What is a UN authorisation?
Some packaging in our range has UN approval and is therefore suitable as packaging for hazardous substances. You can find out more about UN authorisations in this knowledge article.
United Nations
Packaging for the transport of dangerous goods must be certified. There are regulations for this that have been defined by the United Nations (UN). The UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) is responsible for defining and regulating these standards. UN certification is part of a uniform system for the classification, packaging, marking and labelling of hazardous substances to ensure safe transport. The national and international transport of hazardous goods by road, rail, water and air is governed without exception by this system of ADR, GHS and UN regulations.
Examination
In order to obtain UN certification, packaging is first tested. This includes drop tests to prove that the packaging is suitable for the transport of dangerous goods. The tests are carried out under specific conditions.
Test mark
After UN approval or certification, the test mark is embossed on the packaging in the form of an indelible number. A UN approval mark looks like this, for example:
UN indicates that a United Nations authorisation for hazardous substances has been granted.
3H1 denotes the type of packaging, in this case a plastic canister with a non-removable lid. 1H2 stands for drum with removable lid.
The letters X, Y or Z indicate the packaging group (hazard group) in which the package was tested:
X = Packaging group I (high hazard)
Y = packing group II (medium hazard)
Z = packing group III (low hazard)
If packaging has been tested for substances with a high hazard, it may also contain substances with a medium or low hazard. The following therefore applies to the contents of the packaging:
X = suitable for substances of packaging groups I, II and III
Y = suitable for substances in packaging groups II and III
Z = suitable for substances of packing group III
1.9 indicates the maximum specific weight of the liquid to be packaged. In the case of solids, the figure indicates the maximum permissible gross weight (in kg) of the packaging including contents. In the example, this is 81 kg.
200 stands for the maximum hydrostatic pressure (internal pressure) that the packaging can withstand for liquids, expressed in kilopascals (kPa) and rounded down to the nearest 10 kPa. For solids, an S is listed.
19 stands for the year of manufacture. The UN authorisation for plastic packaging must not be older than 5 years. In the second example, the year is not stated because the UN authorisation was on a main document of the packaging. However, the year of manufacture must always appear on the packaging itself.
D is the country in which the examination took place, in these examples here it is Germany and the Netherlands (NL).
The last character string indicates the certification body of the packaging in question. It appears in the form of a name, manufacturer's mark or a code of the certification body.