4.1 Placard Table 1: The Any-Quantity Materials
Key Takeaways
- Table 1 lists eight categories: Divisions 1.1, 1.2, and 1.3; Division 2.3; Division 4.3; Division 5.2 organic peroxide Type B temperature controlled; Division 6.1 inhalation hazard Zone A or B; and Class 7 Radioactive Yellow III.
- A Table 1 material must be placarded no matter how little is on board — even one pound or one cylinder.
- Only packages bearing the Radioactive Yellow III label trigger the RADIOACTIVE placard; White I and Yellow II packages do not.
- The three things you need in order to choose placards are the hazard class, the amount being shipped, and the total amount of all hazardous materials of all classes on the vehicle.
- Table 1 materials can never be represented by the DANGEROUS placard.
4.1 Placard Table 1: The Any-Quantity Materials
[!NOTE] Primary Purpose of Placards: Placards are large, durable, diamond-shaped warning signs displayed on the exterior of a commercial transport vehicle or bulk packaging. Their fundamental purpose is to communicate the chemical hazards of the cargo from a distance of at least 100 feet during an emergency. When Virginia State Police troopers, local firefighters, or hazardous materials response teams arrive at a collision scene on Interstate 95 or Interstate 81, placards allow them to determine safe staging distances, evacuation radiuses, and appropriate firefighting agents before approaching the vehicle.
While the shipper is legally obligated to supply the proper placards or certify that they are already available, the commercial motor vehicle driver and motor carrier are strictly responsible for verifying that placards are correct, undamaged, and properly displayed before moving the vehicle onto any public highway (49 CFR § 172.506). Operating an unplacarded or misplacarded vehicle carries severe civil penalties, immediate out-of-service orders during roadside inspections, and potential criminal liability in the event of an unreported catastrophic release.
Table 1 Materials: The "Placard Any Quantity" Rule (49 CFR § 172.504(e))
Federal regulations divide all hazardous materials into two placarding tables based on the catastrophic severity of the hazard. Table 1 materials represent extreme, life-threatening, or mass-casualty risks.
[!WARNING] The Table 1 Absolute Zero Exemption: There is no minimum weight threshold for Table 1 materials. If a transport vehicle carries even one pound (0.45 kg), one cylinder, or one small sample of a Table 1 material in a non-bulk package, the transport vehicle must be placarded on all four sides with the specific placard designated for that hazard class.
The Complete Roster of Table 1 Materials
Drivers must memorize the eight categories listed in Table 1 (49 CFR 172.504(e)):
- Division 1.1 Explosives: Materials that pose a mass explosion hazard (an explosion that affects almost the entire load instantaneously, such as dynamite, TNT, or bulk demolition charges). Displays the EXPLOSIVES 1.1 placard.
- Division 1.2 Explosives: Materials that pose a projection hazard but not a mass explosion hazard (e.g., military projectiles, artillery shells, flare rockets). Displays the EXPLOSIVES 1.2 placard.
- Division 1.3 Explosives: Materials that pose a fire hazard and either a minor blast hazard or a minor projection hazard (e.g., commercial display fireworks, propellants). Displays the EXPLOSIVES 1.3 placard.
- Division 2.3 Poison Gas / Gas Toxic by Inhalation: Gases that are known to be so toxic to humans as to pose an extreme hazard to health during transportation (e.g., chlorine, phosgene, hydrogen cyanide, anhydrous sulfur dioxide). Displays the POISON GAS placard.
- Division 4.3 Dangerous When Wet: Water-reactive materials that, by contact with water, become spontaneously flammable or give off flammable or toxic gases in dangerous quantities (e.g., metallic sodium, potassium, calcium carbide). Displays the DANGEROUS WHEN WET placard.
- Division 5.2 Organic Peroxide (Type B, liquid or solid, temperature controlled): Extremely sensitive chemical formulations that can undergo explosive decomposition, self-accelerating thermal reactions, or violent combustion under ambient conditions. Displays the ORGANIC PEROXIDE placard.
