diff --git a/pkg/server/container_create.go b/pkg/server/container_create.go
index 14a2bcf72..8b5b4bcc7 100644
--- a/pkg/server/container_create.go
+++ b/pkg/server/container_create.go
@@ -223,6 +223,7 @@ func (c *criContainerdService) CreateContainer(ctx context.Context, r *runtime.C
 	if seccompSpecOpts != nil {
 		specOpts = append(specOpts, seccompSpecOpts)
 	}
+	containerLabels := buildLabels(config.Labels, containerKindContainer)
 
 	opts = append(opts,
 		containerd.WithSpec(spec, specOpts...),
@@ -232,7 +233,7 @@ func (c *criContainerdService) CreateContainer(ctx context.Context, r *runtime.C
 				Runtime:       c.config.ContainerdConfig.RuntimeEngine,
 				RuntimeRoot:   c.config.ContainerdConfig.RuntimeRoot,
 				SystemdCgroup: c.config.SystemdCgroup}), // TODO (mikebrow): add CriuPath when we add support for pause
-		containerd.WithContainerLabels(map[string]string{containerKindLabel: containerKindContainer}),
+		containerd.WithContainerLabels(containerLabels),
 		containerd.WithContainerExtension(containerMetadataExtension, &meta))
 	var cntr containerd.Container
 	if cntr, err = c.client.NewContainer(ctx, id, opts...); err != nil {
diff --git a/pkg/server/helpers.go b/pkg/server/helpers.go
index 6079df0fe..cbf3d887e 100644
--- a/pkg/server/helpers.go
+++ b/pkg/server/helpers.go
@@ -381,3 +381,13 @@ func isInCRIMounts(dst string, mounts []*runtime.Mount) bool {
 func filterLabel(k, v string) string {
 	return fmt.Sprintf("labels.%q==%q", k, v)
 }
+
+// buildLabel builds the labels from config to be passed to containerd
+func buildLabels(configLabels map[string]string, containerType string) map[string]string {
+	labels := make(map[string]string)
+	for k, v := range configLabels {
+		labels[k] = v
+	}
+	labels[containerKindLabel] = containerType
+	return labels
+}
diff --git a/pkg/server/sandbox_run.go b/pkg/server/sandbox_run.go
index 7785487f6..9c7e977a6 100644
--- a/pkg/server/sandbox_run.go
+++ b/pkg/server/sandbox_run.go
@@ -143,12 +143,14 @@ func (c *criContainerdService) RunPodSandbox(ctx context.Context, r *runtime.Run
 		specOpts = append(specOpts, seccompSpecOpts)
 	}
 
+	sandboxLabels := buildLabels(config.Labels, containerKindSandbox)
+
 	opts := []containerd.NewContainerOpts{
 		containerd.WithSnapshotter(c.config.ContainerdConfig.Snapshotter),
 		customopts.WithImageUnpack(image.Image),
 		containerd.WithNewSnapshot(id, image.Image),
 		containerd.WithSpec(spec, specOpts...),
-		containerd.WithContainerLabels(map[string]string{containerKindLabel: containerKindSandbox}),
+		containerd.WithContainerLabels(sandboxLabels),
 		containerd.WithContainerExtension(sandboxMetadataExtension, &sandbox.Metadata),
 		containerd.WithRuntime(
 			c.config.ContainerdConfig.Runtime,