Hazard Class 8

Class 8 - Corrosives are materials that, by chemical action, can cause severe damage when in contact with living tissue or, in the case of leakage, will materially damage or destroy other goods or the means of transport. Corrosive materials can eat through metal or cause electrical wires to short-circuit. Examples of corrosive substances include battery acid, mercury, and sulfuric acid.

Packing groups are assigned based on the following descriptions:

• Packing Group I - material causes full thickness destruction of intact skin tissue within an observation period of up to 60 minutes, starting after an exposure time of 3 minutes or less.
• Packing Group II - material causes full thickness destruction of intact skin tissue within an observation period of up to 14 days, starting after an exposure time of more than 3 minutes but less than 60 minutes.
• Packing Group III - material causes full thickness destruction of intact skin tissue within an observation period of up to 14 days, starting after an exposure time of more than 60 minutes but less than 4 hours, or material does not cause full thickness destruction of intact skin tissue but has a corrosion rate either on steel or aluminum surfaces exceeding 6.25 mm a year at test temperature of 55° C (131° F).

Class 8 materials are defined in §173.136.

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