- Division 6.1 Poison Inhalation Hazard (PIH / TIH): Toxic liquids or solids that meet the criteria for Packing Group I, Hazard Zone A or Hazard Zone B inhalation toxicity. Displays the POISON INHALATION HAZARD placard.
- Class 7 Radioactive Material (bearing Radioactive Yellow III label only): Shipments carrying packages that display the RADIOACTIVE YELLOW III hazard label, or highway route-controlled quantities, or exclusive-use shipments of low specific activity (LSA) materials. Displays the RADIOACTIVE placard.
Table 1 vs. Table 2 Placarding Matrix
| Hazard Class or Division | Placarding Table | Threshold for Non-Bulk Packages | Placard Name / Display Required | Key Operational Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.1 Explosives | Table 1 | ANY QUANTITY (1 lb) | EXPLOSIVES 1.1 | Mass explosion risk; route/parking rules apply |
| 1.2 Explosives | Table 1 | ANY QUANTITY (1 lb) | EXPLOSIVES 1.2 | Projection hazard; severe safety standoff |
| 1.3 Explosives | Table 1 | ANY QUANTITY (1 lb) | EXPLOSIVES 1.3 | Fire/blast hazard; display pyrotechnics |
| 2.3 Poison Gas | Table 1 | ANY QUANTITY (1 lb) | POISON GAS | Lethal inhalation hazard; Zone A/B/C/D |
| 4.3 Dangerous When Wet | Table 1 | ANY QUANTITY (1 lb) | DANGEROUS WHEN WET | Water creates flammable/poison gas |
| 5.2 Organic Peroxide (Type B, Temp) | Table 1 | ANY QUANTITY (1 lb) | ORGANIC PEROXIDE | Emergency temperature control mandatory |
| 6.1 Inhalation Hazard (Zone A/B) | Table 1 | ANY QUANTITY (1 lb) | POISON INHALATION HAZARD | Extreme lethal toxicity; zero threshold |
| 7 Radioactive (Yellow III only) | Table 1 | ANY QUANTITY (1 lb) | RADIOACTIVE | High radiation transport index; exclusive use |
| 1.4, 1.5, 1.6 Explosives | Table 2 | 1,001 lbs or more aggregate | EXPLOSIVES 1.4, 1.5, 1.6 | Minor blast risk / blasting agents |
| 2.1 Flammable Gas | Table 2 | 1,001 lbs or more aggregate | FLAMMABLE GAS | Flash fires; vapor dispersion hazard |
| 2.2 Non-Flammable Gas | Table 2 | 1,001 lbs or more aggregate | NON-FLAMMABLE GAS | Asphyxiation and pressure rupture hazard |
| 3 Flammable Liquid | Table 2 | 1,001 lbs or more aggregate | FLAMMABLE | Flash point < 140°F (60°C) |
| Combustible Liquid | Table 2 | 1,001 lbs or more aggregate | COMBUSTIBLE (or FLAMMABLE) | Flash point ≥ 140°F and < 200°F |
| 4.1 Flammable Solid | Table 2 | 1,001 lbs or more aggregate | FLAMMABLE SOLID | Readily combustible solids and matches |
| 4.2 Spontaneously Combustible | Table 2 | 1,001 lbs or more aggregate | SPONTANEOUSLY COMBUSTIBLE | Pyrophoric and self-heating materials |
| 5.1 Oxidizer | Table 2 | 1,001 lbs or more aggregate | OXIDIZER | Promotes combustion of organic matter |
| 5.2 Organic Peroxide (Standard) | Table 2 | 1,001 lbs or more aggregate | ORGANIC PEROXIDE | Non-temperature-controlled organic peroxides |
| 6.1 Toxic (Ingestion/Dermal/Zone C/D) | Table 2 | 1,001 lbs or more aggregate | POISON | Non-inhalation toxic materials |
| 8 Corrosive | Table 2 | 1,001 lbs or more aggregate | CORROSIVE | Skin destruction / metal destruction |
| 9 Miscellaneous Hazardous | Table 2 | Exempt for Highway | CLASS 9 (Optional) | Placards not required on domestic highways |
Under 49 CFR 172.504(e), which hazardous material requires vehicle placards to be displayed when transported in ANY quantity, even a single pound?