Organisations that transport, ship, load and unload packaged dangerous goods must safely package, label and mark these substances. Agreement concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Road,(ADR) rules apply to road transport. The International Maritime Dangerous Goods (IMDG) Code applies to sea shipping.

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Packaging according to UN number and packaging group

For each hazardous substance covered by a UN number, ADR 3.2 and IMDG Code 3.2 refer to packaging instructions and special provisions for packaging, transport tanks and bulk containers, ADR tanks and intermediate bulk containers (IBCs).

  • You may only transport a substance in a type of packaging that is listed with a packaging instruction number. A UN number may appear several times in the list of substances, with different packaging groups.
  • The packaging instructions and special rules are listed by number in ADR 4.1 and IMDG Code 4.1. This will help you find the required material type, composition and maximum capacity of the packaging. Special rules always take precedence over general rules. ADR 3.2 and IMDG Code 3.2 contain exceptions for, for example, limited quantities.
  • Packaging must be approved in accordance with ADR 6 and IMDG Code 6.

Ensure that the packaging details in the safety data sheet (SDS) (known as a veiligheidsblad in the Netherlands) are correct for each substance.

Labelling and marking

You must label and mark packaging, transport and shipping units containing dangerous goods in accordance with the rules in ADR 5.2 and 5.3 and IMDG 5.2 and 5.3. The labels and markings must be clearly legible and remain so, even after at least 3 months of immersion in water. They must also be affixed to uncleaned empty packaging and transport units.

There are labels for the hazard class and markings for environmentally hazardous and marine pollutant substances and limited quantities. The ADR and the IMDG Code contain general rules for:

  • The shape and size of labels and markings.
  • Mandatory symbols and texts for each substance group.
  • The colour and size of symbols and text.

The list of substances in ADR 3.2 and IMDG Code 3.2 shows which special rules apply to each dangerous substance covered by a UN number . The UN number of each hazardous substance is listed in SDS section 14.

Special rules always take precedence over general rules. Column 7 of the substance list indicates whether the exemption rules in ADR 3.4 or IMDG Code 3.4 apply to limited quantities per inner packaging.