Chapter 06 · UN / DOT markings

The marking
panel tells the
whole truth.

A UN rating is not a brand or a model feature. It belongs to one specific marked unit, in the condition it was tested, and the string stamped on the panel tells you exactly what was proven about it.

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The string, decoded

31HA1 / Y / 26 / 2104 / USA / +AB1234

Read it left to right. Every field answers a different question, and if any field is missing or illegible the unit cannot be presented as rated.

Field	Example	Means
IBC type code — digit 1	3	Composite IBC for liquids (31 = liquids, 11 = solids discharged by gravity, 21 = solids under pressure)
IBC type code — digit 2	1	Intended for liquids
Material letter	H	Plastic (A = steel, B = aluminium, N = other metal, H = plastic, HZ = composite with plastic inner)
Inner / outer designation	A1	Rigid plastic inner receptacle with an outer steel frame
Packing group	Y	X = PG I, II and III · Y = PG II and III · Z = PG III only
Stacking / design indicator	26	Year or design code segment, as applied under the test report
Date of manufacture	2104	Month and year the unit was manufactured — here, 21st week or month coding per the scheme used
State of authorisation	USA	Country whose competent authority approved the design
Manufacturer / approval code	+AB1234	The registration identifying who built or reconditioned it

Panels vary in layout between manufacturers and reconditioners. If a field is unclear, photograph the panel and send it to us — reading these is routine for our intake team.

What sits behind the marking

The tests that earned it

A rating is a record of destructive testing on sample units of that design, plus periodic retesting of production and reconditioned units.

Drop test — filled, dropped from a height tied to the packing group
Leakproofness test — internal air pressure, held and checked
Hydraulic pressure test — internal pressure well above service
Stacking test — loaded for an extended period at a multiple of its own gross mass
Bottom lift and top lift — handled as it will be handled in service
Vibration test — simulating road and rail transport

Periodic retest and inspection intervals apply to units in regulated service. Those intervals are a shipper obligation, and we will tell you where a unit sits in its cycle when we have the records.

Critical

What voids a marking instantly

Replacing the inner bottle outside a licensed reconditioning programme
Welding, drilling or cutting the cage
Fitting a valve or fitting not covered by the original approval
Repairing structural damage without re-testing and re-marking
An illegible or painted-over marking panel

After any of those, the unit is a perfectly good non-UN tote. It is simply no longer a legal hazmat packaging until a licensed reconditioner re-tests and re-marks it.

How we route recertification →

Compliance questions

The ones that matter commercially

Can you sell me a UN-rated reconditioned tote?

Yes. Recertification is performed by a licensed reconditioner, the paperwork carries their registration, and we photograph the marking panel for your file. We will never let you assume a non-UN unit is rated.

Does the Y rating cover my product?

Y covers packing groups II and III. If your material is packing group I you need an X-rated packaging. Your safety data sheet states the packing group; if it is ambiguous, your shipper or a dangerous-goods advisor should confirm it, not us.

I only store the product on site. Do I need a UN tote?

Usually no. UN marking governs transport of regulated goods. On-site storage is governed by other rules — fire code, secondary containment, local permits. Many customers buy non-UN totes for storage and would be wasting money on a rating.

The panel is faded. Is it still valid?

If a required field is not legible, it cannot be relied on for presentation. Treat it as non-UN, or have it inspected and re-marked under a licensed programme.

Is a DOT marking the same as a UN marking?

In US practice the UN marking scheme is adopted into the federal hazmat regulations, and people use the terms loosely. The string on the panel is the UN scheme; the US regulatory authority for its use in domestic transport is the DOT framework.

This page is reference material from a reconditioning yard, not regulatory advice. For a specific shipment, confirm your obligations with your carrier or a dangerous-goods advisor.

Keep reading

UN markings, long formCharacter by characterOpen →CertificationsWhat we hold and route outOpen →Grades explainedIncluding UN recertifiedOpen →

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