Rustoleum Recall: Pink Spray Paint Lot Codes to Check
If you have a can of Rust-Oleum fluorescent pink marking paint in the garage, check the lot code on it before you press the nozzle again. The Rustoleum recall of pink spray paint covers roughly 84,000 cans, and the hazard is not the paint — it is the can. Under pressure, the spray valve assembly and plastic cap can separate from the top of the can with enough force to strike whoever is holding it.
This page covers exactly which cans are affected, the two lot codes to look for, how to get your money back, and how to dispose of a can you are not comfortable using. It also covers the part nobody explains: how to identify a compromised aerosol can generally, because this is not the only recall Rust-Oleum has issued and it will not be the last.
What Is the Rustoleum Pink Spray Paint Recall?
The recall covers Rust-Oleum Professional Fluorescent Pink Inverted Marking Spray Paint — the upside-down can used for marking utility lines, survey points, and sports field layouts. It is not the general-purpose pink spray paint sold for craft and furniture work, which is a separate product line and is not part of this action.
- Units: about 84,000 cans
- Sold: April 2023 through July 2023, for around $10
- Where: Home Depot, Lowe’s, Menards, hardware stores nationwide, and online at Amazon, homedepot.com and Lowes.com
- CPSC recall number: 23-298
Rust-Oleum reported five incidents in which the spray valve assembly and plastic cap detached with force and paint splattered. No injuries were reported at the time of the announcement. You can read the notice directly on the CPSC recall page and on Rust-Oleum’s own recall information page. Always verify against those two sources rather than any article, this one included — recall details get updated and secondhand summaries go stale.
Why the Rustoleum Pink Paint Was Recalled
An aerosol can is a pressure vessel. The valve assembly is crimped into the top and the propellant inside sits at several times atmospheric pressure — that is what pushes the paint out. If the crimp is not seated correctly during manufacture, internal pressure can work the assembly loose and eventually launch it, with the plastic cap, off the top of the can.
Inverted marking cans make this worse in one specific way. They are designed to be sprayed upside down, so the operator is usually holding the can at arm’s length pointing down at the ground, standing directly over it, with their face above the valve. That is the least forgiving possible geometry for a component that might come off under pressure. It is also why the hazard is classed as an impact injury rather than a chemical one.
How to Identify Affected Cans
The lot code is the only reliable identifier. It is printed on the can — check the bottom and the shoulder, since placement varies between production runs. Two codes are affected:
| Lot code | Where it was sold |
|---|---|
| S34052 | Lowe’s |
| S34054 | Home Depot, Menards, hardware stores, Amazon and other online retailers |
The can itself is fluorescent pink with a fluorescent pink plastic lid. If the printing on the bottom of your can has been scuffed off by concrete — which happens constantly with marking cans that live in the back of a truck — treat it as affected and claim the refund. A $10 can is not worth the guess.
What to Do if You Have a Recalled Can
- Stop using it. Do not shake it, do not test it outdoors “carefully”, and do not try to relieve the pressure by spraying it empty. Spraying is the exact condition under which the valve assembly comes off.
- Cap it and stand it upright somewhere cool and out of direct sun. Heat raises internal pressure, and a can left on a dashboard in July is a meaningfully worse proposition than the same can in a shaded garage.
- Contact Rust-Oleum for a full refund at recall@rustoleum.com or on (800) 908-4050, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Central, Monday to Friday. Photograph the lot code before you send anything — it speeds the claim considerably.
- Follow their disposal instructions rather than your own. A pressurised aerosol does not go in household waste and must never go in a compactor truck. Rust-Oleum will tell you what they want done with it as part of the refund process.
If you end up with the can on your hands and need a general route for it, your municipal household hazardous waste day is the right channel — the same one I describe for leftover cans in how to recycle paint. Aerosols are handled separately from liquid latex at most drop-off sites, so say what you are bringing when you arrive.
How to Spot a Failing Aerosol Can Before It Fails
This is the part worth keeping after the recall is old news. I go through a lot of rattle cans, and there are four warning signs I have learned to take seriously:
- A hiss when nothing is pressed. Any sound from a can at rest means propellant is escaping past the valve. Stop there.
- Paint weeping around the base of the nozzle. Not overspray on the cap — wet paint seeping from the crimp itself. That is the seal, not the spray.
