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DOT Hazmat Placarding

For shippers and drivers who decide, provide and display placards on highway shipments: know when placarding applies, use Tables 1 and 2 and the 454 kg exception, apply the DANGEROUS and subsidiary placards correctly, and display placards so they can be seen.

Based on DOT 49 CFR Part 172, Subpart F (Placarding): §§ 172.500, 172.502, 172.504, 172.505, 172.506, 172.514(b) and 172.516 · about 6 min read

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When placarding applies

Who must placard, and what is excepted

Both the person who offers hazmat for transportation and the person who transports it must follow the placarding rules.

The starting rule: each bulk packaging, freight container, unit load device, transport vehicle or rail car containing any quantity of hazmat must be placarded on each side and each end, unless an exception applies.

Not covered by the placarding subpart (for example)

Infectious substances
Limited quantities identified as such on the shipping paper or marked as such
Hazmat packaged as small quantities under §§ 173.4, 173.4a or 173.4b
Combustible liquids in non-bulk packagings

See § 172.500(b) for the full list of exclusions.

Reference: 49 CFR 172.500(a) · 49 CFR 172.500(b)(1) · 49 CFR 172.500(b)(2) · 49 CFR 172.500(b)(4) · 49 CFR 172.500(b)(5) · 49 CFR 172.504(a)

When placarding applies

When you must NOT placard

Except as § 172.502(b) allows, no one may display a placard unless these are true:

The material is a hazardous material
The placard represents a hazard of that material
The placarding conforms to Subpart F

You also may not display any sign, advertisement, slogan (such as "Drive Safely") or device that could be confused with a placard.

Why it matters: a leftover FLAMMABLE placard on an empty van, or an OXIDIZER placard on a load of paint thinner, tells responders the wrong story.

Permissive placarding: you may display placards for hazmat even when not required, as long as they conform to Subpart F.

Reference: 49 CFR 172.502(a)(1)(i) · 49 CFR 172.502(a)(1)(ii) · 49 CFR 172.502(a)(1)(iii) · 49 CFR 172.502(a)(2) · 49 CFR 172.502(c) · 49 CFR 172.502(a)

Choosing placards

Table 1, Table 2 and the 454 kg exception

Table 1: any quantityExplosives 1.1, 1.2 and 1.3; Division 2.3 (POISON GAS); Division 4.3 (DANGEROUS WHEN WET); temperature-controlled Type B organic peroxides; Division 6.1 materials poisonous by inhalation; and Radioactive Yellow III (the table's footnote also requires RADIOACTIVE placards for some other radioactive shipments). Placard for any quantity.

Table 2: the 454 kg exceptionOther placarded classes, such as FLAMMABLE, CORROSIVE, OXIDIZER, NON-FLAMMABLE GAS and POISON.

The 454 kg exception

For highway or rail, placards are not required on a transport vehicle or freight container with less than 454 kg (1001 pounds) aggregate gross weight of Table 2 materials.

This exception does not apply to:

Bulk packagings
Materials subject to § 172.505 (for example poison inhalation hazard materials)
Any Table 1 material

Non-bulk packages containing only residue of a Table 2 material (other than § 172.505 materials) are left out of the count.

Reference: 49 CFR 172.504(a) · 49 CFR 172.504(e) Table 1 · 49 CFR 172.504(c) · 49 CFR 172.504(c)(1) · 49 CFR 172.504(d)(1) · 49 CFR 172.504(e) Table 1 footnote 1

Choosing placards

Table 2 placards you will see most

Common Table 2 categories of material and their placard names.

2.1

FLAMMABLE GASDivision 2.1 flammable gases

2.2

NON-FLAMMABLE GASDivision 2.2 non-flammable gases

FLAMMABLEClass 3 flammable liquids

Comb.

COMBUSTIBLECombustible liquids (in bulk; non-bulk is excluded)

5.1

OXIDIZERDivision 5.1 oxidizers

6.1

POISONDivision 6.1, other than material poisonous by inhalation

CORROSIVEClass 8 corrosive materials

CLASS 9Class 9; not required for domestic transportation, see the next page

Reference: 49 CFR 172.504(e) Table 2 · 49 CFR 172.500(b)(5) · 49 CFR 172.504(f)(9)

DANGEROUS, subsidiary and other exceptions

The DANGEROUS placard and subsidiary placards

DANGEROUS placard

A vehicle or container with non-bulk packages of two or more Table 2 categories may display DANGEROUS instead of each separate Table 2 placard.

