WRITING RULES (U.S.)

Get ready to write with these basic rules for grammar, semantics, and formatting.

In order to consistently communicate on Henkel Adhesive Technologies, we rely on some basic rules for writing. Consistently creating engaging content is only possible when we follow a common best practice for how to do things with intellectual property, words, digits, punctuation, SEO, and other areas.

Intellectual property (U.S.)

Intellectual property, Rule 1: use ® to indicate a registered trademark with LOCTITE® AQUENCE® , BONDERITE® , TECHNOMELT®, and TEROSON® + (in the US only!) all other US-registered trademarks, as shown in the table below (as of October 2022), in

  1. headlines, titles, and other prominent uses, and
  2. the first time the trademark is used in normal text

Henkel – Adhesives Trademarks – US Registrations

0 SEC. INSTANT GRAB & design

242

3E

404

5900

5910

60SEC & design

ABLESTIK

ACHESON

AEROBOND

ALDOX

ALODINE

APPERTA

AQUENCE

AVIATION

BERGQUIST

BERGQUIST HI-FLOW

BIG FOOT

BIOGUARD

BIPAX

BLACK MAX

BOND-A-MATIC

BONDERITE

BOND-PLY

C-200

C5-A

CAPFIX

CLARITY THAT LASTS

CLEANOX

Click & Fix

CLOVER

Clover Leaf Design

CONTROL

COOL WRAP

COOL-LOK

CORE-TITE

DACREZ

DAG design

DAREX

DAREX (Stylized)

DAREX AEA

DELTACAST

DELTAFORGE

DEOXALUME

DEOXIDINE

DERMA-TAK

DIAL-A-SEAL

DISPOFIX

DISPOMELT

DORUS

DRI-LOC

DTI

DURO

DURO-TAK

EA

EASYFLOW

EASY-PAC

ECCOBOND

EMI-STRATE

EPIX

EPIX & design

EUROMELT

EXTEND

FASTGASKET

FERMADUR

FERMAPOR

FIXMASTER

FIXODINE

FLASHCURE

FORM-A-THREAD

Forscherwelt (Logo - in english "researcher's world")

FREKOTE

FUN-TAK

GAP PAD

GASKET ELIMINATOR

GELVA

GO 2

GO 2 & design

GO 2 REPAIR XTREME

GRANODRAW

HALO

Henkel Qhesive Solutions

HEXAGONAL PRODUCT DESIGN

HIGHROAD

HM-270

HUBB

HUBB HELPING YOU BUILD BUSINESS

HYSOL

INFINITY

INSTANT GRAB

INVISIPRINT

ISOEDGE

KOVER KRACK

LAST-O-COAT

LIFFT

Lighthouse logo

LIGHTHOUSE PRODUCTS

LINEGLUE professional

LINEGUARD

LINEGUARDX

LIOFOL

LIQUI-BOND

LIQUI-FORM

LOCTITE

LOCTITE (Stylized)

LOCTITE INSTANT-MIX

MACROPLAST

MASTER GASKET

MAX

MD & House Design (New Form)

M-D and House Design

MISL

MOLECULE

MULTAN

NACOR

NANOGLUE

NATURAL BLUE

NCS45

NORDBAK

OMBRELLA

OPTAMYL

OSI

OSI and Design

OSI TOUGHER THAN THE ELEMENTS

OSI TOUGHER THAN THE ELEMENTS & DESIGN

OXY-CAST

P3

P3 ALMECO

P3-T

PARCO

PAT GEL

PERFECT FINISH

PERM-COTE (Stylized letters)

PHOTOPLASTIC

PL

PL POLYURETHANE

PL PREMIUM

PL PREMIUM MAX

PL100

PL200

PL300

PL400

PL500

POLYSEAMSEAL

POWER GRAB

PRECISION PEN (Stylized)

PRESSURE PACK

PRITT

PRODUCER

PROLOC

PST

PURBOND

PURFECT GLAZE

PURMELT

PURWELD

Q-PAD

QUAD

QUAD MAX

QUICKSTIX

QUICKTAPE

QUICKTITE

RAIN GUARD

RE-NEW

REPELFLEX

REPELSHELL

RESINOL

RIDOLINE

RIMLEASE

RODINE

ROTOLEASE

RT-600

S.B.R.

