What information does the orange approval label on an i-Size seat show?

What information does the orange approval label on an i-Size seat show?

Every child car seat approved for use in the UK carries a small orange label. It is the approval mark required by the United Nations regulation the seat was tested to, and GOV.UK's Child car seats: the law says a seat can only be used here if it carries a label showing a capital 'E' in a circle and either 'R129' or 'ECE R44'. For a second-hand seat it is the one document the seller cannot lose, because it is bonded or moulded onto the shell.

UN Regulation No. 129 paragraph 5.4 sets out what the mark must contain. Below is a real label as reproduced on Britax Römer's recall-check site for the BABY-SAFE 5Z infant carrier, decoded line by line.

GOV.UK: "Only approved height-based child car seats can be used in the UK. These have a label showing a capital 'E' in a circle and 'R129'." The same page says weight-based seats must carry a capital 'E' in a circle and 'ECE R44'.

How do I read the label field by field?

Take these in order and photograph each one. You need every field later: model name and approval number for a recall search, the range for your child, the category for your car.

1. 1
   Find the E in a circle Without it the seat has no approval you can rely on. Note the number next to the E: it is the national authority that approved the seat. RoSPA records that the UK's number is 11, but it does not have to be 11 for the seat to be used here.
2. 2
   Read the regulation line Look for 'UN Regulation No. 129' (or 'R129') followed by a slash and two digits, or 'ECE R44/04'. Under UN Regulation No. 129 paragraph 5.2, the series after the slash tells you which version of the test the seat passed.
3. 3
   Read the category words 'i-Size universal ISOFIX' means any i-Size seating position in the car manual; 'Specific vehicle' of any kind means you must find the seat in the maker's approved-vehicle list first. 'Universal belted' means three-point belt fitting in a universal position.
4. 4
   Read the child range R129 prints centimetres, for example 40 cm – 105 cm, plus a maximum weight in kilograms. R44 prints a weight group, for example Group 0+ 0–13 kg. Measure your child; do not rely on age.
5. 5
   Copy the approval number and model name These identify the approved type. Compare them with the manual's certification page and use them, with the batch or serial, when you check recall records.
6. 6
   Look for the year of production UN Regulation No. 129 paragraph 4.2 requires the restraint itself (not the harness) to be 'marked clearly and indelibly with the year of production'. It may be on the same label, on a separate white barcode label or moulded into the plastic.

Where is the orange approval label usually found on a used car seat?

UN Regulation No. 129 requires the approval particulars to be 'clearly legible and indelible', affixed by label or direct marking and 'resistant to wear' (paragraph 5.6), and the i-Size marking to be 'permanently visible to someone installing the Child Restraint System in a vehicle' (paragraph 4.6). In practice makers put it where it will not rub against the child or the car seat fabric.

So on an infant carrier, turn it over first. On a toddler or rotating seat, check the back and underside of the shell and the exposed plastic where the cover lifts at the edge. A base has its own label on its underside, separate from the seat's. If a seller sends photos, ask for the underside before anything else.

How can I tell whether the label says R129 or R44?

Both labels are orange and both carry the E in a circle, so colour tells you nothing. Three fields separate them.

• The regulation line. 'UN Regulation No. 129/xx' or 'R129' is an i-Size-era seat. 'ECE R44/04' (or R44.04, sometimes R44/03) is a weight-based seat. GOV.UK names both as approved for use.
• The child range. Centimetres with a maximum kilogram figure means R129. A 'Group' number with a kilogram band (0+, 1, 2, 3) means R44. GOV.UK publishes the R44 group table; RoSPA's i-Size page explains that R129 'uses the child's height to determine if the seat fits the child, rather than their weight'.
• The category words. 'i-Size universal ISOFIX', 'Universal belted', 'Specific vehicle belted' or 'i-Size booster seat' are R129 wording. R44 labels use 'Universal', 'Semi-universal' or 'Vehicle specific' without the i-Size logo.

UN Regulation No. 129 paragraph 5.2 also says a seat approved under R129 'shall not bear another approval mark according to Regulation No. 44'. If you see two orange labels they will usually be two R129 approvals, one for belt fitting and one for the base. What the two standards change for a used purchase is in used R129 i-Size vs R44 car seat.

Which label details must match the seat, base and instruction manual?

A used seat often arrives as a bundle: shell, base, inserts, a manual from somewhere. The label is how you check the bundle is one approved system rather than three sellers' leftovers.

If the manual is missing, RoSPA's FAQ says to check the maker's website, where 'many publish copies of their instruction manuals'. You need the exact model name from the label to find the right one.

What should I do if the approval label is missing or unreadable?

Treat a seat with no legible E mark as a seat you cannot show is approved. GOV.UK's wording is that only seats with the label can be used; RoSPA's second-hand checklist ends with 'look for the E mark'. Britax Römer's FAQ lists lost 'parts, labels and instructions' as one of the reasons it does not recommend a second-hand seat with an unknown history.

A seller cannot simply print a new one. UN Regulation No. 129 paragraph 5.7 says approval labels 'may be issued either by the Type Approval Authority which has granted the approval or, subject to that Type Approval Authority's authorization, by the manufacturer'. A reprinted label has no standing; a label peeled off and stuck back is a reason to ask what else has changed.

Sun-faded labels are common on seats left in cars. If you can still read the E number, regulation line and range, the label does its job. If any of those three is gone, so is your evidence.

In shortRead the label before you read the listing: E in a circle, R129 or R44/04, a range that fits your child, a category your car manual allows, a model name that matches the manual and base. Copy the approval number and year for a recall check. A missing or unreadable label ends the conversation; whether any second-hand seat should go in your car is a judgement GOV.UK and RoSPA both start from 'do not'.