UN1202 diesel fuel decoder.

The UN1202 row in the Hazardous Materials Table

The table below is 49 CFR 172.101 as published in the eCFR, current through October 29, 2026, for UN1202. Columns are: class (3), packing group (5), label codes (6), special provisions (7), packaging exceptions (8A), non-bulk packaging (8B), bulk packaging (8C), quantity limits for passenger aircraft or railcar (9A) and cargo aircraft only (9B), and vessel stowage (10A and 10B). UN1202 has 3 rows, so each one is listed.

Reading the packaging columns

Columns 8A to 8C do not hold rules themselves; they point to sections of part 173. For this entry they point to:

• 173.150: Exceptions for Class 3 (flammable and combustible liquids).
• 173.203: Non-bulk packagings for liquid hazardous materials in Packing Group III.
• 173.242: Bulk packagings for certain medium hazard liquids and solids, including solids with dual hazards.

Exceptions in column 8A apply only if that section is referenced for the specific material in the table, so a limited quantity route that exists for one UN number is not automatically open to another.

Special provisions on this entry

The letter prefixes on special provisions tell you where each applies (172.102(c)): a code of only numbers is multi-modal; "A" applies only to transportation by aircraft; "B" only to bulk packaging; "IB" and "IP" only to IBCs; "N" only to non-bulk packaging; "T" and "TP" only to UN portable tanks.

• 144: If transported as a residue in an underground storage tank cleaned and purged or rendered inert per API Standard 1604, the tank and the material are not subject to the other requirements of the subchapter; sediment that itself meets a hazardous material definition still is.
• B1: If the flash point is at or above 38 degrees C (100 degrees F) and below 93 degrees C (200 degrees F), the bulk packaging requirements of 173.241 apply; below 38 degrees C (100 degrees F), 173.242 applies.
• IB3: Authorized IBCs: metal (31A, 31B, 31N), rigid plastic (31H1, 31H2) and composite (31HZ1 and 31HA2, 31HB2, 31HN2, 31HD2, 31HH2).
• T2: a portable tank instruction. It set the minimum test pressure, shell thickness, bottom opening and pressure relief requirements for UN portable tanks.
• TP1: The maximum degree of filling of a portable tank must not exceed the figure from the formula given in the provision.

Why three names share one UN number

The table lists "Diesel fuel", "Gas oil" and "Heating oil, light" as separate rows with the same class, group and packaging, so the proper shipping name on the shipping paper must be the one that describes the product. The diesel fuel and gas oil rows carry special provision 144; the light heating oil row does not. Diesel fuel carries the symbol I in column 1, which 172.101 says identifies proper shipping names appropriate for describing materials in international transportation, with an alternate name allowed when only domestic transportation is involved. The ERG index lists Diesel fuel, Gas oil and Heating oil, light against UN1202 and Guide 128; it also lists Diesel fuel against UN1993, which is the n.o.s. entry covered on its own page.

Packing Group III and the higher air limits

Packing Group III is the lowest hazard group, and the air limits are correspondingly generous: 60 L net per package on passenger aircraft or railcar and 220 L on cargo aircraft only. Vessel stowage category in column 10A is A. Bulk packaging uses 173.242 through column 8C, and special provision B1 decides which bulk rules apply: flash point at or above 38 degrees C (100 degrees F) and below 93 degrees C (200 degrees F) means 173.241; below 38 degrees C means 173.242.

Placards for diesel

Because UN1202 is Class 3, the 172.504 Table 2 entry is FLAMMABLE; the separate COMBUSTIBLE category in Table 2 is for combustible liquids that meet no other hazard class under 173.120(b). Non-bulk packages under 1,001 pounds (454 kg) aggregate gross weight on a highway vehicle need no placard. Bulk packagings, such as a fuel truck cargo tank, are placarded at any quantity. Use the shipping paper description, which must match the table row.

ERG 2024 Guide 128: Flammable Liquids (Water-Immiscible)

The ERG 2024 numerical index lists UN1202 against Guide 128. The guide appears on pages 185 to 186 of the 2024 guidebook. The guidebook is meant for first responders during the initial phase of an incident, and it says to call 911 and then the emergency response telephone number on the shipping paper.