The 1,000 kg rule: if 1,000 kg (2,205 pounds) aggregate gross weight or more of one category is loaded at one loading facility, that category's own Table 2 placard must be applied.

The DANGEROUS option covers Table 2 categories. Table 1 placards are still applied as required.

Subsidiary hazard placards that are required

Poison inhalation hazard materials: POISON INHALATION HAZARD or POISON GAS placard on each side and each end, in addition to the other placards for that material.
Materials with a dangerous when wet subsidiary hazard: DANGEROUS WHEN WET placards on each side and each end, in addition to the others.
Uranium hexafluoride (non-fissile, fissile-excepted or fissile), 454 kg (1,001 pounds) or more gross weight: CORROSIVE and POISON placards on each side and each end, in addition to any RADIOACTIVE placard required.

Other subsidiary placards are allowed even when not required.

Two exceptions you will meet

CLASS 9 placards are not required for domestic transportation (a bulk packaging still needs its identification number displayed).
A FLAMMABLE placard may be used in place of COMBUSTIBLE on a cargo tank or portable tank.

See § 172.504(f) for all additional exceptions.

Reference: 49 CFR 172.504(b) · 49 CFR 172.505(a) · 49 CFR 172.505(c) · 49 CFR 172.505(d) · 49 CFR 172.504(f)(9) · 49 CFR 172.504(f)(2)(i) · 49 CFR 172.505(b)

Providing and displaying placards

Who provides them, and how they must look

Who does what (highway)

The shipper must provide the required placards to the motor carrier before or at the same time the material is offered, unless the vehicle is already correctly placarded.
The motor carrier may not transport the hazmat unless the required placards are affixed.

Display checklist

Clearly visible from the direction it faces (each side and each end), except from the direction of another vehicle it is coupled to
Securely attached or in a holder
Clear of ladders, pipes, doors and tarpaulins
So far as practicable, located so that dirt or water from the wheels is not directed onto it
At least 3 inches (76.0 mm) from other markings such as advertising
Words or ID number reading horizontally, left to right
Kept by the carrier free of damage, deterioration or dirt that substantially reduces it
On a background of contrasting color, or with a dotted or solid outer border that contrasts with the background

Empty bulk packaging: a bulk packaging that needed placards stays placarded after it is emptied, unless, for example, it is cleaned of residue and purged of vapors to remove any potential hazard (see § 172.514(b) for the other cases).

Reference: 49 CFR 172.506(a) · 49 CFR 172.506(a)(1) · 49 CFR 172.516(a) · 49 CFR 172.516(c)(1) · 49 CFR 172.516(c)(2) · 49 CFR 172.516(c)(4) · 49 CFR 172.516(c)(5) · 49 CFR 172.516(c)(6) · 49 CFR 172.514(b) · 49 CFR 172.514(b)(1) · 49 CFR 172.516(c)(3) · 49 CFR 172.516(c)(7)

Providing and displaying placards

Walk around the trailer

Front: The front placard may be on the front of the truck-tractor instead of, or in addition to, the front of the cargo body.
Each side: Both sides need a placard, at least 3 inches from the logo or any other marking that could reduce its effectiveness.
Rear end: The rear needs a placard, located clear of doors, ladders, pipes and tarps so it stays visible.
Reading direction: The words on the placard read horizontally, left to right.

Reference: 49 CFR 172.504(a) · 49 CFR 172.516(b) · 49 CFR 172.516(c)(2) · 49 CFR 172.516(c)(4) · 49 CFR 172.516(c)(5)

Need proof of training? The full course (25 min) adds practice questions, a job scenario, the final quiz and a certificate your employer can verify.

Take the course

Sources

49 CFR 172 Subpart F

Fact-checked against the regulation text on October 09, 2026. This certificate records completion of awareness training based on DOT 49 CFR 172.500, 172.502, 172.504, 172.505, 172.506, 172.514(b) and 172.516. It is not an OSHA card or license, and it does not by itself meet the training requirements of 49 CFR 172.702 and 172.704. Your hazmat employer must still ensure that you are trained and tested in accordance with 49 CFR Part 172, Subpart H: general awareness/familiarization training, function-specific training for the functions you perform, safety training, security awareness training, and in-depth security training if your employer must have a security plan; recurrent training at least once every three years; and a record of current training that includes certification that you have been trained and tested.

This guide explains the rule in plain words. Always read the regulation itself and your employer's site-specific procedures.