SEALLUBE

SELHAMIN

SILICONE 1

SILICONE 2

SIL-PAD

SISTIAGA

SOFTFACE

SOLO

SOLUCRYL

SOLUTIONS THAT CURE

SOLVO-RUST

SONDERHOFF

SONDERHOFF & design

SPEEDPAINT

STIK 'N SEAL

STYCAST

SYNCORE

SYNSPAND

TAK PAK

TECHNOMELT

TECTALIS

TEROSON

THE ORIGINAL THREADLOCKER and Design

THERMEXIT

TISSUE-LAM

TISSUE-LOK

TISSUE-TAK

TITE FOAM

TOBACOLL

TOUCH-N-PREP

TUB & TILE ULTRA & Design

TURCO

TYCEL

U CAN

ULTRAGEL

ULTRA-GUARD

VECTORPATCH

VECTORSEAL

VELOCITY

VIP

VP-275

WHITE MAGIC

WOLO

WORKS WHERE OTHER CONSTRUCTION ADHESIVES WON'T

ZETA

 

 

 

Intellectual property, Rule 2: all trademarks should be shown in a way that distinguishes them from the surrounding text – usually in ALL CAPS, but italics or a different font or color would also be okay.

DO --> LOCTITE threadlocker.

Intellectual property, Rule 3: for LOCTITE (in the US only!) add the ™ symbol next to product numbers. Only in headlines, titles, and other prominent uses

  • DO --> LOCTITE® 690™           

Caveat: some product numbers are registered trademarks (see table above), and should get the ®

Example:

  • DO --> LOCTITE® 242®
  • DO --> LOCTITE® 404® 

Intellectual property, Rule 4: use descriptors

Brand names should always be used as adjectives, not nouns; to avoid the mark losing its distinctiveness, always use a descriptor (e.g., LOCTITE adhesives) 

No plurals – Instead, use the brand with a plural descriptor afterward, and do not make the trademark itself plural.

  • DO --> GAP PAD® thermal interface materials
  • DO --> GAP PAD® brand pads
  • DON’T --> GAP PADs®

Trademarks should refer to the product, not the business

  • DON’T -->  “LOCTITE’s equipment . . .”  or “LOCTITE’s portfolio of glue products.  ” 
  • DO --> “LOCTITE-brand equipment” or “Henkel’s LOCTITE portfolio of glue products.”

 

FYI: 2 key rules for content that is not specific to US

  1. Use ® only with LOCTITE, BONDERITE, TECHNOMELT, TEROSON, AQUENCE
  2. Never use the ™ symbol 

Words

a. Abbreviations and acronyms

If there’s a chance your reader won’t recognize an abbreviation or acronym, spell it out the first time you mention it. Then use the short version for all other references. If the abbreviation isn’t clearly related to the full version, specify it in parentheses.

First use: Technical Data Sheet
Second use: TDS

First use: Pressure Sensitive Adhesive
Second use: PSA

If the abbreviation or acronym is well known, like API or HTML, use it instead and don’t worry about spelling it out.

b. Capitalization

We only capitalize the first letter of the first word, in headlines as well as in body copy.

Do: Differences between threadlocker grades
Don’t: Differences Between Threadlocker Grades

Remember that capitalizing random words in the middle of sentences for emphasis is not allowed.  

Do: Instant adhesives made for a fast and reliable bond
Don’t: Instant Adhesives made for a fast and reliable Bond

c. Contraction of words

Contracted words, also known as contractions, are short words made by putting two words together. Letters are omitted in the contraction and replaced by an apostrophe.

