Free · No login required # Hazmat Placard Finder Table 1 materials need placards in any amount. Table 2 materials need them from 1,001 lb aggregate gross weight on the truck, and bulk packagings always do. Build your load to see which placards apply, whether DANGEROUS may replace them, when the UN number goes on the truck and whether the driver needs a CDL H endorsement. ⚠ **Guidance only, not legal advice.** This finder applies the general placarding rules of 49 CFR 172.504 and 172.505 to the load you enter, for highway transportation in the US. It does not replace the regulation, your shipping papers or hazmat training. Check the current 49 CFR text, the Emergency Response Guidebook (ERG2024) and your compliance staff before you ship. ## Build your load Add a material by UN number or name Or add by hazard class The class is pre-filled from the UN number list, which follows ADR Table A (the European list). UN numbers match the US Hazardous Materials Table, but the US adds NA numbers, combustible liquids and the PIH designation, so check the class on your shipping paper (172.101 table) and change it here if it differs. ## Placards for this load Add the hazardous materials on the truck to see the placards it needs. **Guidance only, not legal advice.** Illustrative drawings, not to scale. The official designs are in 49 CFR 172.519 to 172.560. ## Hazmat placard chart: Table 1 and Table 2 The two placarding tables of 49 CFR 172.504(e). Table 1 materials are placarded in any quantity. Table 2 materials are placarded when the truck carries 1,001 lb or more of them in aggregate gross weight, or when they are in bulk packaging. __Table 1: placard any quantity__ | Class or division | Placard | Design (§) | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------- | ---------- | | 1.1 | EXPLOSIVES1.11**EXPLOSIVES 1.1** | 172.522 | | 1.2 | EXPLOSIVES1.21**EXPLOSIVES 1.2** | 172.522 | | 1.3 | EXPLOSIVES1.31**EXPLOSIVES 1.3** | 172.522 | | 2.3 | POISONGAS2**POISON GAS** | 172.540 | | 4.3 | DANGEROUS WHENWET4**DANGEROUS WHEN WET** | 172.548 | | 5.2 (Organic peroxide, Type B, liquid or solid, temperature controlled) | ORGANICPEROXIDE5.2**ORGANIC PEROXIDE** | 172.552 | | 6.1 (Material poisonous by inhalation (PIH)) | POISON INHALATIONHAZARD6**POISON INHALATION HAZARD** | 172.555 | | 7 (Radioactive Yellow III label only) | RADIOACTIVE7**RADIOACTIVE** | 172.556 | RADIOACTIVE placards are also required for unpackaged LSA-I material or SCO-I, exclusive-use shipments under 173.427, 173.441 and 173.457, and closed vehicles under 173.443(d). __Table 2: placard from 1,001 lb aggregate__ | Class or division | Placard | Design (§) | | ------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------- | | 1.4 | EXPLOSIVES1.41**EXPLOSIVES 1.4** | 172.523 | | 1.5 | EXPLOSIVES1.51**EXPLOSIVES 1.5** | 172.524 | | 1.6 | EXPLOSIVES1.61**EXPLOSIVES 1.6** | 172.525 | | 2.1 | FLAMMABLEGAS2**FLAMMABLE GAS** | 172.532 | | 2.2 | NON-FLAMMABLEGAS2**NON-FLAMMABLE GAS** | 172.528 | | 3 | FLAMMABLE3**FLAMMABLE** | 172.542 | | Combustible liquid (US) | COMBUSTIBLE3**COMBUSTIBLE** | 172.544 | | 4.1 | FLAMMABLESOLID4**FLAMMABLE SOLID** | 172.546 | | 4.2 | SPONTANEOUSLYCOMBUSTIBLE4**SPONTANEOUSLY COMBUSTIBLE** | 172.547 | | 5.1 | OXIDIZER5.1**OXIDIZER** | 172.550 | | 5.2 (Other than Type B temperature controlled) | ORGANICPEROXIDE5.2**ORGANIC PEROXIDE** | 172.552 | | 6.1 (Other than material poisonous by inhalation) | POISON6**POISON** | 172.554 | | 6.2 | None | — | | 8 | CORROSIVE8**CORROSIVE** | 172.558 | | 9 | CLASS99**CLASS 9**Not required for domestic transportation (172.504(f)(9)) | 172.560 | ## The 1,001 lb rule Table 2 placards are required once the truck carries 1,001 lb (454 kg) or more of Table 2 materials, counted as aggregate gross weight including packaging. * Add up every Table 2 material on the truck, across classes. 