Hazmat Classes and Divisions

Explosives

Hazard Class One

Explosives 1.1

Class 1.1 explosives present a mass explosion hazard. A mass explosion is one that affects almost the entire load instantaneously. Examples include:

dynamite

mines

wetted mercury fulminate

Explosives 1.2

Class 1.2 explosives present a projection hazard, but not a mass explosion hazard. Examples include:

detonation cord

rockets (with bursting charge)

flares

fireworks

Explosives 1.3

Class 1.3 explosives are those that predominantly present a fire hazard and either a minor blast hazard, a minor projection hazard, or both, but they have no mass explosion hazard. Examples include:

liquid-fueled rocket motors

smokeless powder

practice grenades

aerial flares

Explosives 1.4

Class 1.4 explosives are those that present no significant hazard beyond the package in the event of ignition or initiation during transport. Examples include:

signal cartridges

cap type primers

igniter fuses

fireworks

Explosives 1.5

Class 1.5 explosives are those with a mass explosion hazard, but that are so insensitive that the probability of initiation or transition from burning to explosion during normal transport is very unlikely. An example of this type of explosive is a mixture of prilled ammonium nitrate fertilizer or fuel oil (ANFO) mixtures and blasting agents.

Explosives 1.6

Class 1.6 explosives consist of extremely insensitive materials with no mass explosion hazard. This division is comprised of articles that contain only extremely insensitive detonating substances and that demonstrate a negligible probability of accidental initiation or propagation. Examples include low vulnerability military weapons.

Gas

Hazard Class Two

Gas 2.1

Class 2.1 materials are flammable gases. Examples include:

compressed hydrogen

isobutene

methane

propane

Gas 2.2

Class 2.2 materials are non-flammable, non-toxic gases. Examples include:

carbon dioxide

helium

compressed neon

refrigerated liquid nitrogen

cryogenic agron

Gas 2.3

Class 2.3 materials are toxic gases. These gases are known or presumed to be so toxic to humans as to pose a health hazard during transportation.

Examples include:

cyanide

diphosgene

germane

phosphine

selenium hexafluoride

hydrocyanic acid

Flammable/Combustible Liquids

Hazard Class 3

Flammable Liquid

A liquid having a flash point of not more than 140ºF (60ºC) or a material in a liquid phase with a flash point at or above 100ºF (37.8ºC) is considered flammable. Examples of flammable liquids include:

gasoline

methyl alcohol

acetone

Combustible Liquid

A combustible liquid is a liquid having a flash point above 140ºF (60ºC) and below 200ºF (93ºC). Fuel oil #6 is an example of a combustible liquid.

Solids

Hazard Class 4

Flammable Solids

Class 4.1 consists of flammable solids that may be:

wetted explosives — wetted with sufficient water, alcohol, or plasticizer to suppress explosive properties

self-reactive materials — at normal or elevated temperature, may undergo decomposition caused by excessively high transport temperatures or by contamination

readily combustible solids — could cause a fire through friction and metal powders that can be ignited

Examples include:

phosphorus heptasulfide

paraformaldehyde

magnesium alloys

Spontaneously Combustible Materials

Class 4.2 consists of spontaneously combustible materials including:

pyrophoric materials — liquids or solids that can ignite within five minutes after coming in contact with air, even in small quantities and without an external ignition source

self-heating materials — likely to self-heat without an energy supply when they come into contact with air

Examples include:

sodium and potassium sulfides

phosphorus (white or yellow, dry)

aluminum and magnesium alkyls

charcoal briquettes (when shipped in bulk)

Water-Reactive/Dangerous When Wet Materials

Class 4.3 solids are likely to be spontaneously flammable or to release flammable or toxic gas at a rate greater than 1 liter per kilogram of the material per hour when they come into contact with water.

Examples of materials that are dangerous when wet are:

magnesium powder

lithium

Ethyldichlorosilane

calcium carbide

potassium

Oxidizing Solids

Hazard Class 5

Oxidizers

Class 5.1 are oxidizers. These are materials that yield oxygen, causing or enhancing the combustion of other materials. Ammonium nitrate is an example of an oxidizer.

Organic Peroxides

Class 5.2 are organic peroxides. These materials are unstable due to their atomic structure and are known to spontaneously combust. There are eight types of organic peroxides. Refer to the Emergency Response Guidebook (ERG) for more information about each type of organic peroxide.

The red and yellow placard became mandatory in 2011.

Toxic and Infectious Substances

Hazard Class 6

Poison

6.1 Examples of poisonous materials are:

Aniline

Arsenic

Liquid tetraethyl lead

PG III

6.1 For Division 6.1, packing group III (PG III) materials, a POISON placard may be modified to display the text PG III below the mid line of the placard rather than the word POISON.

Examples include:

Chloroform

Alkaloid solids

Inhalation Hazard

6.1 Used for any quasntity of Division 6.1, Zones A or B inhalaztion hazard only. Examples include:

Nerve agents

Cyanide

Infectious Substance

6.2 The infectious substance placard should be used for:

Anthrax

Hepatitis B virus

E coli

Biohazard

6.2

The biohazard label marks bulk packaging containing a regulated medical waste as defined in 49 CFR 173.134(a)(5).

Examples include:

Used needles/syringes

Human blood or blood products

Human tissue or anatomical waste

Carcasses of animals intentionally infected with human pathogens for medical research

Close

Radioactive Materials

DOT Hazard Class 7 materials cannot be detected with the senses. While Class 7 placards and labels can indicate that radioactive materials are present, without specialized monitoring and detection equipment, it is not possible to determine if a container is actually emitting radiation. It is impossible to tell if radiation is involved in an incident, such as a terrorist attack, where no placards or labels are evident.

Examples include:

Americium

Uranium hexafluoride

Corrosives

DOT Hazard Class 8 materials are corrosives. These can be liquids or solids that cause visible destruction or irreversible alterations in human skin tissue on contact or have a severe corrosion rate on steel or aluminum.

The corrosive class includes:

battery fluid

chromic acid solution

soda lime

sulfuric acid

hydrochloric acid (muriatic acid)

sodium hydroxide

potassium hydroxide

Miscellaneous Materials

DOT Hazard Class 9 is made up of miscellaneous materials, products, substances, or organisms that are considered hazardous because they present a hazard during transport and can cause extreme discomfort to a flight crew.

Examples include:

solid carbon dioxide (dry ice)

molten sulfur

polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)

In Canada, Class 9 dangerous goods are broken out into three divisions.

Class 9.1 — Miscellaneous dangerous goods

Class 9.2 — Environmentally hazardous substances

Class 9.3 — Dangerous wastes

Other Regulated Materials ORMs

In addition to the nine classes of hazardous materials, DOT has identified other regulated materials (ORMs) that can present a hazard during transportation to their form, quantity, or packaging. There is no placard for these materials, but they are otherwise subject to the requirements of the Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR).

Examples of ORM-Ds are:

consumer goods

small arms ammunition

oiled materials