The apostrophe shows where the letters would be if the words were written in full. It’s perfectly acceptable to use contractions. It helps make your copy more direct and builds a relationship with your reader, but do not overdo it. As a rule of thumb, please stick to these examples:

Examples of acceptable contractions
Examples of acceptable contractions

d. Ellipsis

Don’t use ellipsis for emphasis or drama. It’s ok, though, to use ellipsis in brackets to show that you’re omitting words in a quote:

“The opening of our state-of-the-art Songdo plant is a milestone […] for our broad global customer base in electronics with high-impact solutions […]” said Jan-Dirk Auris, Executive Vice President Henkel Adhesive Technologies.

e. Bold

We don’t use bold to amplify a certain message in regular body copy. For that purpose, you should take a step back and re-write your messaging to make it more engaging.

However, using typography as visual support for messaging in headlines is a central part of our branding efforts. Read on for more information about usage of typography.

f. Pronouns

If your subject’s gender is unknown or irrelevant, use “they,” “them,” and “their” as a single pronoun. Use “he/him/his” and “she/her/her” pronouns as appropriate. Don’t use “one” as a pronoun.

Digits

a. Numbers

In general, spell out numbers one through nine and use numerals for numbers larger than that.

Do: Today we launched three adhesives
Do: Today we launched 12 adhesives

However, since our writing can be technical, we may need to break this rule. If you come upon a case where you have two related numbers in the same sentence, you should write them both as numerals if you would write one as a numeral. The idea is to write them the same way when they are in the same sentence.

So even though you would normally write “Today, we launched three adhesives”, you should actually go with numbers in this case: “Today, we launched 3 adhesives that are capable of pulling an 11-ton train”.

b. Dates

In general, we spell out dates to avoid any confusion among countries that order them differently. So: Use the appropriate date arrangement for the country you’re writing for. Even if you order a date improperly, spelling out the month provides clarity to the user so that it won’t be misinterpreted.

Do: January 24, 2023
Do: 24 January, 2023

c. Temperature

Use the degree symbol and the capital F abbreviation for Fahrenheit or capital C for Celsius:

Do: 200° F
Do: 200° C

d. Telephone numbers

Use dashes without spaces between numbers. Always use a country code:

Do: +1-404-123-4569

e. Decimals and fractions

Spell out amounts less than one, using hyphens between the words.

Do: Two-thirds
Don’t: 2/3

Use decimal points when a number can’t be easily written out as a fraction, like 1.375 or 47.2. This is a general rule that doesn’t apply to technical documentation.

f. Percentage

When writing non-technical copy, use figures and spell out the word. As in: “Drone batteries can retain 80% of power capacity when they are changed, so they could be reused instead of recycled in other, less critical applications.”

If you’re beginning a sentence with a percentage, spell out the number as well as percent. As in: “Until now, conventional hotmelt adhesives for packaging have usually contained no more than 50 percent bio-based raw materials.”

Repeat percent with each individual figure. As in: “This corresponds to significant organic sales growth of 7.1 percent compared with the average market expectation of 4.3 percent.”

This is a general rule that doesn’t apply to technical documentation.

g. Money

For numeric amounts, use the symbol for currencies (e.g., €5, £2,000, $10,000). Indicate currency by using its three-letter abbreviation, such as USD for American dollars or CAD for Canadian dollars.

Use the currency symbol and decimal/comma system for larger amounts. For amounts exceeding $1 million, use the $ sign and numerals up to two decimal places. As in: “it is worth $4.45 million.”

h. Time

Use numerals and a.m. or p.m. with a space in between. Don’t use minutes for on-the-hour time.

Do: 7 a.m.
Do: 7.30 p.m.

Use a hyphen between times to indicate a time period. If a time period is entirely in the morning or evening, use a.m. or p.m. only once.

