The caged 1,000-litre tote, code by character: what it carries, the tests, and the 2.5 and 5-year inspections.
UN 31HA1 is the packaging code for a composite intermediate bulk container for liquids: a rigid plastic inner receptacle inside a steel outer casing, such as the caged 1,000-litre tote. It holds up to 3,000 litres and carries packing group II and III liquids.
Decode a full 31HA1 mark Ask for 31HA1 containers
| Character | Meaning |
|---|---|
31 | IBC for liquids, rigid or composite |
H | Plastics: the inner receptacle |
A | Steel: the outer casing |
1 | Rigid inner receptacle; 2 would be flexible |
| Maximum capacity | 3,000 litres (1.2.1) |
|---|---|
| Maximum gross mass | Set per design and printed at the end of the mark |
The last two figures on an IBC mark are the stacking test load and the maximum permissible gross mass, both in kilograms.
Liquids of packing groups II and III, under packing instructions IBC02 and IBC03. The performance level is Y or Z; the regulations give liquid IBCs no route to packing group I. The inner receptacle relies on its casing: the two form one unit, and the bottle is not meant to hold its contents on its own.
| Test | What the design has to survive | Paragraph |
|---|---|---|
| Vibration | Filled with water and vibrated for an hour without leaking or breaking a weld. | 6.5.6.13 |
| Bottom lift | Lifted twice by forklift from each entry side at 1.25 times its maximum gross mass. | 6.5.6.4 |
| Stacking | Carries 1.8 times the gross mass of the IBCs that may stand on it, for 24 hours. | 6.5.6.6 |
| Leakproofness | Air at 20 kPa for at least 10 minutes, with no leak. | 6.5.6.7 |
| Hydraulic pressure | At least 10 minutes at the higher of the vapour-pressure figure and twice the static pressure of the contents. | 6.5.6.8 |
| Drop | Dropped on the most vulnerable part of its base from 1.2 m for packing group II or 0.8 m for III, without losing contents. | 6.5.6.9 |
Five years from the date of manufacture for dangerous goods, unless the competent authority approves otherwise (4.1.1.15). On top of that, the IBC is inspected before service and at most every five years, and checked externally with a leakproofness test at most every two and a half years. An IBC past its test date may not be filled; one filled before the date may travel for three months after it (6.5.4.4, 4.1.2.2). Our IBC inspection date checker works out the dates from the mark and the plate.
The last digit describes the inner receptacle. In 31HA1 it is rigid. In 31HA2 it is flexible, at least three plies of film, capped at 1,250 litres, fully enclosed by the casing and allowed only under IBC03. A 31H1 is a different design again: a rigid plastic IBC whose body holds the liquid itself, with a frame to carry the stack.
UN 31HA1/Y/03 25/NL/VL835/10800/1200A composite IBC with a plastic inner receptacle in a steel outer, approved for packing groups II and III, up to 1200 kg gross, made in 03/2025, design approved in the Netherlands.
| Part | On the mark | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Packaging code | 31HA1 | Composite IBC with a plastic inner receptacle in a steel outer (31 = IBC for liquids, H = plastic inner, A = steel outer) |
| Performance level | Y | Approved for packing groups II and III (medium and low danger) |
| Month and year of manufacture | 03 25 | Made in 03/2025 |
| Approving country | NL | Design approved in the Netherlands |
| Manufacturer or approval number | VL835 | Identifies the manufacturer or the approved design, as set by the approving authority |
| Stacking test load | 10800 | The load applied in its stacking test, 10800 kg |
| Maximum permissible gross mass | 1200 | 1200 kg, the heaviest the filled IBC may weigh |
IBC marks follow their own layout (UN Model Regulations 6.5.2). A stacking test load of 0 means the IBC is not designed to be stacked.
Another 31HA1 mark, decoded: UN 31HA1/Y/05 25/D/BAM 1683/10800/1200
We do not make this type of packaging. Send the contents and we will source a certified design.
A composite IBC for liquids with a rigid plastic inner receptacle and a steel outer casing: 31 is an IBC for liquids, H the plastic inner, A the steel outer and 1 a rigid inner receptacle.
The inner receptacle. 31HA1 has a rigid plastic bottle; 31HA2 has a flexible one of at least three plies of film, capped at 1,250 litres.
Before service and at most every five years in full, and at most every two and a half years externally with a leakproofness test. It may carry dangerous goods for five years from manufacture.
The standards and regulations this page relies on, at their issuing body. Where a market rule is named here, check the current revision before you specify against it.
Checked against the UN Model Regulations, Rev. 24, and ADR 2025 on 5 October 2026. Decode any other mark with our UN packaging code decoder.
Send what goes in them, the size and where they ship. We reply with the design certified to this code, the plant named on its certificate, and a price.