In replace of GB 12268-1990, this standard specifies the general rules and structure of the list of dangerous goods in terms of UN number, name and description, English name, category and division, minor hazard as well as package type. Companies engaged in the transport, storage, use, production, operation and disposal of dangerous goods must apply to this compulsory standard in providing correction name information about their products.

Chapter 4 (excluding 4.7) and Column 1 to 6 in Table 1 of Chapter 6 are mandatory and the rest part of the standard is recommendatory. The standard corresponds to UN Recommendations on the Transport of Dangerous Goods (UN RTDG) — Model Regulations, Part 3: List of Dangerous Goods and Limited Quantity Exception (13th revised edition). Relevant technical contents in GB 12268-2005 are fully consistent with Part 3 of UN RTDG.

GB 12268-2005 adopts the classification method of GB 6944-2005 in determining the hazard category of dangerous goods. Some categories go with a certain package type depending on the concrete hazard severity of the given dangerous product. The three package types are:

• I: for substances with high hazards;

• II: for substances with medium hazards;

• III: for substances with low hazards.

Chapter 6 of the standard presents the full list of dangerous goods. The table is composed of 7 columns:

• UN number: code numbers of dangerous goods identified in accordance with the UN classification system, from 0004 to 3495;

• Name and description: Chinese official names of dangerous goods;

• English name: English official name of dangerous goods written in capitalized letters; supplementary descriptions un-capitalized;

• Category or Division: Main hazard nature of the dangerous goods, based on GB 6944-2005. For category Class 1 dangerous goods (explosives), the category or division goes together with a code indicating its corresponding compatibility group. Classification of the compatibility group is identified in Appendix A of the standard;

• Minor hazard: category or division of the hazard besides the main hazard of the dangerous goods, also based on GB 6944-2005;

• Package type: in line with the UN classification system on dangerous goods package, marked with I, II or III;

• Notes: Here provides the formal CN number of the dangerous goods indicated in GB 12268-1990.

GB 12268-2005 is attached with two appendixes. In Appendix A, Figure A.1 and Figure A.2 describe the classification method of compatibility group for explosives and the hazard division associated with compatibility group.

Appendix B shows the sequence of multiple hazard divisions (or categories) when a substance or mixture (solvent) possesses more than one hazard division (or category).