Dishwasher-safe
The maker says the item may be washed in a dishwasher. When the water covers the whole drawing, Finish reads it as probably fine on either rack.
Market convention
This symbol is a market convention: no law or public standard defines the drawing, so each maker draws its own and the meaning is whatever that maker says it is. This page follows 5 makers’ and retailers’ own keys.
- What it looks like
- Plates, glasses or both under falling drops or slanting lines of water, usually inside a square that stands for the machine. Whirlpool lists four common versions: a wine glass with drops, one large and one small dish, a single plate in a rack, and plates with ‘top rack’ written by them.
- Other names
- dishwasher safe symbol; dishwasher proof; plates in water symbol; glass with water droplets symbol
What it does not promise
Dishwasher-safe does not promise that decoration, gilding or colour survives many cycles, nor that any programme is fine: Royal Doulton, for example, says items marked dishwasher safe should go on ‘a gentle low temperature wash cycle, with a liquid / gel detergent’. It says nothing about which rack unless the symbol or words say so, and nothing about microwave or oven use.
Where makers differ
Every maker draws its own. Finish says ‘there’s no universally approved dishwasher safe symbol’ and ‘the phrase “dishwasher safe” isn’t a standard claim’ — each company sets its own process and standards. Stellar puts a plate and a glass under a spray in a circle; Mepal puts drops over two plates in a square. Some versions add a maximum water temperature.
Often confused with
The maker says the item may be machine-washed, but only in the upper rack. The top rack is further from the heating element at the bottom of most machines, so it stays cooler.
More dishwasher and washing up symbols
Sources
No law defines this symbol, so the meaning is taken from makers’ and retailers’ own pages. Those marked as showing the icon draw or describe it; the others add conditions. Each was fetched and read on the date shown:
- Finish (Reckitt) : Dishwasher safe symbols explained — ‘There's no universally approved dishwasher safe symbol that manufacturers are required to put on dishes and glassware’; typically the symbol ‘looks like a square box with some plates or glasses (or both) inside it’ with ‘water droplets or diagonal lines’; ‘the phrase “dishwasher safe” isn’t a standard claim’. Checked 2026-09-24.
- Whirlpool : Dishwasher Safe & Other Tableware Symbols — ‘Currently, there is no universally recognized symbol that indicates that a dish, pot or glass is dishwasher safe.’ Shows four common icons: a glass with water droplets, two dishes being washed, a single dish with droplets, and plates with written direction to wash on the top rack. Checked 2026-09-24.
- Mepal : What do the symbols and specifications on a product mean? — Shows ‘safe/not safe for dishwashers’: water drops over two plates in a square. ‘This symbol indicates if and how you should clean the product in the dishwasher.’ Checked 2026-09-24.
- Stellar : Stellar Cookware Buying Guide — the Stellar cookware symbols — Its symbol key shows ‘Dishwasher Safe’ as a plate and a glass under a spray, in a circle, and says cookware symbols ‘aren’t universal and will differ across’ makers. Checked 2026-09-24.
- Nordic Houseware Group : Understanding Symbols — Shows a ‘Dishwasher Safe’ icon: ‘The product is approved for dishwasher use.’ Checked 2026-09-24.
- Royal Doulton: Care Guide — ‘Items marked dishwasher safe can be washed in a dishwasher using a gentle low temperature wash cycle, with a liquid / gel detergent.’ No icon is shown. Checked 2026-09-24.
Written in our own words; quotations are the sources’ wording.