What does the plate look like?
The plate is orange, rectangular and retroreflective. The standard size is 40 cm wide and 30 cm high, with a black border of 15 mm. If there is too little space on the vehicle, the plate may be smaller (at least 30 cm wide and 12 cm high, with a border of 10 mm). A black horizontal line divides the plate into two halves. The top half shows the hazard identification number, also called the Kemler number or Kemler code. The bottom half shows the UN number, four digits that identify the substance itself.
What do the numbers mean?
The hazard identification number has two or three digits. The first digit gives the main hazard:
- 2: emission of gas due to pressure or to a chemical reaction
- 3: flammability of liquids (vapours) and gases
- 4: flammability of solids
- 5: oxidising (fire-intensifying) effect
- 6: toxicity
- 7: radioactivity
- 8: corrosivity
- 9: risk of a spontaneous violent reaction
The second and third digits give additional hazards. Three fixed rules also apply:
- A doubled digit means that the hazard is more intense. 33 therefore indicates a greater flammability hazard than 30.
- A zero after the first digit means that there is no additional hazard. The main hazard is then enough to describe the substance.
- The letter X before the number means that the substance reacts dangerously with water. For such a substance, water may only be used on the advice of an expert.
Three examples
- 33 / 1203, petrol. The main hazard is 3 (flammable liquid) and that digit is doubled. In the ADR, 33 stands for a highly flammable liquid with a flash point below 23 °C.
- 30 / 1202, diesel, gas oil and light heating oil. A flammable liquid without an additional hazard. In the ADR, the hazard identification number 30 stands for a flammable liquid with a flash point from 23 °C up to and including 60 °C, or for a liquid with a higher flash point that is heated to or above that flash point. UN 1202 also covers diesel and light heating oil with a flash point up to 100 °C.
- X423 / 1428, sodium. A solid (4) that forms flammable gas on contact with water (2), and with the X in front: reacts dangerously with water. So you must not use water here without the advice of an expert.
When is the plate orange without numbers?
A vehicle carrying dangerous goods has two orange plates, at the front and at the rear, upright and at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle. If no numbers are required, for example when carrying packages (general cargo), those plates are blank. On tankers and other vehicles with tanks, extra plates with the hazard identification number and the UN number go on the sides of each tank or tank compartment. This also applies to unpackaged solids under one UN number. If a vehicle carries only one dangerous substance and no other load, the hazard identification number and the UN number may be shown on the front and rear plates, and the side plates are not needed. Orange plates that do not belong to the load must be removed or fully covered. The cover must still work after 15 minutes of fire.
The plate and the danger label are not the same
The orange plate is on the vehicle or the tank and tells you what is in the vehicle. The danger labels (diamond-shaped signs with a symbol, such as the flame of class 3) are on the packaging, the tank or the container and show the hazard class. The plate names a substance and the main hazard in numbers; the label shows the hazard with a symbol. Many vehicles carry both.
What do we supply?
We supply Kemler stickers: the digits 0 up to and including 9 separately, blank stickers that you complete yourself and pre-filled numbers such as 33-1265. The stickers are 400 × 300 mm, 400 × 150 mm or 300 × 120 mm. We do not supply an orange plate in aluminium or plastic sheet. A complete ADR-compliant plate consists of more than the digits: it must have the right dimensions and a retroreflective orange background. We therefore do not promise that a sticker or a combination of stickers complies with the ADR; your carrier or ADR adviser decides that. The ADR, IMO and GHS stickers for danger labels are in a group of their own.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between the hazard identification number and the UN number?
The hazard identification number (top) describes the hazard. The UN number (bottom) has four digits and identifies the substance, for example 1203 for petrol.
What does the letter X on an orange plate mean?
The substance reacts dangerously with water. The emergency services then do not use water without the advice of an expert.
Can I put digits on a blank plate myself?
With our blank Kemler stickers and loose digits you can put a number together. Which number goes with your load is in the ADR list; your ADR adviser can confirm it.
Questions about this text? Email info@kuyper-graveertechniek.com or call 010 216 2344.
