ADR labels and placards
What goes on the package and what goes on the vehicle. Each class label with its colour and symbol, and the note that matters when a load carries a subsidiary hazard as well.
| Class | Label | Design | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Explosives | Orange, exploding bomb | 1.1 to 1.6 with a compatibility group |
| 2.1 | Flammable gases | Red, flame | for example propane UN 1978 |
| 2.2 | Non flammable gases | Green, gas cylinder | for example nitrogen UN 1066, argon |
| 2.3 | Toxic gases | White, skull and crossbones | for example ammonia UN 1005, chlorine |
| 3 | Flammable liquids | Red, flame | for example petrol UN 1203 |
| 4.1 | Flammable solids | Red and white stripes, flame | for example molten sulphur UN 2448 |
| 4.2 | Substances liable to spontaneous combustion | Upper white, lower red, flame | pyrophoric substances |
| 4.3 | Substances which emit flammable gases with water | Blue, flame | water is not a firefighting option |
| 5.1 | Oxidising substances | Yellow, flame over circle | for example sodium chlorate UN 1495 |
| 5.2 | Organic peroxides | Upper red, lower yellow, flame | temperature controlled in many cases |
| 6.1 | Toxic substances | White, skull and crossbones | for example trichloroethylene UN 1710 |
| 6.2 | Infectious substances | White, biohazard symbol | not carried by us |
| 7 | Radioactive material | Yellow and white, trefoil | categories I, II and III |
| 8 | Corrosive substances | Upper white, lower black, two test tubes | for example sulphuric acid UN 1830 |
| 9 | Miscellaneous dangerous substances | White with black stripes | for example lithium batteries UN 3480 |
| 9A | Lithium batteries | White with black stripes and a battery symbol | UN 3480 and UN 3481 |
A label is not the same as a placard
The diamond on the package is a label. The larger diamond on the vehicle is a placard, and the orange rectangle with two numbers is neither of those, it is the orange plate. They answer different questions and an inspector checks them separately.
The most common failure we see is not a missing label but a missing subsidiary hazard. A load that is corrosive and oxidising carries both diamonds, and a vehicle placarded only for class 8 is placarded wrongly even though nothing about the class 8 marking is incorrect.
What changes when the substance is heated or environmentally hazardous
Two marks sit outside the class system and are missed most often. A substance carried at elevated temperature takes the heated substance mark, and an environmentally hazardous substance takes the fish and tree mark. Neither replaces the class label, both are additional, and either can be the thing that stops a vehicle at a check.
Frequently asked
What is the difference between a label and a placard?
The label goes on the package, the placard goes on the vehicle. The orange plate with two numbers is separate again and carries the hazard identification number and the UN number.
Does a subsidiary hazard need its own label?
Yes. A substance that is corrosive and oxidising carries both diamonds.
Do lithium batteries have their own mark?
Yes, the class 9A lithium battery mark, used for UN 3480 and UN 3481.
Related references
Take the data
Source
The label set is taken from ADR chapters 5.2 and 5.3 as recorded in our German reference dataset. The English wording is our translation of that dataset, and the class names are drawn from our trilingual class dataset so the three language versions of this page cannot drift apart. Colours and symbols are described as they appear in the regulation, not reproduced.
Cite this page
Vektor Group. ADR labels and placards. 2026. https://vektorgroup.eu/adr-labels-and-placards
Not sure which marks your load needs?
Send the UN number. We return the class, the subsidiary hazard, the hazard identification number and the tunnel code before we talk about price.
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