Do: 7 a.m.-10.30 p.m. (morning and evening)
Do: 7-10.30. (only morning)

Always specify time zones.

g. Dashes & Hyphens

Use an em dash (—) without spaces on either side to offset an aside. Use a true em dash, not hyphens.

Use a hyphen (-) without spaces on each side to link words into a single phrase, or to indicate a span or range.

Punctuation

a. Apostrophes

The apostrophe’s most common use is making a word possessive. If the word already ends in an s and it’s singular, you also add an ‘s. If the word ends in an s and is plural, you just add the apostrophe.

Do: The team recommended thread sealants. This met the customer’s needs in every way.
Do: The team recommended thread sealants. This met the customers’ needs in every way.

b. Commas

When writing a list, use the serial comma.

Do: As the market leader in adhesives, sealants, and functional coatings for the automotive industry, Henkel drives automotive designs forward by increasing performance and comfort while reducing vehicle weight.
Don’t: As the market leader in adhesives, sealants and functional coatings for the automotive industry, Henkel drives automotive designs forward by increasing performance and comfort while reducing vehicle weight.

Otherwise, use common sense. If you’re unsure, read the sentence out loud. Where you find yourself taking a pause, use a comma.

c. Colons

Use a colon (rather than an ellipsis, em dash, or comma) to offset a list. As in:
“As already announced in 2021 Loctite has validated several materials on the ETEC Envision One printers, including: Loctite 3D 3955 HDT280 FST, Loctite 3D IND406 HDT100 High Elongation, and Loctite 3D IND402 A70 High Rebound.”

d. Periods

Titles, subtitles, headers and CTA buttons should end without a period. Only exception is ‘WE MAKE IT HAPPEN.’

That always ends with a periodPeriods go inside quotation marks. They go outside parentheses when the parenthetical is part of a larger sentence, and inside the parentheses when the parenthetical stands alone.

Do: “Based on their outstanding problem-solving concept we look forward to eliminating plastic waste and creating a positive impact on the environment.”
Do: “Based on their outstanding problem-solving concept we look forward to eliminating plastic waste (and creating a positive impact on the environment too).”
Do: “Based on their outstanding problem-solving concept we look forward to eliminating plastic waste. (Creating a positive impact on the environment is, of course, another benefit).”

e. Question marks

Question marks go inside quotation marks if they’re part of the quote. Like periods, they go outside parentheses when the parenthetical is part of a larger sentence, and inside the parentheses when the parenthetical stands alone.

f. Quotation marks

Use quotation marks to refer to words and letters, titles of short works (like articles), and direct quotations.

Periods and commas go within quotation marks. Question marks within quotes follow logic—if the question mark is part of the quotation, it goes within. If you’re asking a question that ends with a quote, it goes outside the quote. Use single quotation marks for quotes within quotes.

Do: The CEO said, “This marks the largest single investment in our company’s history.”
Do: The VP said, “You know what they say, ‘Pioneers are the ones who have the courage to go where no one has gone before’.”

g. Dashes & Hyphens

Use an em dash (—) without spaces on either side to offset an aside. Use a true em dash, not hyphens.

Use a hyphen (-) without spaces on each side to link words into a single phrase, or to indicate a span or range.

Do: Increase cost-efficiency without reducing performance
Do: We are leading with high-impact solutions
Do: To reduce failures and optimize production—which should always be an objective—why not switch from a mechanical snap fit to a fast-curing bonding solution?
Do: Potential solutions needed to be fast curing—failure is not an option.

h. Exclamation marks

Use exclamation points sparingly, and never more than once at a time. They’re like high-fives: A well-timed one is great, but too many are annoying.

Exclamation points go inside quotation marks. Like periods and question marks, they go outside parentheses when the parenthetical is part of a larger sentence, and inside parentheses when the parenthetical stands alone.

Never use exclamation points in failure messages or alerts. When in doubt, avoid it.

Use an em dash (—) without spaces on either side to offset an aside. Use a true em dash, not hyphens.

i. Bullet points

Choose formatting based on the average length of the majority of bullet points in the list.
 
