Corrosives — dangerous goods classification
Class 8 covers substances that destroy skin tissue or corrode steel or aluminium at a defined rate. Bleach, drain cleaner, descalers and battery acid are the common e-commerce cases.
The mistake this category generates
The packing group, and often whether the product is regulated at all, depends on concentration. Household bleach at 5% is packing group III; below about 5% it is not a dangerous good.
Entries (10)
| UN | Proper shipping name | Class | PG | Labels | Air |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UN1791 | Hypochlorite solution | 8 | II/III — derived | CORROSIVE | pax limited·cargo permitted |
| UN1824 | Sodium hydroxide solution | 8 | II/III — derived | CORROSIVE | pax limited·cargo permitted |
| UN1823 | Sodium hydroxide, solid | 8 | II | CORROSIVE | pax limited·cargo permitted |
| UN1789 | Hydrochloric acid | 8 | II/III — derived | CORROSIVE | pax limited·cargo permitted |
| UN1830 | Sulfuric acid with more than 51% acid | 8 | II | CORROSIVE | pax limited·cargo permitted |
| UN2796 | Battery fluid, acid | 8 | II | CORROSIVE | pax limited·cargo permitted |
| UN2794 | Batteries, wet, filled with acid, electric storage | 8 | none | CORROSIVE | pax limited·cargo permitted |
| UN2800 | Batteries, wet, non-spillable, electric storage | 8 | none | CORROSIVE | pax limited·cargo permitted |
| UN1760 | Corrosive liquid, n.o.s. | 8 | I/II/III — derived | CORROSIVE | pax limited·cargo permitted |
| UN2809 | Mercury(subsidiary 6.1) | 8 | III | CORROSIVE, TOXIC | pax forbidden·cargo limited |
Shipper notes
UN1791 Hypochlorite solution
- Household bleach at roughly 3–8% available chlorine is packing group III; industrial strength above about 16% available chlorine is packing group II.
- A marine pollutant, so an ocean shipment needs the marine pollutant mark in addition to the corrosive label.
UN1824 Sodium hydroxide solution
- Concentrations above 5% but at or below 20% are packing group III; above 20% is packing group II under the 49 CFR 173.137 corrosivity criteria as applied to this entry.
UN1823 Sodium hydroxide, solid
- Solid lye for soap making is one of the most commonly mis-shipped e-commerce items.
UN1789 Hydrochloric acid
- More than 10% but less than 25% is packing group III; 25% and above is packing group II.
UN1830 Sulfuric acid with more than 51% acid
- At or below 51% acid the correct entry is UN2796, not this one.
UN2796 Battery fluid, acid
- Sulfuric acid at 51% or below. Shipped with a wet battery it may fall under UN2794 instead.
UN2794 Batteries, wet, filled with acid, electric storage
- Non-spillable lead-acid batteries meeting the 49 CFR 173.159a vibration and pressure tests ship as UN2800 and are excepted from most requirements when marked NONSPILLABLE.
UN2800 Batteries, wet, non-spillable, electric storage
- Excepted from the regulations when the battery and its outer packaging meet 49 CFR 173.159a(d) and the package is marked NONSPILLABLE or NONSPILLABLE BATTERY.
UN1760 Corrosive liquid, n.o.s.
- A generic n.o.s. entry — the technical name of the corrosive constituent must be shown in parentheses after the proper shipping name.
UN2809 Mercury
- Mercury contained in a manufactured article — a thermometer or a switch — ships as UN3506 instead. Mercury is forbidden on passenger aircraft because of its corrosivity to aluminium.
Questions
- What UN number applies to corrosives?
- Class 8 covers substances that destroy skin tissue or corrode steel or aluminium at a defined rate. Bleach, drain cleaner, descalers and battery acid are the common e-commerce cases.
- What do people get wrong about shipping corrosives?
- The packing group, and often whether the product is regulated at all, depends on concentration. Household bleach at 5% is packing group III; below about 5% it is not a dangerous good.
- Which entries does Classify7 encode for corrosives?
- UN1791 Hypochlorite solution (class 8); UN1824 Sodium hydroxide solution (class 8); UN1823 Sodium hydroxide, solid (class 8, packing group II); UN1789 Hydrochloric acid (class 8); UN1830 Sulfuric acid with more than 51% acid (class 8, packing group II); UN2796 Battery fluid, acid (class 8, packing group II); UN2794 Batteries, wet, filled with acid, electric storage (class 8); UN2800 Batteries, wet, non-spillable, electric storage (class 8); UN1760 Corrosive liquid, n.o.s. (class 8); UN2809 Mercury (class 8, packing group III)
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Which of these entries applies depends on the formulation, not the category. Send the product and Classify7 returns the entry with the evidence that selected it — or tells you which measurement it needs first.
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