Classes 1-9 of dangerous goods explained (2024)

Class 1 Explosive substances and articles

Class 1 contains substances and articles which pose a hazard due to explosion. Items in Class 1 are further divided into divisions 1.1 - 1.6 depending on the nature of the explosion hazard and the sensitivity of the item. A compatibility group, consisting of a single letter, is also assigned to each item. The compatibility group letter indicates which items can be transported together.

See also: List of all items in class 1

Class 2 Gases

Class 2 contains potentially dangerous gases.

Gases in class 2 are assigned one or more groups, representing their dangerous properties.

In some regulations, gases in class 2 are divided into divisions 2.1 - 2.3 depending on their primary hazard.

Divisions of class 2

Division	Primary hazard	Label
2.1	Flammable gases
2.2	Non-flammable, non toxic gases
2.3	Toxic gases

See also: List of all items in class 2

Class 3 Flammable liquids

Class 3 covers flammable liquids, which includes some molten solid substances and liquid desensitized explosives. Substances are divided into different packing groups according to the degree of danger they present to transportation.

See also: List of all items in class 3

Class 4 Flammable solids

Class 4, like class 5 and 6, is actually an umbrella term, where all substances belong to one of the subclasses.

Class 4 consists of the following subclasses

Class	Primary hazard	Label
4.1	Flammable solids, self-reactive substances, polymerizing substances and solid desensitized explosives
4.2	Substances liable to spontaneous combustion
4.3	Substances which, in contact with water, emit flammable gases

They all have in common that they are flammable under certain conditions. For instance, strike-anywhere-matches (UN 1331) would be classified as a Class 4.1 substance.

See also: List of all items in class 4

Class 5 Oxidizing substances and organic peroxides

Class 5 consists of the following classes

Class	Primary hazard	Label
5.1	Oxidizing substances
5.2	Organic peroxides

Class 5.1, oxidizing substances, are substances that may decompose quickly, releasing oxygen or other oxidizing substances. This can cause a fire to accelerate quickly, or to start due to the heat given off in the oxidation process.

Class 5.2, organic peroxides, may also decompose at a high rate and give off oxygen or flammable gases, as well as heat. They can be very unstable and extremely flammable under certain circumstances such as heat, friction, mechanical shock, or when they come into contact with other substances.

See also: List of all items in class 5

Class 6 Toxic and infectious substances

Class 6 consists of the following classes

Class	Primary hazard	Label
6.1	Toxic substances
6.2	Infectious substances

Class 6.1, toxic substances, is used to classify substances that - in relatively small amounts and in a short duration - can cause serious injury or death to humans if swallowed, inhaled or with by absorption through skin contact.

Class 6.2, infectious substances, covers substances which are known or are reasonably expected to contain pathogens, i.e. microorganisms (including bacteria, viruses, parasites and fungi) and other agents which can cause disease in humans or animals.

See also: List of all items in class 6

Class 7 Radioactive material

Class 7 contains substances and articles that are radioactive, meaning that they contain radionuclides where both the activity concentration and the total activity exceed certain threshold values defined in the regulations.

For some (Type A) materials and packages, a transport index is calculated on the basis of the maximum dose rate on the external surface of the packaging, and different labels and regulations apply depening on this index.

Transport indexes, dose rates and labels of class 7

Maximum dose rate on external surface	Transport index	Label
<0.005 mSv/h	0
>0.005 <0.5 mSv/h	0-1
>0.5 <2 mSv/h	1-10

Other regulations and labels apply to radioactive waste and materials exceeding the limits for Type A packages.

See also: List of all items in class 7

Class 8 Corrosive substances

Class 8 covers substances that can cause a chemical reaction that can potentially destroy living tissue or other goods. This includes substances which only form a corrosive substance in the presence of water, or produce corrosive vapour in the presence of moisture in the air.

See also: List of all items in class 8

Class 9 Miscellaneous dangerous substances and articles

Substances and articles which, during carraige, present a danger not covered by any of the other classes fall under class 9.

See also: List of all items in class 9