- A domed or bulging bottom. The concave base of an aerosol is a pressure-relief design feature. If it has pushed outward flat or convex, the can is over-pressurised. Do not carry it inside.
- Dents on the shoulder or side seam. A dent anywhere near the crimp compromises the geometry holding the valve in. I bin dented cans; they cost less than a trip to urgent care.
The habit that costs nothing: never spray with the can pointed at your own face, which with inverted marking cans means standing beside the mark rather than straddling it. And wear eye protection with aerosols — not because the paint is dangerous, but because splatter at pressure is. The respirator side of this is covered in my guide to respirators for painting.
What This Means if You Paint for a Living
Marking paint is a trade product, so the people most exposed to this recall are utility locators, surveyors, landscapers, and groundskeepers — the crowd who buy it by the case and burn through it. If that is you, check the whole case, not the can you happen to be holding. Cases are filled from a single production run, so if one can carries an affected lot code the rest almost certainly do too.
It is also worth pointing out that this is a manufacturing defect in a single production run, not a verdict on the brand. Rust-Oleum has issued recalls before — a galvanizing compound spray in 2021 where can bottoms were detaching, CPSC number 21-060 — and a company that catches five incidents and pulls 84,000 cans is a company whose reporting is working. The failure mode I would actually worry about is the recall nobody notices, which is why the CPSC recall database is worth a two-minute search whenever you buy a case of anything pressurised.
Alternatives While You Wait for the Refund
For high-visibility marking, any inverted marking can from a different lot or manufacturer does the same job — fluorescent pink is a colour standard, not a Rust-Oleum product. For general spray work in pink, the recall has no bearing on the standard Painter’s Touch line, which is a different can format entirely. If the surface is plastic rather than turf or concrete, prime accordingly — see the best spray paint for plastic — and if you want the colour to hold outdoors, a clear coat over the top is the difference between one season and three.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which Rustoleum pink spray paint was recalled?
Rust-Oleum Professional Fluorescent Pink Inverted Marking Spray Paint, in lot codes S34052 and S34054, sold between April and July 2023. General-purpose pink spray paint from Rust-Oleum is a different product line and is not covered.
Where is the lot code on a Rust-Oleum can?
Printed on the bottom of the can, and sometimes on the shoulder near the crimp. It begins with an S followed by five digits. If concrete dust has worn the printing off, assume it is affected and claim the refund.
What is the hazard with the recalled cans?
The spray valve assembly and plastic cap can detach from the can with force during use, striking the user and splattering paint. It is an impact hazard, not a chemical or toxicity one. Five incidents were reported and no injuries at the time of the announcement.
How do I get a refund for recalled Rust-Oleum spray paint?
Email recall@rustoleum.com or call (800) 908-4050 between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Central, Monday to Friday. You do not need a purchase receipt in most recall claims, but you will need the lot code, so photograph it first.
Can I just use up the can carefully instead?
No. Spraying is precisely the condition under which the valve assembly fails, and the can is worth about $10 against a refund you are entitled to. There is no careful way to use a pressure vessel with a defective crimp.
How do you dispose of a recalled aerosol paint can?
Follow the manufacturer’s instructions from the refund process first. Failing that, take it to a household hazardous waste facility and declare it as a pressurised aerosol. Never put it in household waste, never puncture it, and never leave it anywhere it can get hot.
Are other Rust-Oleum products affected?
Not under this recall, which is limited to the two marking-paint lot codes. A separate 2021 recall covered Professional Bright Galvanizing Compound Spray, product number 7584838, batch code H0304A, where can bottoms were detaching. Check the CPSC database for anything current.
The Short Version
Check the bottom of the can for lot code S34052 or S34054. If it matches, stop using it, cap it, keep it cool, and call (800) 908-4050 for a refund. Verify anything you read here against the CPSC notice before you act on it.
Working through other projects in the meantime? My guides to the best paint for kitchen cabinets and the best paint for a bathroom ceiling pick up where this leaves off.
About the author: Sophie Ulman has renovated and painted more rooms than she can count — and made every mistake in the book so you don’t have to. She focuses on real-world durability: not how products perform on day one, but whether the repair holds through a full seasonal cycle.
Recall details verified against the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission notice (recall number 23-298) and Rust-Oleum’s official recall page. Last checked 6 August 2026. ThePaintly is reader-supported. We only recommend products we’ve personally evaluated. When you buy through links on this site, we may earn an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you.
