "Kitchen Ark Fault"


----------



## Sblk55 (Sep 8, 2017)

sorry I can not type and definitely can not spell, so I tried to keep it short yesterday.
What I would like to know is if there is an industry standard for in plant labeling, something that any outside electrician could follow. I now use a system that I devised, such as I have a panel on the second floor of building 3 so I label it LP1B3F2 for the first panel in building 3 on the second floor. If that panel feeds an outlet on the 2nd floor of building 2A I mark the outlet LB1B3F2#12 if the breaker feeding it is # 12. we have areas that may have 4 or 5 panels ,probably have 70 or 80 all told. But if no standard then will stay with current system. thanks to all


----------



## Sblk55 (Sep 8, 2017)

Sorry about yesterdays post but I can not type or spell so I tried ot keep it short. Today I will try harder to convey what I am seeking. I work in a factory where we have 11 building some connected some not. there must be about 70 different panels some may be the only one on that floor and some floors may have 4 or 5. I may have a panel on the 3rd floor of building 3 that feeds an outlet on the 4 floor of building 2A. so the panel would be marked LP1B3F3 for light panel 1 building 3 3rd floor. The outlet is marked LP1B3F3# what ever breaker feeds it. So if no one knows of a standard I will stick with this. thank you all.


----------



## backstay (Feb 3, 2011)

I don't know about an industry standard, but I start at the service discount (SD 1). Then if you have a breaker stack, it would be B1, B2. They would say "Fed From SD 1". Then if it hit a panelboard, PB 1 Fed From B1, sometimes you may only have one panelboard. Then the lighting panels get the "LP1 Fed From PB 1. Every location is unique.


----------



## paulengr (Oct 8, 2017)

There is no standard. There are scattered general label standards but rarely followed by anyone. NEC for instance references ANSI Z535 for safety warning labels but where they mandate a specific label such as the high voltage signs, NEC then flagrantly violates ANSI Z535!

Sent from my Galaxy Tab 2 using Tapatalk


----------



## wildleg (Apr 12, 2009)

the fact that you have a system at all is awesome. good job. (really)

having clear labeling in the panel is nice, but it is never enough.
labeling the ckt and panel on each device/motor/machine/whatever makes johnny electrician a happy camper.


----------



## bill39 (Sep 4, 2009)

UL508 for sure lists it and I believe NFPA-79 too.


----------



## paulengr (Oct 8, 2017)

UL508 is for control panels. It along with NEC (and 598A) require a label for ampacity, voltage, etc., but it is not commonly followed and only covers a specific type of equipment. NFPA 79 covers labels and color standards for operator panels (E-Stop should be red with a yellow background for instance) but not panel schedules which is OP's issue. NFPA 70E in the maintenance section (chapter 3...makes single lines posted mandatory) as well as lots of other places state that you should label what a disconnecting device feeds but none of them require a label for what it is fed by. Obviously the latter information is "redundant" but it is more useful to know frequently than knowing what something feeds. I've seen and adapted automotive standards on lettering sizes, fonts, etc., if I get to write the spec. In recent years NEC has gone so crazy on warnings that they violate the three warning limit in ANSI Z535 too.

Sent from my Galaxy Tab 2 using Tapatalk


----------



## Sblk55 (Sep 8, 2017)

thanks for all the great responses. at least with no national standard I will not need to change how I now do it. I do like knowing where to find the panel feeding devices if I need to do work without tracing pipe.

thanks all


----------



## Grounded-B (Jan 5, 2011)

Our facility designates panels by : General location ie: PA = panel in Administration, PM = panel in manufacturing. Then by closest column line ie: PM-C3 = manufacturing, intersection of column lines C & 3. If there are multiple panels grouped together, then they get a letter: a, b, c. Main distribution boards are designated sequentially,, MSB-1, MSB-2, etc.


----------

