UN approved packaging: what it means and the containers we make

UN approved packaging is a drum, jerrican, box or IBC whose design type passed the UN performance tests for its type (drop and stacking, plus leakproofness and internal pressure for liquids) and that carries the UN mark with a code such as 3A1 or 3H1. You need it to ship dangerous goods such as petrol, solvents and corrosives by road, rail, sea or air.

What UN approved means

The UN Model Regulations set one test regime for packagings, and each transport mode writes it into law: ADR for road and RID for rail in Europe, the IMDG Code at sea, the ICAO Technical Instructions and the IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations by air, and 49 CFR in the United States. Approval attaches to a design type: one design, size, material, wall thickness and closure, made at a named plant. Change any of them and the design needs its own approval.

In Europe, the UK and Australia a competent authority approves the design from accredited test results. BAM approves designs in Germany and the VCA Dangerous Goods Office issues UK certificates for the Department for Transport. In the United States the manufacturer self-certifies: under 49 CFR 178.2(b) the UN mark it applies is the certification. Our guide to UN certificates and test reports covers what each certificate states and the paperwork to ask a supplier for.

How to read the UN mark

The mark below is a steel jerry can approved for liquids of all three packing groups. Read left to right: the UN symbol, the packaging code, the packing group letter with the highest relative density tested, the hydraulic test pressure in kPa, the year of manufacture, the country that approved it and the maker’s code.

The code 3A1 breaks into a 3 for a jerrican, an A for steel and a 1 for a closed head. The letter X covers packing groups I, II and III, Y covers II and III, and Z covers III only. A design for liquids no denser than 1.2 may leave the density off, and an S in place of the pressure marks a design for solids.

Paste any mark into the UN packaging code decoder to read it part by part, or see UN packaging codes explained for every code from 1A1 to 31HA1.

Who needs UN approved packaging

Anyone who consigns dangerous goods in packages. Each substance has a UN number, listed in section 14 of its safety data sheet, and its entry in the Dangerous Goods List (ADR Table A) names a packing instruction. For most liquids that is P001, which lists the drums, jerricans and IBCs allowed and the largest size of each: 60 litres for a jerrican, 450 litres for a drum. Petrol (UN 1203, packing group II) and diesel (UN 1202, packing group III) are both class 3 flammable liquids.

Type the UN number into the UN number packaging finder and it lists the codes allowed and the largest size of each. Three exemptions cover small or private loads:

• Limited quantities (ADR 3.4) apply to small inner packagings below a limit set per substance, such as retail bottles and tins.
• Private individuals carrying fuel for their own use fall under ADR 1.1.3.1(a): up to 60 litres per refillable container and 240 litres per transport unit.
• The small-load relief in ADR 1.1.3.6 drops some vehicle and driver duties up to 1,000 points, and leaves the packaging rules in force. Our ADR 1,000-point calculator works out the points.

Drinking water is not a dangerous good, so a water container needs no UN mark. It needs food-contact documents instead; see food-contact certification for water containers.

Our UN approved containers

Our UN approved steel jerry cans are made to UN 3A1 and our HDPE jerrycans to UN 3H1 and 3H2. The table lists each container, its code and its capacity. “UN version available” means the product data states a UN approval; “ask us” means we make the design type and you should confirm the approval for your run before you order.

Each approval covers one design at one plant, and we produce in Vietnam and in China. With a quote we name the plant on the certificate for your run, and the full mark it carries: packing group letter, density and test pressure.

What UN approval does not cover

The mark shows the design passed its tests. Four things stay with the buyer and the filler:

• Compatibility. Under ADR a polyethylene design proves it with six months of storage with the substance, three weeks at 40 °C with standard liquids, or laboratory tests, and ADR 4.1.1.21 sets how a substance is assimilated to a standard liquid. Ask for the record for your UN number.
• Closures. The approval covers the closure tested with the design, fitted as the maker’s closure instructions say.
• Food contact. A UN mark says nothing about food or drinking water.
• Consumer fuel cans in the United States. Sale to the public also needs EPA and CARB compliance; see EPA and CARB fuel can rules.

What to send for a quote

A first answer needs four things: the UN number and packing group, the container type and size, the destination, and the quantity. Ask for the certificate and the test report with the quote. Our company holds ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 45001, and inspection and test reports come with the order where they apply to your design.

Common questions

What does UN approved mean on a container?

The container belongs to a design type that passed the UN Model Regulations performance tests for its type, such as drop, stacking, leakproofness and internal pressure for a liquid jerrican, and it carries the UN mark with its code. In Europe and the UK a competent authority approves the design; in the United States the manufacturer certifies it.

Is UN certified the same as UN approved?

Buyers use the two terms for the same thing: a packaging whose design type passed the UN tests and carries the mark. The difference lies in who signs it off. A competent authority such as BAM or the UK VCA approves designs in Europe, while a US manufacturer self-certifies under 49 CFR 178.2(b).

How can I tell if a container is UN approved?

Look for the UN symbol, a small u over an n in a circle, followed by a code such as 3A1 or 3H1, a packing group letter, a density or test pressure, the year, the country and a maker code. Then ask the supplier for the certificate that covers that design and the plant that made it.

Do diesel and petrol cans need to be UN approved?

For carriage as dangerous goods, yes. Diesel is UN 1202 and petrol UN 1203, both class 3 flammable liquids, so a jerrican carrying them needs a UN code such as 3A1 or 3H1. Private individuals carrying fuel for their own use fall under ADR 1.1.3.1(a), up to 60 litres per container and 240 litres per transport unit.

Do water containers need UN approval?

No. Drinking water is not a dangerous good, so a water can or jerrican carries no UN mark. What it needs is food-contact documentation for the market it is sold in, such as a declaration of compliance under EU Regulation 1935/2004 or a mill certificate for a stainless steel grade.

Which UN approved containers does Fortitude21 supply?

Steel jerry cans made to UN 3A1 (NATO-pattern fuel cans, stainless NATO cans, horizontal cans and a 3 litre mini can) and HDPE jerrycans made to UN 3H1 and 3H2. Aluminium jerry cans and metal and plastic pails come in UN design types too; confirm the approval for your run when you ask for a quote.

References

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.

• UN Model Regulations on the Transport of Dangerous Goods (Rev. 24)
• ADR 2025, applicable from 1 January 2025 (UNECE): 1.1.3.6 and Table A
• RID 2025, consolidated text from OTIF; chapters 4.1 and 6.5 are shared word for word with ADR
• IMO — IMDG Code for dangerous goods at sea
• IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations
• 49 CFR 178.2: the UN mark as the certification, and closure instructions (US)
• 49 CFR 178.601: design qualification, periodic retests and test reports (US)
• BAM: approval of dangerous goods packagings (Germany)
• VCA Dangerous Goods Office: UN packaging certification (UK)
• DfT Guidance Note 2: performance testing, certification and marking of packagings

Last reviewed 7 October 2026 by David Guru, Co-Founder & Business Development Director.