7.1 Mixed Loading Prohibitions and Foodstuff Segregation (ADR 7.5.2 & 7.5.4)
Key Takeaways
Use the actual 7.5.2 table, all labels and footnotes; many ordinary classes 2–9 may be carried together.
Ordinary label 4.1 is different from the separate 4.1 + 1 entry; never substitute the wrong row.
A table permission does not authorise chemicals to mix or override special provisions and safe stowage.
Food protection under 7.5.4 uses specified labels/UN entries and alternative separation arrangements, including 0.8 metres.
Mixed loading: read the labels and the actual table
ADR 7.5.2 regulates packages carried together in the same vehicle or container. Its table is based on the danger labels carried by the packages. A driver must distinguish this legal label-pairing test from chemical compatibility, food protection, and special handling conditions. Those tests can all matter, but they answer different questions.
An X in Table 7.5.2.1 means mixed loading is permitted for the relevant pairing. A blank cell means it is not permitted under that table; a lettered footnote can establish a specific permission under stated conditions. Read the footnote before deciding. Do not treat an X as an instruction to mix substances physically, or assume that two different class numbers must always be isolated in separate vehicles.
A practical checking sequence
- Identify all primary and subsidiary danger labels for each package from the consignment information and external labels.
- Find the appropriate rows and columns, including the separate 4.1 + 1 and 5.2 + 1 entries where relevant.
- Check the table intersection and any footnote. When only Class 1 packages are being combined, apply the compatibility-group table under 7.5.2.2 as directed by the Class 1 note.
- Check the goods’ additional conditions in Table A, including Chapter 7.5 special provisions, quantity limits and temperature controls.
- Check food/feed separation and the planned stowage and load restraint independently.
- Refer unresolved combinations to the responsible consignor/carrier or DGSA before loading.
Ordinary classes and the important explosive distinctions
Ordinary packages bearing labels 3 and 8, or ordinary labels 5.1 and 4.1, are not subject to the blanket class-wide bans sometimes assumed from their chemical names. The table permits many ordinary combinations of classes 2–9. However, leaked oxidiser must not contact combustible material, and incompatible acids and alkalis must not be allowed to mix. Packaging integrity and the undertaking’s risk assessment still matter.
| Pairing being checked | What the basic driver should recognise |
|---|---|
| Ordinary label 5.1 with ordinary label 4.1 | No blanket prohibition in 7.5.2.1; still check compatibility and applicable provisions |
| Ordinary label 3 with ordinary label 8 | Table permission does not authorise substances to mix or excuse subsidiary-label checks |
| Label 4.1 plus subsidiary label 1 with ordinary label 3 | The separate explosive-subsidiary row has restrictive blank cells; an ordinary 4.1 permission cannot be substituted |
| Label 5.2 plus subsidiary label 1 with ordinary label 5.2 | The table has an explicit permission; “explosive subsidiary label always prohibited with everything” is incorrect |
| Division 1.4S with ordinary other-class goods | Footnote (a) provides permission for the listed intersections; it is not permission for every conceivable load |
Class 1 generally has restrictive combinations, but 1.4S is not the only possible exception. Other footnotes cover specified life-saving/safety devices and particular controlled combinations. These are not a general driver's authority to assemble an explosives load. Where Class 1 is involved, the relevant qualification, compatibility, vehicle, quantity and security requirements must be established by the responsible operator.
Containers and partitions are not universal workarounds
An ordinary partition in a trailer does not automatically override a prohibited same-vehicle combination. ADR 7.5.2.3 contains a specific rule about goods in closed containers with complete sides, while retaining the identified Class 1 restrictions between container contents and other goods on the same vehicle. Do not assume that stretch wrap, a wooden board or putting goods at opposite ends makes a forbidden combination lawful.
Limited-quantity goods also have a mixed-loading rule: 7.5.2.4 prohibits their combination with explosives except division 1.4 and the two specified UN entries. The presence of LQ packages does not remove the need to check an explosives consignment.
Foodstuffs and animal feed: the separate 7.5.4 test
Where CV28 is assigned, packages and uncleaned empty packagings bearing labels 6.1 or 6.2, and label 9 for UN 2212, 2315, 2590, 3151, 3152 or 3245, must not be stacked on or loaded in immediate proximity to known food, other consumption articles or animal feed. The rule applies in vehicles, containers and at loading, unloading and transhipment places.
The permitted arrangements are alternatives:
- A complete partition at least as high as the relevant dangerous goods packages.
- Intervening packages not bearing the specified labels/entries.
- A space of at least 0.8 metres.
- The specified dangerous goods packages have an additional packaging or are completely covered, for example with suitable sheeting or a fibreboard cover.
ADR does not require a full-height, airtight vehicle bulkhead in every case, or an overpack and 0.8 metres in all cases. Conversely, an arbitrary space smaller than 0.8 metres does not meet the distance alternative. The selected arrangement must remain effective during carriage, including after deliveries change the load.
Worked food-separation decision
A driver receives toxic pesticide drums and palletised food. The loader proposes a distance of 0.5 metres with no partition, intervening packages or additional protection. That proposal fails the distance alternative. Increasing the maintained separation to 0.8 metres can satisfy that alternative, provided the rest of the requirements and safe stowage are met. The driver must also ensure that later partial unloading will not leave an unsecured pesticide pallet able to slide into the food.
If leakage is suspected, stop the operation and protect people from exposure. Legal separation distances are not a cleanup procedure and do not make contaminated food safe. Report the incident, prevent distribution of suspect food and obtain responsible-party instructions.
Source check: 17 October 2026 — ADR 2025, English text published by the Slovak Ministry of Transport, 7.5.2 and 7.5.4.
What does an X mean at a relevant intersection in ADR 7.5.2.1?
That the combination is always forbidden
That mixed loading is permitted for that pairing, subject to the other applicable rules
That the goods can be mixed in one inner packaging
That food-separation rules are waived
Which statement about ordinary labels 5.1 and 4.1 is correct?
ADR imposes an unconditional same-vehicle ban
The driver may physically mix spilled contents
The mixed-loading table permits this ordinary pairing; other compatibility and safety requirements still matter
Their labels must be replaced by one Class 9 label
A food/toxic-package load uses only the distance alternative in 7.5.4. What separation must be maintained?
0.2 metres
0.5 metres
Any visible gap
At least 0.8 metres
Can an ordinary partition automatically override a prohibited mixed-loading combination?
No; apply the actual same-vehicle/container rules and any specific exception
Yes, if it is made of plywood
Yes, if the driver signs the consignment note
Yes, whenever both packages have UN marks
Sections you finish are checked off in the contents.