Dangerous Goods Categories

Dangerous goods are solids, liquids, or gases that can harm people, other living organisms, property, or the environment. They are often subject to chemical regulations. "HazMat teams" are personnel specially trained to handle dangerous goods. Dangerous goods include materials that are radioactive, flammable, explosive, corrosive, oxidizing, asphyxiating, biohazardous, toxic, pathogenic, or allergenic. Also included are physical conditions such as compressed gases and liquids or hot materials, including all goods containing such materials or chemicals, or may have other characteristics that render them hazardous in specific circumstances.

Dangerous goods are often indicated by diamond-shaped signage. The colours of each diamond in a way has reference to its hazard i.e.: Flammable = red because fire and heat are generally of red colour, Explosive = orange, because mixing red (flammable) with yellow (oxidising agent) creates orange. Non Flammable Non Toxic Gas = green, due to all compressed air vessels being this colour in France after World War II. France is where the diamond system of HazMat identification originated.

Classification and labeling summary tables

Class 1: Explosives

Hazardous Materials Class 1: Explosives	Hazardous Materials Class 1.1: Explosives Mass Explosion Hazard	Hazardous Materials Class 1.2: Explosives Blast/Projection Hazard
Hazardous Materials Class 1.3: Explosives Minor Blast Hazard	Hazardous Materials Class 1.4: Explosives Major Fire Hazard	Hazardous Materials Class 1.5: Blasting Agents Blasting Agents
	Hazardous Materials Class 1.6: Explosives Extremely Insensitive Explosives

Class 2: Gases

Hazardous Materials Class 2.1: Flammable Gas	Hazardous Materials Class 2.2: Nonflammable Gas	Hazardous Materials Class 2.3: Poisonous Gas
Hazardous Materials Class 2.2: Oxygen (Alternative Placard)	Hazardous Materials Class 2.3: Inhalation Hazard (Alternative Placard)

Class 3: Flammable Liquids

Hazardous Materials Class 3: Flammable Liquids	Hazardous Materials Class 3: Combustible (Alternate Placard)	Hazardous Materials Class 3: Fuel Oil (Alternate Placard)
	Hazardous Materials Class 3: Gasoline (Alternate Placard)

Class 4: Flammable Solids

Hazardous Materials Class 4.1: Flammable Solids 4.1 Flammable Solids: Solid substances that are easily ignited and readily combustible (nitrocellulose, magnesium, safety or strike-anywhere matches).

Hazardous Materials Class 4.2: Spontaneously Combustible Solids 4.2 Spontaneously Combustible: Solid substances that ignite spontaneously (aluminium alkyls, white phosphorus).

Hazardous Materials Class 4.3: Dangerous when Wet 4.3 Dangerous when Wet: Solid substances that emit a flammable gas when wet or react violently with water (sodium, calcium, potassium, calcium carbide).

Class 5: Oxidizing Agents and Organic Peroxides

Hazardous Materials Class 5.1: Oxidizing Agent 5.1 Oxidizing agents other than organic peroxides (calcium hypochlorite, ammonium nitrate, hydrogen peroxide,potassium permanganate).

Hazardous Materials Class 5.2: Organic Peroxide Oxidizing Agent 5.2 Organic peroxides, either in liquid or solid form (benzoyl peroxides, cumene hydroperoxide).

Class 6: Toxic and Infectious Substances

Hazardous Materials Class 6.1: Poison 6.1a Toxic substances which are liable to cause death or serious injury to human health if inhaled, swallowed or by skin absorption (potassium cyanide, mercuric chloride).

Hazardous Materials Class 6.2: Biohazard 6.2 Biohazardous substances; the World Health Organization (WHO) divides this class into two categories: Category A: Infectious; and Category B: Samples (virus cultures, pathology specimens, used intravenous needles).

Class 7: Radioactive Substances

	Hazardous Materials
	Class 7: Radioactive

Radioactive substances comprise substances or a combination of substances which emit ionizing radiation (uranium, plutonium).

Class 8: Corrosive Substances

	Hazardous Materials
	Class 8: Corrosive

Corrosive substances are substances that can dissolve organic tissue or severely corrode certain metals:
8.1 Acids: sulfuric acid, hydrochloric acid
                   8.2 Alkalis: potassium hydroxide, sodium hydroxide

Other hazardous materials labels (CHIP)

Hazardous Materials Hazard Symbol: C/Corrosive	Hazardous Materials Hazard Symbol: E/Explosive	Hazardous Materials Hazard Symbol: F/Flammable
Hazardous Materials Hazard Symbol: N/Environmental Hazard	Hazardous Materials Hazard Symbol: O/Oxidizing	Hazardous Materials Hazard Symbol: T/Toxic
Hazardous Materials Hazard Symbol: Xn/Harmful; Xi/Irritant