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The marks on the underside of a dish, the base of a pan and the back of a cosmetics jar. Grouped because they are read in the same moment — someone holding the object, deciding whether it can go in a machine — and because the group makes visible the thing that matters most about them: they sit side by side and carry completely different legal weight. The glass-and-fork mark is defined in EU law and the period-after-opening mark is required by it, while microwave-safe, dishwasher-safe, freezer-safe, oven-safe and induction marks are not standardised at all. Each record says which it is in its first line rather than in a footnote.
A wine glass and a fork, marking material safe for food contact.
Wavy lines, or a dish beneath them, indicating microwave use.
Plates or glasses under falling water, indicating dishwasher use.
A snowflake, indicating suitability for freezing.
A stylised oven, or a temperature figure, indicating oven use.
A coil or spiral, indicating cookware works on induction.
An open jar with a number and M, giving months of use after opening.