•  CASE A) If sentences, end each one with a period (full stop).

•  CASE B) If just one word, a few words or fragments, use no end punctuation.

SEO

a. URL naming

Keep URLs as simple and accurate as possible​.
Keep URLs short and clear.​
Include target keyword(s).​
Use hyphens to separate words.​
Use lower case letters.​
Avoid numbers.

b. Page title

Include target keyword(s) in the beginning of the title.​
Use active language (CTA/Feature).​
Use the brand name.​
Use how, what, why and where.​
Use words that trigger an emotion from the user.​
Keep length between 55-65 characters.​
Keep consistency between SEO title and page content.
Use a unique SEO title for each page.
Avoid ALL CAPS in SEO titles.

c. Meta description

Create a unique meta description, for each page, that summarizes the page content.​
Include target keyword(s).​
Include CTA and brand name.​
Keep the length less than 155 characters.

d. Image filename and alt text

Make image filename short and without spaces and dashes.​
Describe the image with a maximum of 125 characters.​
Select image alt text that reflects the image and keywords.​
Make image filename short and descriptive. Use only hyphens to separate words.
Assign for each image a unique filename.
Use unique images.
Include for each images a specific alt text.
Write a descriptive alt text (imagine having to describe the photo to a blind person).
Keep the alt text length up to 100 characters.

e. Header tags

If possible, include the target keyword in the H1 tag and secondary in H2 tag.​
Only include one H1 tag on the webpage, and it must be placed above any other heading tag.​
If using page H1 as SEO title, make sure to adapt it using active language when possible.

f. Internal links

Use descriptive keywords in anchor text.​
Use natural and relevant links.​
Link deep into your website structure.​
Use a reasonable number of links.​
Keep the internal links opening to the same page and not to a new tab.
Avoid use no-follow links.

g. Body copy

Cover different angles on the topic.​
Include branded and/or target keyword(s) within the first 100 words.​
Keep reuse of content to a minimum to avoid duplicate content.​
Include secondary and other long-tail keywords.​
Avoid keyword stuffing – you are writing to the user and not to a search engine.
Content should match the user’s search intentions and be as in-depth and clarifying as possible

Extra

a. URLs

Capitalize the names of websites and web publications. Don’t italicize.
Avoid spelling out URLs, but when you need to, leave out http://www.

Do: Henkel-adhesives.com
Don’t: Henkel-Adhesives.Com
Don’t: http://www.henkel-adhesives.com

b. File extensions

When referring generally to a file extension type, use all uppercase without a period. Add a lowercase to make plural. As in: GIF, PDF, HTML, JPGs.

When referring to a specific file, the filename should be lowercase. As in: press_release_1.gif

c. Names and titles

The first time you mention a person in writing, refer to them by their first and last names. On all other mentions, refer to them by their first name.

Titles should be capitalized when they immediately precede one or more names.

Do: Executive Vice President Jan-Dirk Auris
Do: Doctors Simone Bagel-Trah and Michael Kaschke

When a title stands alone or is offset from a name by commas, it should be lowercase.

Do: The scientist presented some major breakthroughs.
Do: The engineer, Peter Thompson, invented a brilliant solution.
Do: Carsten Knobel, the chief executive officer, has been at the helm since 2020.

d. States, Cities and Countries

Spell out city and state names. Don’t abbreviate city names.

In the United States, all cities should be accompanied by their state, with the exception of: Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Honolulu, Houston, Indianapolis, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, New Orleans, New York, Oklahoma City, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Salt Lake City, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Washington.

On first mention of a country, write out the full name. On second mention, the commonly accepted abbreviation is fine (European Union, EU; United Kingdom, UK, etc.).

e. Schools

The first time you mention a school, college, or university in a piece of writing, refer to it by its full official name. On all other mentions, use its more common abbreviation.

Do: Heinrich Heine Universität Düsseldorf, HHU
Do: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MIT