600 lb of Class 3 plus 401 lb of Class 8 is 1,001 lb, so both FLAMMABLE and CORROSIVE are required. * Below 1,001 lb no Table 2 placard is required on highway or rail, but you may display them. * The rule never applies to Table 1 materials, bulk packagings or materials with a PIH or dangerous-when-wet subsidiary hazard (172.505): those are placarded in any quantity. * Residue in an empty non-bulk packaging of a Table 2 material is not counted (172.504(d)). ## When you can use the DANGEROUS placard A truck with non-bulk packages of two or more Table 2 classes that need different placards may display one DANGEROUS placard instead of the separate Table 2 placards (172.504(b)). * If 2,205 lb (1,000 kg) or more of one class was loaded at one loading facility, that class must show its own placard. DANGEROUS may still cover the others. * DANGEROUS never replaces a Table 1 placard, and it does not cover bulk packagings. * The DANGEROUS placard has red top and bottom triangles on a white center (172.521) and may not carry an identification number (172.334(a)). ## When the UN number goes on the truck Bulk packagings always display the material’s UN or NA number. A truck with non-bulk packages must display it on each side and each end when it carries 8,820 lb (4,000 kg) or more of a single material. * Single material rule (172.301(a)(3)): every package has the same proper shipping name and number, the total is 8,820 lb or more, it was all loaded at one facility and nothing else is on the truck. It does not apply to Class 1, Class 7 or materials without an identification number. * Bulk packagings (172.302): on each side and each end at 1,000 gallons or more, on two opposing sides below that. Cargo tanks, portable tanks and tank cars have their own sections (172.326, 172.328). * Display it on an orange panel, across the center of the placard, or on a white square-on-point (172.332, 172.336). Never on an EXPLOSIVES, RADIOACTIVE, DANGEROUS or subsidiary placard. ## Placards and the CDL H endorsement If the load needs placards, the driver needs a CDL with the hazardous materials (H) endorsement. 49 CFR 383.5 defines hazardous materials for CDL purposes as material that must be placarded under Part 172 Subpart F, or any quantity of a select agent or toxin. * The endorsement needs a knowledge test (383.93) and a TSA security threat assessment, renewed at least every 5 years (383.141). * Endorsement X combines tank vehicle (N) and hazmat (H) (383.153). * A vehicle carrying hazmat in a quantity that requires placards is a commercial motor vehicle regardless of its weight (390.5). ## What this finder does not cover The finder applies the general rules for highway transportation in the US. Check the regulation yourself for: * Rail, air and vessel transportation, including compatibility group letters on explosives placards (172.504(g)). * Class 7 beyond the Yellow-III label: unpackaged LSA-I or SCO-I, exclusive-use and 173.443(d) shipments, and uranium hexafluoride (172.505(b)). * Explosives compatibility groups and the 1.4S exception (172.504(f)(6)). * Optional placards: OXYGEN instead of NON-FLAMMABLE GAS, FLAMMABLE instead of COMBUSTIBLE on cargo and portable tanks, and PG III on POISON (172.504(f)(2), (f)(7), (f)(10)). * Whether a material qualifies as a limited quantity or small quantity: the finder takes your answer. * Empty packagings and residue beyond the non-bulk rule, and empty IBCs (173.29). * Identification number details for cargo tanks, portable tanks, tank cars, tube trailers and IBCs (172.326, 172.328, 172.331). * Placard size, placement, visibility and condition (172.516, 172.519), shipping papers and emergency response information (172.602). * Materials the US Hazardous Materials Table classes differently from the UN list this finder searches. ## Hazmat placards: frequently asked questions ### Do I need a hazmat placard? It depends on the hazard class and the weight. Table 1 materials need placards in any quantity: Divisions 1.1, 1.2 and 1.3 explosives, 2.3 poison gas, 4.3 dangerous when wet, temperature-controlled Type B organic peroxides, materials poisonous by inhalation and Radioactive Yellow-III packages. Table 2 materials need placards once the truck carries 1,001 lb or more of them in aggregate gross weight, and any bulk packaging is placarded. Limited quantities, infectious substances and combustible liquids in non-bulk packagings are not placarded. ### What is the difference between Table 1 and Table 2? They are the two placarding tables in 49 CFR 172.504(e). Table 1 lists