UN Packaging, Labels & Solutions for Dangerous Goods with ADR, IATA, IMDG and RID Compliance

It depends on the UN number and hazard class of your goods. Class 3 flammable liquids take the red flammable diamond, Class 8 corrosives the black-and-white corrosive diamond, and Class 9 lithium batteries the Class 9A label plus, where applicable, the lithium battery mark. Overpack marks, orientation arrows and the Limited Quantity mark may also apply. Use our free ADR Substance Lookup to find the labels required for a specific UN number.

ADR governs dangerous goods transport by road in Europe, with RID for rail and ADN for inland waterways; the IATA DGR is the standard for air transport and the strictest of the three; the IMDG Code covers transport by sea. Packaging, quantity limits, labelling and documentation differ between modes, so the same substance can be acceptable by road and forbidden by air.

Class 3 liquids are normally shipped under packing instruction P001, which allows combination packagings — inner receptacles inside a UN-certified outer such as a 4G or 4GV fibreboard box or a 4D or 4DV plywood box — as well as single packagings such as UN jerricans and drums. The permitted types and maximum quantities depend on the packing group (I, II or III). All UN packaging must carry the UN specification mark.

UN3373 (Biological Substance, Category B) must be packed to packing instruction P650, shown as PI 650 in the IATA DGR: a leak-proof primary receptacle, absorbent material, a leak-proof secondary packaging and a rigid outer packaging. The outer packaging must show the UN3373 diamond mark and the proper shipping name BIOLOGICAL SUBSTANCE, CATEGORY B. For temperature-sensitive samples we supply 4GU temperature-controlled packaging.

Lithium cells and batteries are Class 9, and the UN number follows the chemistry and the way they travel: UN3480 for lithium ion carried on its own and UN3481 when contained in, or packed with, equipment; UN3090 and UN3091 are the lithium metal equivalents, and ADR 2025 adds sodium ion as UN3551 and UN3552. By air the packing instruction is one of PI 965 to PI 970 of the IATA DGR, 67th edition, according to the UN number; by road, intact cells and batteries are covered by P903 of ADR 2025, while damaged or defective ones require P908 or P911. The lithium battery mark and the Class 9A hazard label are not interchangeable: which of them applies depends on the watt-hours and on the section the consignment falls under. We supply both graphics and the UN-certified outer packagings.