The products

The part that labels itself

On this page11

Across this shelf the recurring problem is that a part has no identity The automotive blade fuse is the exception and it is a complete one Which means a mixed jar of fuses is workable So the leaf that least needs a labeled container is the one that already has colors The shelf is well set up for both answers And 150 are not clear, which is where the writing goes Using the container color as the sorting key is the obvious next idea Which is a general rule rather than a preference The nine colors on this shelf are therefore best read as a supply fact And that is the same conclusion the spine reaches by a different route References

One leaf of seven needs no label. And 88 of 238 containers are clear.

Across this shelf the recurring problem is that a part has no identity

A body clip does not say which vehicle it fits. A trim retainer does not say its diameter. A hose clamp does not say its range. Whatever the packet said is gone once the packet is.

The automotive blade fuse is the exception and it is a complete one

A blade fuse carries its amperage printed on the body and repeated as a color, and the color coding is consistent enough across the trade to be read at arm’s length.

Which means a mixed jar of fuses is workable

Not ideal, but usable. A mixed jar of body clips is not usable at all, because sorting it requires measuring every part against a part that is already known.

So the leaf that least needs a labeled container is the one that already has colors

And the leaves that most need one are the unmarked plastic parts. Which inverts the usual expectation that the smallest and cheapest part needs the least care.

The shelf is well set up for both answers

Eighty eight of the 238 containers are clear, which lets a color coded fuse be identified through the wall without any label at all. That is the largest single color on the shelf.

And 150 are not clear, which is where the writing goes

44 white, 30 amber, 24 black, 24 natural, and the rest across blue, green, frosted and dark amber. A white or natural wall takes a marker; an amber or black one needs a label on the lid.

Using the container color as the sorting key is the obvious next idea

And it is the one to be careful with, because this document is written for a reader who may not be able to rely on color at all. A color coded set is only a system if every container also carries the value in text.

Which is a general rule rather than a preference

Color as the sole carrier of a distinction fails for a substantial number of readers and fails for everybody under poor light. A shape, a position or a written value alongside it costs nothing and does not.

The nine colors on this shelf are therefore best read as a supply fact

They say how much choice exists, not how a set should be organized. The organizing information belongs in text on the container.

And that is the same conclusion the spine reaches by a different route

Containers used to store used oil must be labeled or marked clearly with the words Used Oil. Two words in text. Not a color, not a symbol, not a position on a shelf.

References

The Davis Pack Supply catalog, measured 19 October 2026. 238 containers and 286 closures, a subset of the 251 and 288 that nine groups share identically. Capacity 15 to 500 mL. 117 PET, 71 polypropylene, 50 glass. Nine colors, of which 88 are clear, 44 white, 30 amber, 24 black and 24 natural. Height 1.25 to 6.745 inches with a median of 2.60, recorded for 224 of 238; diameter 1.062 to 4.625 inches, recorded for 211. Neck finishes 56 at 70-400, 56 at 89-400, 36 at 58-400 and 16 at 53-400. These are outside dimensions.

40 CFR 279.22(c): "(1) Containers and aboveground tanks used to store used oil at generator facilities must be labeled or marked clearly with the words “Used Oil.” (2) Fill pipes used to transfer used oil into underground storage tanks at generator facilities must be labeled or marked clearly with the words “Used Oil.”" law.cornell.edu

Written from 40 CFR 279.22 and from the catalog as it stood on 19 October 2026. That section governs how a used oil generator stores used oil; it does not govern fuses, clips, clamps, bulbs, retainers, caps or valve stems, and it does not reach any container on this shelf. Nothing here says any container may be used to store used oil or any other fluid, and nothing here is guidance about handling or disposing of used oil. No container on this shelf is described as being in any particular condition, because the catalog records a specification and not a state. This shelf is a subset of the store-small-dry shelf and the sewing notions property enumerates that shelf.