the materials that are placarded in any quantity, however small. Table 2 lists every other class and division, from EXPLOSIVES 1.4 to CORROSIVE and CLASS 9; those placards are only required from 1,001 lb aggregate gross weight on the truck, or when the material is in bulk packaging. ### How does the 1,001 lb placard rule work? Add up the gross weight, packaging included, of all Table 2 materials on the truck. Under 1,001 lb (454 kg) no Table 2 placard is required on highway or rail, although you may display them. At 1,001 lb or more each Table 2 class on board needs its placard. The exception never applies to Table 1 materials, bulk packagings or materials with a subsidiary hazard covered by 172.505. ### When can I use the DANGEROUS placard? When non-bulk packages of two or more Table 2 classes that require different placards share a truck, one DANGEROUS placard may replace the separate Table 2 placards. If 2,205 lb (1,000 kg) or more of one class was loaded at one facility, that class still needs its own placard. DANGEROUS never replaces a Table 1 placard. ### Do I need a Class 9 placard? Not for domestic transportation, including the US leg of an international shipment (172.504(f)(9)). You may still display it. A bulk packaging of a Class 9 material must still show its identification number, on a CLASS 9 placard, an orange panel or a white square-on-point. ### When does the UN number have to be displayed on the truck? Bulk packagings always display the material’s UN or NA number. For non-bulk packages, the truck must display it on each side and each end when it carries 8,820 lb (4,000 kg) or more of one material with the same shipping name and number, all loaded at one facility, with nothing else on board. The number goes on an orange panel, the placard or a white square-on-point, but never on an EXPLOSIVES, RADIOACTIVE, DANGEROUS or subsidiary placard. ### Does a placarded load need a CDL hazmat endorsement? Yes. For CDL purposes, 49 CFR 383.5 defines hazardous materials as material that must be placarded under Part 172 Subpart F, or any quantity of a select agent or toxin. If your load needs placards, the driver needs a CDL with the H endorsement (X for a tank vehicle carrying hazmat), which requires a knowledge test and a TSA security threat assessment renewed at least every 5 years. ### Do limited quantities need placards? No. The placarding rules do not apply to materials shipped as a limited quantity when the shipping paper or the limited-quantity marking identifies them as such (172.500(b)), nor to small quantities under 173.4, 173.4a and 173.4b. PHMSA published a final rule on domestic limited-quantity shipments that took effect on September 3, 2026, so check the current Part 173 text for your material. ## Sources Rules from the eCFR text of 49 CFR Parts 172 and 383, current as of September 24, 2026: * [49 CFR 172.500 Applicability of placarding requirements](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/subtitle-B/chapter-I/subchapter-C/part-172/subpart-F/section-172.500) * [49 CFR 172.504 General placarding requirements](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/subtitle-B/chapter-I/subchapter-C/part-172/subpart-F/section-172.504) * [49 CFR 172.505 Placarding for subsidiary hazards](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/subtitle-B/chapter-I/subchapter-C/part-172/subpart-F/section-172.505) * [49 CFR Part 172 Subpart D Marking (172.301, 172.302, 172.332, 172.334, 172.336)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/subtitle-B/chapter-I/subchapter-C/part-172/subpart-D) * [49 CFR Part 383 Commercial driver’s license standards (383.5, 383.93, 383.141, 383.153)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/subtitle-B/chapter-III/subchapter-B/part-383) * [PHMSA Emergency Response Guidebook (ERG2024)](https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/training/hazmat/erg/emergency-response-guidebook-erg) ### Plan hazmat loads without the lookup work Transportial keeps dangerous goods data on each shipment’s goods lines, driver certifications on the driver profile and hazmat restrictions in truck routing, in one TMS. 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