Proper shipping name

Scope

Proper shipping name requirements apply to shippers and offerors of hazardous materials responsible for filling out shipping papers and marking packages.

Regulatory citations

• 49 CFR 172.101 — Purpose and use of hazardous materials table

Key definitions

• Hazard class: The category of hazard assigned to a hazardous material under the definitional criteria of Part 173 of the Hazardous Materials Regulation. A material may meet the defining criteria for more than one hazard class but is assigned to only one hazard class.
• Mixture: A material composed of more than one chemical compound or element.
• Solution: Any homogeneous liquid mixture of two or more chemical compounds or elements that will not undergo any segregation under conditions normal to transportation.

Summary of requirements

Before selecting a proper shipping name for the material to be shipped, you must:

• Make sure the material meets a definition of one of the hazard classes enumerated in the Hazardous Materials Regulations.
• Pick a proper shipping name that best describes the material. The Hazardous Materials Table (HMT) lists all the possible descriptions and proper shipping names that are authorized for use.
• Using Column 2 in the HMT, locate the name of the hazardous material to be shipped.
  • Only the names in Roman type are proper shipping names. When a name is shown in italic type and references a name in Roman (i.e., non-italic) type, the latter is the proper shipping name.
    • Example: Carbon bisulfide, see Carbon disulfide
  • If the name of the material you are shipping is not listed in the HMT, you must select a generic or n.o.s. description, found in Column 2, that most accurately describes your material.
    • Examples:
      • The most suitable proper shipping name for a material not listed in Column 2 by name but that meets the Class 3 (flammable liquid) hazard definition may be “Flammable liquid, n.o.s.”
      • If a material is an alcohol that is not listed by name, “Alcohol, n.o.s.” may be the most satisfactory proper shipping name.
      • “Compound cleaning, liquid” more accurately describes a corrosive material used for cleaning stone surfaces than “Corrosive liquid, n.o.s.”
  • Make certain the hazard class shown in Column 3 opposite the proper shipping name corresponds with the classification of your material.
    • Examples:
      • If the material being shipped is a “Paint related material” it could be either a Class 3 or Class 8 material.
      • The proper shipping name “Paint” is listed in Column 2, with Classes 3 and 8 shown in Column 3, but a water-based paint that does not meet the definition of either of these hazard classes or any other class would not be subject to these regulations.

Mixtures not included in the HMT. A mixture or solution not identified specifically by name in the HMT — that consists of a non–hazardous material and a hazardous material identified in the HMT by technical name — may be described using the proper shipping name of the hazardous material and the qualifying word “mixture” or “solution”, as appropriate. In Section 172.101(c)(10) some restrictions apply, such as the hazard class, packing group, or subsidiary hazard of the mixture or solution must be the same as the hazardous material identified in the table.

Example: The proper shipping name for a solution of Brucine and a non-regulated material could be “Brucine solution.”

Unnknown hazard(s). When the hazard(s) of the product is not known, the only accurate way to make the hazard determination is by testing. A tentative classification/description is authorized in 172.101(c)(11) when the hazard class must be determined by testing. If you are not the original source of the product, however, you can get the hazard classification by contacting the manufacturer or blender of the product.

Inadequate description. If you believe the HMT does not have an adequate description of the material, then, for clarification, contact:

Office of Hazardous Materials Safety

Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration

U. S. Department of Transportation

1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE, 2nd floor

Washington, DC 20590

(800) 467-4922