Why is rewind direction so important?

Jordan Kim
Jordan Kim Sustainability & Industry Editor at 4OVER4.COM
May 8, 2025

Answer

If you are hand applying labels, rewind direction is probably not all that important to you. If you use a machine label applicator to apply your labels to your bottles or containers, then rewind direction is a critical piece of information that we will need to know. The equipment you use will specifiy a rewind direction between 1 and 8, and that's the number your rolls must be produced with to be compatible with your label applicator. Below is a chart of the industry standards for rewind directions:

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