Tank car placards and hazmat numbers
A placard is the diamond that identifies the hazard of a load. This page is the short version, and it points at the placard notes.
Two numbers, two jobs
A hazmat placard is a diamond on the side of a tank car or, less often, another freight car. The number in the bottom corner is the hazard class, from 1 through 9. A four-digit number in the middle, or on a separate orange panel, is the UN or NA identification number for the material. Class 3 with 1203 is gasoline. Class 3 with 1993 is a flammable liquid the shipper still has to describe on the papers. The class alone is not the name of the product.
Color helps and then it weathers. The class number and the identification number are what you write down. A faded diamond with no readable number is a poor identification.
What a placard is not
The placard is not the reporting mark, and it is not the tank's specification stencil. The mark says who owns the car. The specification says what standard the tank was built to. The placard says what kind of hazard is in the shipment on this trip. A tank can carry different materials over its life, within what that tank is allowed to carry, and the placard changes with the load.
This is recognition, for someone who can already see the diamond from a public place. It is not an emergency guide. If a car is leaking, smoking, or in a wreck, leave and call the local emergency number. Responders use the shipping papers and the emergency response guidebook. A website is not a substitute.
Common questions
- Where do I read a placard?
- The class number is in the point of the diamond. The four-digit identification number is in the center or on an orange panel next to it. Write down both.
- Is the placard the same as the DOT specification on the tank?
- No. The specification describes the tank. The placard describes the hazard of the material loaded for that move.