IATA, Class 2 - Packaging Specifications

The design, construction, and initial inspection and testing of cylinders must meet the ISO standards listed in Subsection 6.4.2.1 of the IATA List of Dangerous Goods. ISO standards are also provided that specify the construction materials and closures of the cylinders and closed cryogenic receptacles. The appropriate national authority must approve the conformity assessment system. This includes detailed requirements for the manufacturers and inspectors of the packaging. After inspection, each cylinder or receptacle must be certified that it meets the inspection and test requirements. The design type approval and certificate of compliance records must be maintained for at least 20 years.

Refillable cylinders and closed cryogenic receptacles must be marked with permanently affixed certification, operational, and manufacturing marks. The marks must be placed on the shoulder, top end, or neck of the cylinder or closed cryogenic receptacle or on a permanently affixed component.

The following certification marks must be applied:

• United Nations packing symbol
• Technical Standard used for design, construction, and testing
• State VRI code (see Appendix D.1 and D.2 of the IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations)
• Inspection body mark
• Date of initial inspection

The following operational marks must be applied:

• Test pressure in bar, preceded by the letters "PH" and followed by the letters "BAR"
• Mass of the empty cylinder, followed by the letters "KG"
• Minimum guaranteed wall thickness, followed by the letters "MM"
• For compressed gases, the working pressure in bar, preceded by the letters "PW"; for closed cryogenic receptacles, the maximum allowable working pressure, preceded by the letters "MAWP"
• For liquefied gases, the water capacity in liters, expressed to three figures, followed by the letter "L"
• For UN 1001, the total mass of the empty receptacle, the fittings and accessories, any coating, the porous mass, the solvent, and the saturated gas, followed by the letters "KG"
• For UN 3374, the total mass of the empty receptacle, the fittings and accessories, any coating, and the porous mass, followed by the letters "KG"

The following manufacturing marks must be applied:

• Cylinder thread identification (not required for closed cryogenic receptacles)
• Manufacturer's mark
• Serial number
• For steel cylinders and composite cylinders with steel liners, the letter "H" showing compatibility of steel

The manufacturing marks must be placed in the top sequence. The operational marks follow in the second sequence. If working pressure is required, it must be placed before the test pressure. The last sequence, placed on the bottom, is for the certification marks. See Table 6.4.A of the IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations for an example of cylinder marks.

Refillable cylinders must also be marked with the following inspection information:

• Identification of authorizing country (not required if the test and inspection is performed in the same country in which it was manufactured)
• Registered mark of the inspection body
• Date of the periodic inspection

Non-refillable cylinders and closed cryogenic receptacles must be marked with the same specifications as a refillable cylinder or receptacle, with the following exceptions:

• Non-refillable cylinders and closed cryogenic receptacles do not require the mass of the empty cylinder, the minimum wall thickness, or the identification of the cylinder thread.
• The words "DO NOT REFILL" must be included in the mark, and the letters must be at least 5 mm in height.

If the cylinders and closed cryogenic receptacles are not designed, constructed, inspected, tested, and approved to meet the UN requirements described in Subsection 6.2.2 of the IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations, then they must be approved to meet the provisions recognized by the appropriate national authority.

Aerosols and small gas cartridges must meet the packaging and testing provisions described in Subsection 6.4.4 of the IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations. These packagings must be subjected to a hot water bath test. This test requires that the packagings be submerged in hot water until the internal pressure reaches that which would be reached at 55°C (131°F). No leakage or permanent deformation may occur.

To learn more about Multimodal Shipping visit our Multimodal DOT, IATA & IMDG HAZMAT Shipping Online Training web page.