What is a red tag in 5S?

A tag that marks an item whose need in the area is in doubt during the sort step of 5S. It records what the item is, where it was found and why it was tagged, and the item goes to a holding area until someone decides what happens to it.

What happens to red-tagged items?

Each one gets a decision by a set date: keep it in the area with a marked place, move it to the area that uses it, store it somewhere else, return it to stores or the supplier, or dispose of it by scrapping, selling or recycling. The log records who decided and when.

How long should items stay in the red tag holding area?

Long enough for an owner to claim an item, short enough that the holding area does not become a new storeroom. Set a fixed period, for example 30 days, and decide on everything still there on that date. The Excel version works out each item's decide-by date from the period you enter.

Who can put a red tag on an item?

Anyone on the 5S team, including the people who work in the area. The tag is about whether the item is needed there, not about who left it. Decisions on expensive equipment or material are usually made by the area owner with purchasing or finance.

What is the difference between a red tag and a maintenance tag?

A 5S red tag marks an item that may not belong in the area. A maintenance tag, or F-tag, marks a problem on a machine, such as a leak or a loose guard, for someone to fix. Some plants use colors for different kinds of tag, so agree the colors before the event.

Free template

5S red tag log and red tags

A red tag marks an item whose need in an area is in doubt during the sort step of 5S. The item gets a tag, goes to a holding area, and by a set date someone decides whether to keep it, move it, store it elsewhere, return it or get rid of it. The red tag log is the list of every tagged item, so nothing sits in the holding area for months and nothing valuable is thrown out by mistake. Page 1 of this template is the log, with the tag number, date, item, quantity, where it was found, category, why it was tagged and the decision. Page 2 has six red tags to print and cut out.

Free to use: print it, copy it and edit it for your team. Enter your name and work email once to download.

Page 1 of the 5S red tag log: header fields for area, 5S event, tagged by, holding area, review date and area owner, keys to the seven categories and five decisions, and a log with columns for tag number, date, item, quantity, where it was found, category, why it was tagged, decision and done. — Red tag logCategory and decision keysHolding area and review dateSix printable red tagsDecide-by dateCounts by decision

When to use it

When to use a red tag log

During the sort step of a 5S event, when a team goes through an area and tags everything it is not sure about.
When a 5S audit scores low on sort, to clear the area again.
Before a layout change or a move, so only what is needed goes to the new area.
On a regular round, for example each quarter, in areas where unneeded items build up again.

How to fill it in

1
Agree the rules before you start
Set the holding area, the review date and who decides on items. Agree what counts as needed, for example used in the last month or needed for the next order.
2
Tag everything in doubt
Walk the area with the tags. Fill one in for each item or batch, give it the next number from the log and fix it where it can be seen.
3
Log it and move it
Write each tag on the log: date, item, quantity, where it was found, category and why it was tagged. Move the item to the holding area unless it is too big to move.
4
Decide by the review date
For each item, circle the decision: keep it with a marked place, move it to the area that uses it, store it, return it to stores or the supplier, or dispose of it.
5
Close each tag
Write who decided and when, carry out the decision and tick done. The Excel version works out the decide-by date and counts open and overdue tags.
6
Use the log for set in order
Items that were kept need a marked home. Items tagged again at the next round point to a source that keeps sending them.

A filled-in example

Illustrative, not a benchmark

An example: a red tag round in a machining cell during a 5S event, with a 30-day holding period set by the area owner.

23 items tagged in two hours, from a spare vise under a bench to four boxes of inserts for a part no longer made.
Categories: 9 tools and fixtures, 6 supplies, 5 material and 3 equipment.
At the review: 4 kept and given a marked place, 6 moved to the cell that uses them, 3 stored in the tool crib, 2 returned to stores and 8 disposed of.
One pallet of castings had no owner. The log showed it had been tagged at the last event too, so the area owner took it up with production control that day.

Every tag had a decision by the review date and the holding area was empty again. The kept items went onto the set in order list, and the castings pallet became an action for production control.

Common mistakes

No review date
Without a date, the holding area turns into a second storeroom. Set it before the first tag goes on.
Tagging without logging
Tags fall off and items get moved. The log is what makes sure each one gets a decision.
Throwing things out on the day
Expensive tools and material deserve a check with the owner, purchasing or finance first. That is what the holding area is for.
Only the 5S team decides
The people who work in the area know what they use. Involve them, or the items come back the week after.
Stopping at sort
Kept items need a marked place, or the area fills up again. Take the log into set in order.

Download the template

Free to use: print it, copy it and edit it for your team. Enter your name and work email once to download.

Run this template in LeanSuite

LeanSuite sustains 5S with scheduled, photo-verified 5S audits: a failed audit line becomes a corrective action with an owner and a due date, and it cannot close without a verification photo.

In the lean glossary

Free tools

All free lean calculators

Guides

FAQ