Hazardous Material Terms

Hazard class means the category of hazard assigned to a hazardous material under the definitional criteria of part 173 of this subchapter and the provisions of the §172.101 table. A material may meet the defining criteria for more than one hazard class but is assigned to only one hazard class.

Drum means a flat-ended or convex-ended cylindrical packaging made of metal, fiberboard, plastic, plywood, or other suitable materials. This definition also includes packagings of other shapes made of metal or plastic (e.g., round taper-necked packagings or pail-shaped packagings) but does not include cylinders, jerricans, wooden barrels or bulk packagings.

Elevated temperature material means a material which, when offered for transportation or transported in a bulk packaging: (1) Is in a liquid phase and at a temperature at or above 100 °C (212 °F); (2) Is in a liquid phase with a flash point at or above 37.8 °C (100 °F) that is intentionally heated and offered for transportation or transported at or above its flash point; or (3) Is in a solid phase and at a temperature at or above 240 °C (464 °F).

Freight container means a reusable container having a volume of 64 cubic feet or more, designed and constructed to permit being lifted with its contents intact and intended primarily for containment of packages (in unit form) during transportation.

Hazard zone means one of four levels of hazard (Hazard Zones A through D) assigned to gases, as specified in §173.116(a) of this subchapter, and one of two levels of hazards (Hazard Zones A and B) assigned to liquids that are poisonous by inhalation, as specified in §173.133(a) of this subchapter. A hazard zone is based on the LC50 value for acute inhalation toxicity of gases and vapors, as specified in §173.133(a).

Hazardous material means a substance or material that the Secretary of Transportation has determined is capable of posing an unreasonable risk to health, safety, and property when transported in commerce, and has designated as hazardous under section 5103 of Federal hazardous materials transportation law (49 U.S.C. 5103). The term includes hazardous substances, hazardous wastes, marine pollutants, elevated temperature materials, materials designated as hazardous in the Hazardous Materials Table (see 49 CFR 172.101), and materials that meet the defining criteria for hazard classes and divisions in part 173 of subchapter C of this chapter.

Hazardous waste, for the purposes of this chapter, means any material that is subject to the Hazardous Waste Manifest Requirements of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency specified in 40 CFR part 262.

Limited quantity, when specified as such in a section applicable to a particular material, means the maximum amount of a hazardous material for which there is a specific labeling or packaging exception.

Liquid means a material, other than an elevated temperature material, with a melting point or initial melting point of 20 °C (68 °F) or lower at a standard pressure of 101.3 kPa (14.7 psia). A viscous material for which a specific melting point cannot be determined must be subjected to the procedures specified in ASTM D 4359 “Standard Test Method for Determining Whether a Material is Liquid or Solid” (IBR, see §171.7).

Material poisonous by inhalation means: (1) A gas meeting the defining criteria in §173.115(c) of this subchapter and assigned to Hazard Zone A, B, C, or D in accordance with §173.116(a) of this subchapter; (2) A liquid (other than as a mist) meeting the defining criteria in §173.132(a)(1)(iii) of this subchapter and assigned to Hazard Zone A or B in accordance with §173.133(a) of this subchapter; or (3) Any material identified as an inhalation hazard by a special provision in column 7 of the §172.101 table.

Mixture means a material composed of more than one chemical compound or element.

Non-bulk packaging means a packaging which has: (1) A maximum capacity of 450 L (119 gallons) or less as a receptacle for a liquid; (2) A maximum net mass of 400 kg (882 pounds) or less and a maximum capacity of 450 L (119 gallons) or less as a receptacle for a solid; or (3) A water capacity of 454 kg (1000 pounds) or less as a receptacle for a gas as defined in §173.115 of this subchapter.

N.O.S. means not otherwise specified.

ORM means other regulated material. See §173.144 of this subchapter.

Oxidizing gas means a gas which may, generally by providing oxygen, cause or contribute to the combustion of other material more than air does.

Packaging means a receptacle and any other components or materials necessary for the receptacle to perform its containment function in conformance with the minimum packing requirements of this subchapter. For radioactive materials packaging, see §173.403 of this subchapter.

Packing group means a grouping according to the degree of danger presented by hazardous materials. Packing Group I indicates great danger; Packing Group II, medium danger; Packing Group III, minor danger. See §172.101(f)

Portable tank means a bulk packaging (except a cylinder having a water capacity of 1000 pounds or less) designed primarily to be loaded onto, or on, or temporarily attached to a transport vehicle or ship and equipped with skids, mountings, or accessories to facilitate handling of the tank by mechanical means. It does not include a cargo tank, tank car, multi-unit tank car tank, or trailer carrying 3AX, 3AAX, or 3T cylinders.

Proper shipping name means the name of the hazardous material shown in Roman print (not italics) in §172.101 of this subchapter.

Reportable quantity (RQ) for the purposes of this subchapter means the quantity specified in column 2 of the appendix to §172.101 for any material identified in column 1 of the appendix.

Residue means the hazardous material remaining in a packaging, including a tank car, after its contents have been unloaded to the maximum extent practicable and before the packaging is either refilled or cleaned of hazardous material and purged to remove any hazardous vapors.

Salvage packaging means a special packaging conforming to §173.3 of this subchapter into which damaged, defective, leaking, or non-conforming hazardous materials packages, or hazardous materials that have spilled or leaked, are placed for purposes of transport for recovery or disposal

Shipping paper means a shipping order, bill of lading, manifest or other shipping document serving a similar purpose and containing the information required by §§172.202, 172.203 and 172.204.

Solid means a material which is not a gas or a liquid.

Solution means any homogeneous liquid mixture of two or more chemical compounds or elements that will not undergo any segregation under conditions normal to transportation.

Subsidiary hazard means a hazard of a material other than the primary hazard. (See primary hazard ).

Technical name means a recognized chemical name or microbiological name currently used in scientific and technical handbooks, journals, and texts. Generic descriptions are authorized for use as technical names provided they readily identify the general chemical group, or microbiological group. Examples of acceptable generic chemical descriptions are organic phosphate compounds, petroleum aliphatic hydrocarbons and tertiary amines. For proficiency testing only, generic microbiological descriptions such as bacteria, mycobacteria, fungus, and viral samples may be used. Except for names which appear in subpart B of part 172 of this subchapter, trade names may not be used as technical names.

UN means United Nations.