Top rack only
The item can go in the dishwasher, but only in the top rack.
Easily confused with
How to read it
Like the other dishwasher marks, this is the maker’s own icon, not a standard. Whirlpool describes it as one or two plates being washed in a dishwasher, with written directions to use the top rack. The reason it gives is distance from the heated dry element at the bottom of the machine, because some tableware is made of materials that high temperatures can damage. Pyrex prints the same limit for its plastic covers (“Top Rack only”), while its glassware is plain dishwasher safe.
Also searched as: top rack dishwasher safe symbol, top rack only symbol, top shelf dishwasher safe.
These describe what each mark means and who defines it. Most are makers’ own icons rather than a standard, and the same mark can mean slightly different things on different brands. What a particular dish, pan or container can be used for is set by its maker, in its care and use instructions.
When the plain dishwasher mark means top rack
Not every maker draws a separate top rack mark. Sistema says all its products with the dishwasher safe symbol can be washed on the top rack, so on its containers the plain mark already carries the limit.
Read next
- Next in Kitchenware symbolsNot dishwasher safeThe item is not meant to go in a dishwasher: the maker means it to be washed by hand.
- The same shape in Coin gradesAG (about good)AG stands for about good: a very heavily worn coin that falls just short of good, with the rims worn into the lettering. It is a single grade on the 70-point Sheldon scale, AG 3.
More kitchenware symbols
The same shape elsewhere
Browse symbols drawn with circles, letters and numbers or squares and rectangles.
Sources
- Dishwasher safe and other tableware symbols, Whirlpool Corporation, 4. Dishwasher safe on top rack
- FAQs, Sistema Plastics, Are products dishwasher safe?
- Frequently Asked Questions, Carlisle Transportation Products (The Carlstar Group), Can I wash my plastic covers in the dishwasher?
Researched, edited and approved by Rory Hansen before publishing. Last reviewed October 9, 2026. How we research
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