Section 172.202 - Description of hazardous material on shipping papers(a) The shipping description of a hazardous material on the shipping paper must include: (1) The identification number prescribed for the material as shown in Column (4) of the § 172.101 table;(2) The proper shipping name prescribed for the material in Column (2) of the § 172.101 table;(3) The hazard class or division number prescribed for the material, as shown in Column (3) of the § 172.101 table. The subsidiary hazard class or division number is not required to be entered when a corresponding subsidiary hazard label is not required. Except for combustible liquids, the subsidiary hazard class(es) or subsidiary division number(s) must be entered in parentheses immediately following the primary hazard class or division number. In addition- (i) The words "Class" or "Division" may be included preceding the primary and subsidiary hazard class or division numbers.(ii) The hazard class need not be included for the entry "Combustible liquid, n.o.s."(iii) For domestic shipments, primary and subsidiary hazard class or division names may be entered following the numerical hazard class or division, or following the basic description.(4) The packing group in Roman numerals, as designated for the hazardous material in Column (5) of the § 172.101 table. Class 1 (explosives) materials; self-reactive substances; Division 5.2 materials; and entries that are not assigned a packing group (e.g., Class 7) are excepted from this requirement. The packing group may be preceded by the letters "PG" (for example, "PG II"); and(5) Except for transportation by aircraft, the total quantity of hazardous materials covered by the description must be indicated (by mass or volume, or by activity for Class 7 materials) and must include an indication of the applicable unit of measurement, for example, "200 kg" (440 pounds) or "50 L" (13 gallons). The following provisions also apply:(i) For Class 1 materials, the quantity must be the net explosive mass. For an explosive that is an article, such as Cartridges, small arms, the net explosive mass may be expressed in terms of the net mass of either the article or the explosive materials contained in the article.(ii) For hazardous materials in salvage packaging, an estimate of the total quantity is acceptable.(iii) The following are excepted from the requirements of paragraph (a)(5) of this section: (A) Bulk packages, provided some indication of the total quantity is shown, for example, "1 cargo tank" or "2 IBCs."(B) Cylinders, provided some indication of the total quantity is shown, for example, "10 cylinders."(C) Packages containing only residue.(6) For transportation by aircraft, the total net mass per package, must be shown unless a gross mass is indicated in Columns (9A) or (9B) of the § 172.101 table in which case the total gross mass per package must be shown; or, for Class 7 materials, the quantity of radioactive material must be shown by activity. The following provisions also apply: (i) For empty uncleaned packaging, only the number and type of packaging must be shown;(ii) For chemical kits and first aid kits, the total net mass of hazardous materials must be shown. Where the kits contain only liquids, or solids and liquids, the net mass of liquids within the kits is to be calculated on a 1 to 1 basis, i.e., 1 L (0.3 gallons) equals 1 kg (2.2 pounds);(iii) For dangerous goods in machinery or apparatus, the individual total quantities or an estimate of the individual total quantities of dangerous goods in solid, liquid or gaseous state, contained in the article must be shown;(iv) For dangerous goods transported in a salvage packaging, an estimate of the quantity of dangerous goods per package must be shown;(v) For cylinders, total quantity may be indicated by the number of cylinders, for example, "10 cylinders;"(vi) For items where "No Limit" is shown in Column (9A) or (9B) of the § 172.101 table, the quantity shown must be the net mass or volume of the material. For articles (e.g., UN2800 and UN3166) the quantity must be the gross mass, followed by the letter "G"; and(vii) For hazardous materials in limited quantities, the total net quantity per package must be shown unless a gross mass is indicated in Column 4 of § 173.27 Table 3, in which case the total gross mass per package must be shown. Where different hazardous materials in limited quantities are packed together in the same outer packaging, when a gross mass is indicated Column 4 of § 173.27 Table 3, the net quantity of each hazardous material must be shown in addition to the gross mass of the completed package.(viii) For authorized consumer commodities, the information provided may be either the gross mass of each package or the average gross mass of the packages.(7) The number and type of packages must be indicated. The type of packages must be indicated by description of the package (for example, "12 drums"). Indication of the packaging specification number ("1H1") may be included in the description of the package (for example, "12 1H1 drums" or "12 drums (UN 1A1)"). Abbreviations may be used for indicating packaging types (for example, "cyl." for "cylinder") provided the abbreviations are commonly accepted and recognizable.(b) Except as provided in this subpart, the basic description specified in paragraphs (a)(1), (2), (3), and (4) of this section must be shown in sequence with no additional information interspersed. For example, "UN2744, Cyclobutyl chloroformate, 6.1, (8, 3), PG II." Shipping descriptions for hazardous materials offered or intended for transportation by rail that contain all the information required in this subpart and that are formatted and ordered in accordance with recognized electronic data interchange standards and, to the extent possible, in the order and manner required by this subpart are deemed to comply with this paragraph.(c)(1) The total quantity of the material covered by one description must appear before or after, or both before and after, the description required and authorized by this subpart. The type of packaging and destination marks may be entered in any appropriate manner before or after the basic description. Abbreviations may be used to express units of measurement and types of packagings.(2) Hazardous materials and hazardous substances transported by highway considered "household wastes" as defined in 40 CFR 261.4 , and not subject to the Environmental Protection Agency's hazardous waste regulations in 40 CFR parts 262 and 263, are excepted from the requirements of this paragraph.(d) Technical and chemical group names may be entered in parentheses between the proper shipping name and hazard class or following the basic description. An appropriate modifier, such as "contains" or "containing," and/or the percentage of the technical constituent may also be used. For example: "UN 1993, Flammable liquids, n.o.s. (contains Xylene and Benzene), 3, II".(e) Except for those materials in the UN Recommendations, the ICAO Technical Instructions, or the IMDG Code (IBR, see § 171.7 of this subchapter), a material that is not a hazardous material according to this subchapter may not be offered for transportation or transported when its description on a shipping paper includes a hazard class or an identification number specified in the § 172.101 Table.Amdt. 172-101, 45 FR 74665, Nov. 10, 1980 81 FR 3671 , 1/21/2016; 82 FR 15878 , 3/30/2017; 85 FR 83380 , 1/20/2021; 87 FR 79772 , 1/26/2023 For FEDERAL REGISTER citations affecting § 172.202, see the List of CFR Sections Affected, which appears in the Finding Aids section of the printed volume and at www.govinfo.gov.