Fertilizer label requirements: what every package must show

Every fertilizer package must show the brand and grade, a guaranteed analysis, the name and address of the company that guarantees it, and the net weight. Specialty products sold for home, lawn and garden use also need directions for use, and most states expect a "derived from" statement listing the nutrient sources. AAPFCO's model rules set that baseline, and states add their own requirements on top, such as a heavy-metals statement or turf restrictions.

The baseline: AAPFCO's five label elements

The Association of American Plant Food Control Officials (AAPFCO) is the body of state fertilizer regulators that writes the model fertilizer law most states adopt. Its Product Label Guide says every fertilizer label must have five elements:

1. Brand and grade. The brand is the name, design or trademark, and it must not be misleading. The grade is total nitrogen, available phosphate (P2O5) and soluble potash (K2O), in the same order and percentages as the guaranteed analysis, such as 10-10-10. Mixed fertilizers use whole numbers. Specialty fertilizers may use fractional units for amounts under 1%. Nothing other than N, P2O5 and K2O belongs in the grade. Minnesota and Washington don't require a grade when no primary nutrients are claimed.
2. Guaranteed analysis. This is the minimum percentage of each nutrient you claim, in a set order and format (see below).
3. Directions for use. Specialty fertilizer labels need directions that include recommended application rates.
4. Name and address of the registrant. This is the person or company responsible for the guarantees.
5. Net weight. AAPFCO says products are labeled and sold by net weight stated in both U.S. and metric units.

A sixth element is close to universal. AAPFCO's model bill doesn't require a derivation ("derived from") statement, but if you include one it must sit below the guaranteed analysis. Minnesota's statute requires a derivatives statement on specialty fertilizer, and California and Washington require one too.

The guaranteed analysis, in order

Primary nutrients come first, always as Total Nitrogen (N), Available Phosphate (P2O5) and Soluble Potash (K2O), in that order. AAPFCO's model label then lists any other guaranteed nutrients on an elemental basis in this order: calcium, magnesium, sulfur, boron, chlorine, cobalt, copper, iron, manganese, molybdenum, nickel, sodium and zinc. The "derived from" statement follows.

Here is how a small bag might read. The secondary nutrients and sources are placeholders:

Example Garden Food 10-10-10

GUARANTEED ANALYSIS
Total Nitrogen (N) ......................... 10%
Available Phosphate (P2O5) ................. 10%
Soluble Potash (K2O) ....................... 10%
Sulfur (S) ................................. x%
Iron (Fe) .................................. x%

Derived from: [list each nutrient source]

Rules that trip people up:

• No zero guarantees. A nutrient you don't guarantee is left off. Don't list it at 0%.
• Minimum guarantees for secondary nutrients and micronutrients. AAPFCO lists the lowest amounts it accepts for registration, shown in the table below. The minimums don't apply to water-soluble nutrients in ready-to-use foliar or specialty liquid fertilizers or hydroponic and continuous liquid feed products, or to guarantees for potting, garden and lawn soils.
• Forms of nitrogen go under Total Nitrogen when you claim them or a state requires them. Slow-release claims go in a footnote that names the slowly available source.
• Chelated nutrients are guaranteed with the chelating agent named in the "derived from" statement.
• Beneficial substances, such as humic acids or microbes, go under a separate heading: "ALSO CONTAINS BENEFICIAL SUBSTANCES."

The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) adds a related rule. If your label talks up a nutrient outside the guaranteed analysis, for example the benefits of sulfur, you should guarantee that nutrient.

Your website and listings count as labeling

The label is what's on the package. "Labeling" is broader. AAPFCO's definition covers any written, printed, graphic or electronic communication used to promote the sale of the fertilizer. Virginia's statute names internet content outright, and the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) warns that claims on your website are enforceable labeling. AAPFCO also says products sold only online must still meet each state's licensing, registration and labeling rules.

For a brand selling on Amazon or Shopify, that means listing copy should match the registered label. Claims on a product page are labeling too, so they need the same support as claims on the bag. More in selling fertilizer on Amazon and Shopify.

State add-ons

Heavy-metals statements

• Oregon (OAR 603-059-0055) requires one of three statements telling buyers where to find the product's metals data: a registrant-run site, the Oregon Department of Agriculture site, or AAPFCO's hosted address. A product without one is mislabeled.
• California (3 CCR 2302 and 2303) requires a metals statement on products that guarantee iron, manganese, zinc or phosphates from inorganic sources, pointing to a toll-free number or a website. CDFA calls the AAPFCO metals web address the most uniform choice across states. If you use it, you must also submit a nine-metal lab analysis.
• Washington's label checklist includes a heavy-metals statement.

Details are in heavy metals and fertilizer registration.

