Where does the data come from?

IMDG Code Amendment 42-24 (in force 1 January 2026), the UN Recommendations on the Transport of Dangerous Goods (23rd revised edition), and the US PHMSA Hazardous Materials Table at 49 CFR 172.101 (eCFR, public domain). Chinese names are from GB 12268-2012 and Wikipedia zh-langlinks. The IMDG Code Vol 2 Chapter 3.2 is the binding list for booking; use this tool to look up.

What if the proper shipping name on my SDS does not match the result?

SDS authors sometimes carry an older proper shipping name when an Amendment renames the entry, or carry a generic NOS (not otherwise specified) when a specific entry exists. Cross-check the UN number against IMDG Code Vol 2 Chapter 3.2 directly. If the carrier rejects the SDS for an outdated PSN, ask the supplier for a refreshed SDS Section 14 against Amendment 42-24.

Does the tool cover marine pollutant designations?

Yes. The result card flags marine-pollutant status from IMDG Code 2.10. A marine-pollutant designation triggers the MP mark on the package and a separate entry on the DG declaration even when the cargo is otherwise the same class. The dataset carries the flag where the IMDG list has it.

Does this cover limited-quantity and excepted-quantity provisions?

The tool returns the LQ and EQ codes from IMDG columns 7a and 7b where the entry has them, but the operational LQ and EQ rules (packaging requirements, mark, quantity caps) sit in IMDG Code Chapter 3.4 and 3.5. Read the chapters directly before relying on the LQ or EQ provisions for a shipment.

How often is the dataset refreshed?

When a new IMDG Amendment is issued (every two years). Amendment 41-22 was in force 1 January 2024; Amendment 42-24 is in force 1 January 2026. The dataset is tagged with the Amendment in force at the time of the last refresh; the result card carries the Amendment reference inline.

IMDG · UN Numbers

Dangerous Goods Classifier

Look up IMDG class, packing group, EmS, and packaging for every UN number from UN 0001 to UN 3600.

2787 entries indexed. Type a UN number, chemical name, or CAS to begin.

A worked example

The booking. You book methanol for export and the booking screen asks for the dangerous-goods detail. You copy what the supplier wrote in the email, UN 1230, Class 3, and move on.

The failure. The entry is incomplete. UN 1230 is methanol, but the full IMDG entry is Class 3 flammable with a 6.1 toxic subsidiary risk and Packing Group II, and your declaration listed only Class 3. The carrier's DG desk reads the whole entry, sees the missing subsidiary risk, and holds the booking at acceptance until the declaration is corrected. The slot slips.

The fix. Look the UN number up here first. The entry returns the proper shipping name, the primary and subsidiary class, the packing group, the EmS schedules, and the marine-pollutant flag. Put all of it on the DG declaration and the booking clears the carrier's DG desk on first read.

Once the class is set, decode the drum's UN packaging mark at /tools/chemicals/un-packaging-code-decoder, and check the China hazchem catalogue obligations at /tools/china-trade/hazardous-chemical-catalog-lookup.

How to use this tool

Look up here. Book against the IMDG Code Vol 2 Ch 3.2. For Class 1 explosives, Class 7 radioactive, organic peroxides, or any dual-use chemical, get a classification body to sign off (BV, SGS, TÜV, Intertek).

Related glossary entries: IMDG, UN Number, Packing Group, DG Declaration, Segregation Table, Marine Pollutant.