• Fire or explosion: "HIGHLY FLAMMABLE: Will be easily ignited by heat, sparks or flames." Vapors may form explosive mixtures with air, may travel to a source of ignition and flash back, and most are heavier than air. Many of these liquids float on water, and the guide notes the substance may be transported hot.
• Health: inhalation or contact may irritate or burn skin and eyes; fire may produce irritating, corrosive or toxic gases; vapors may cause dizziness or asphyxiation in confined areas.
• Evacuation: isolate a spill or leak area for at least 50 meters (150 feet) in all directions; for a large spill consider initial downwind evacuation of at least 300 meters (1000 feet); for a tank, rail tank car or highway tank in a fire, isolate for 800 meters (1/2 mile).
• Fire response: small fire, dry chemical, CO2, water spray or regular foam (alcohol-resistant foam if regular foam is ineffective or unavailable); large fire, water spray, fog or regular foam. For mixtures containing alcohol or a polar solvent, alcohol-resistant foam may be more effective.

The guide is a starting point until the material is identified. Read the full guide in the current ERG, and use the shipping paper emergency number for product-specific advice.

Placards, quantity and vessel stowage

3 is a Table 2 category in 172.504(e), so the placard is FLAMMABLE. On a highway vehicle with less than 454 kg (1,001 pounds) aggregate gross weight of Table 2 materials in non-bulk packages, no placard is required, but bulk packagings and materials subject to 172.505 are not eligible for that exception (172.504(c)).

Vessel stowage is the category in column 10A (A), which the table sets for this entry, plus the column 10B codes. Column 10B is blank for this entry. Hazmat shipped as a limited quantity is allocated stowage category A and is not subject to the column 10B stowage codes (176.63(a)).

Worked example

A farm supplier delivers six 55-gallon drums of diesel fuel. A 55-gallon drum is about 208 L, which is under the 220 L cargo aircraft limit and over the 60 L passenger limit, so a single drum cannot go by passenger aircraft. Six drums of fuel weighing about 380 pounds each total roughly 2,300 pounds, which is over the 1,001 pound threshold for non-bulk packages in 172.504(c), so the truck needs FLAMMABLE placards. The per-drum weight is an estimate for illustration only; the aggregate gross weight on the vehicle is what counts.

Limits

This page reads the 172.101 table, the 172.102 special provisions, 172.504 and the section titles named above, plus ERG 2024. It does not classify your material, choose a proper shipping name, or build shipping papers, marks, labels or training requirements. The checker compares your net quantity to the printed column 9A and 9B limits and applies the 1,001 pound rule to the class on the row; it does not model subsidiary hazard placards (172.505), mixed loads, state rules or carrier restrictions. Special provisions are shown in summary; read the full text in 172.102 before relying on one. Hazmat shipping needs trained hazmat employees (49 CFR part 172, subpart H).

Sources

Sources opened and read November 2, 2026.

• eCFR: 49 CFR 172.101, Hazardous Materials Table (current through October 29, 2026) (read November 2, 2026)
• eCFR: 49 CFR 172.102, special provisions (current through October 29, 2026) (read November 2, 2026)
• eCFR: 49 CFR 172.504, general placarding requirements (current through October 29, 2026) (read November 2, 2026)
• eCFR: 49 CFR 173.150, Exceptions for Class 3 (flammable and combustible liquids) (current through October 29, 2026) (read November 2, 2026)
• eCFR: 49 CFR 173.203, Non-bulk packagings for liquid hazardous materials in Packing Group III (current through October 29, 2026) (read November 2, 2026)
• eCFR: 49 CFR 173.242, Bulk packagings for certain medium hazard liquids and solids, including solids with dual hazards (current through October 29, 2026) (read November 2, 2026)
• eCFR: 49 CFR 176.84, other requirements for stowage, cargo handling and segregation (current through October 29, 2026) (read November 2, 2026)
• eCFR: 49 CFR 176.63, stowage locations (current through October 29, 2026) (read November 2, 2026)
• PHMSA: Emergency Response Guidebook (ERG) landing page (read November 2, 2026)
• PHMSA: ERG 2024 PDF, numerical index and guide pages (the phmsa.dot.gov host refused automated requests; the Internet Archive copy of this file was read) (read November 2, 2026)