Turf and phosphorus statements

• Pennsylvania (3 Pa.C.S. §§ 6804–6805): fertilizer labeled for turf must contain at least 20% enhanced-efficiency nitrogen and no phosphorus unless it is natural organic or organic-based, and it needs application-restriction statements. Products labeled for indoor use, potted plants, growing media or aquatic settings are exempt from those statements. Non-turf products need them only at 40 lb or more.
• New Jersey (N.J.S.A. 4:9-15.8a, 15.13 and 15.13a): consumer specialty fertilizers labeled for turf face nitrogen and phosphorus limits and a mandatory best-management statement. Non-turf garden and houseplant products are not covered.

More in phosphorus lawn fertilizer laws.

Organic claims

• California: a conventional product may say "organic" only if 100% of it is carbon-containing, and "organic-based" if 50% or more comes from organic sources. If you use "organic" (other than "organic matter") on a product that isn't registered as an organic input material, the label must show a "not for use in organic crop and organic food production" statement on the main display panel, worded exactly as in 3 CCR 2320.4.
• Washington: a product made entirely of natural organic materials may say "100% natural organic." Partly organic products must state the actual percentage. WSDA rejects labels with false organic claims.

Placement and format

• Minnesota (Minn. Stat. 18C.215) requires the label information on the front or back of the container, the upper third of a side, the upper end, or a tag attached to the upper end.
• Washington won't accept nutrients tacked onto the grade, such as "5-4-4+3S." Put the extra nutrient in the product name ("with 3% Sulfur") and keep the grade to N-P-K.
• Minnesota has also required since January 1, 2026 that each specialty product's registration declare whether it contains intentionally added PFAS, more than 500 ppm arsenic, or genetically engineered organisms. These go on the application, not the label.

Why labels get sent back

Few agencies publish why labels fail, but some say plainly what they refuse. CDFA's guide says that "less than one tenth of the labels received are ready for approval" without revisions or more data. Among the problems official sources name:

• Undefined or misleading terms. CDFA doesn't allow "Balanced" or "Complete," because neither has an official definition. It also doesn't currently accept guarantees for fulvic acids or organic acids.
• Derivation statement errors. CDFA prohibits abbreviated chemical names, trade names and trademarks in the "derived from" statement, and the statement must come right after the last nutrient guarantee.
• Zero guarantees, or guarantees below the minimums.
• Claims you don't guarantee. AAPFCO's guide sums it up: anything you claim, you must guarantee. Its policy on specialty products also bars labels that stress how many gallons a dilution makes, and any extravagant or misleading claims.
• Unapproved "biostimulant" wording. Since January 1, 2025, California has allowed the defined term "plant biostimulant," but not the shorthand "biostimulant," and only for products that contain humic acid, seaweed extract or kelp extract.
• Changing a registered label without approval. In California, changes to the guaranteed analysis, derivation statement, product name or ingredient list need a new registration submission. In Washington, a change to the brand, product name, grade, guaranteed analysis or company name makes it a new product.

AAPFCO and the Minnesota Department of Agriculture both suggest having labels reviewed before you print. Minnesota also notes that extra information on a label can bring extra labeling requirements.

A pre-print checklist

1. Brand and grade match the guaranteed analysis exactly.
2. Nutrients appear in the standard order, with no zeros and nothing below the minimums.
3. A "derived from" statement sits directly below the guaranteed analysis and uses common chemical names.
4. Directions for use give application rates. Minnesota asks for pounds per 1,000 sq ft or the area the container covers.
5. The guarantor's name and address appear. In California, put "Guaranteed by:" before the guarantor if a manufacturer is also named.
6. Net weight is shown in U.S. and metric units, with volume for liquids where the state asks.
7. Any heavy-metals statement, turf statements or organic disclaimer is included for the states you sell into.
8. Website and marketplace copy match the label.

As of October 2026, these are the published requirements. Confirm current label rules with each state agency before you print or file.

Sources

• AAPFCO Product Label Guide and AAPFCO Labeling Guidelines
• Minn. Stat. 18C.215, fertilizer labeling, Minn. Stat. 18C.411, registration, MDA Specialty Fertilizer Product Label and MDA Specialty Fertilizer Registration
• CDFA Conventional Fertilizing Materials Licensing, Registration and Labeling Guide (Rev. 05.26.26)
• WSDA Fertilizer Label Requirements and WSDA Fertilizer Registration Guidance Document
• OAR chapter 603, division 59, Oregon fertilizer rules
• Va. Code § 3.2-3600, definitions
• 3 Pa.C.S. Chapter 68, Pennsylvania fertilizer law
• N.J.S.A. 4:9-15.1 et seq., New Jersey Commercial Fertilizer and Soil Conditioner Act