Packaging for hazardous chemical products - drums, intermediate bulk containers (IBCs), jerricans and combination packaging - must be designed, manufactured and tested to UN standards before it can legally be used to ship dangerous goods. These requirements sit alongside, and are distinct from, the packaging chosen purely for product presentation or shelf appeal.
Key points
- UN-certified packaging is tested against defined drop, stacking, vibration and leakproof standards before being approved for hazardous goods transport.
- Packing Group I, II or III (indicating greater to lesser danger) determines the minimum performance rating a container must meet.
- Common UN-approved formats include tight-head plastic drums, steel drums, IBCs and jerricans, each rated for specific packing groups and volumes.
- In Great Britain, packaging requirements for dangerous goods are covered under HSE guidance alongside the Carriage of Dangerous Goods and Use of Transportable Pressure Equipment Regulations.
How Packaging Materials Are Used in Manufacturing
Packaging selection and filling is handled through packaging and labelling services and the filling and packing process, with UN certification a specific requirement wherever a product is classified as dangerous goods for transport - see chemical transport and dangerous goods.
Regulatory Considerations
A product's hazard classification and packing group determine which UN-certified packaging formats are legally permitted, and this should be confirmed against current classification rather than assumed from a similar existing product.
Packaging as a Compliance Item
For hazardous goods, packaging is part of the regulatory position rather than a commercial choice. Certified packaging is tested and approved as a complete system - container, closure and any inner packaging together - and the approval applies to that combination. Substituting a different closure, or a visually identical drum from another supplier, can invalidate the certification even though nothing appears to have changed.
This makes packaging a genuine specification item requiring the same change control as the formulation. It is also a lead-time item: certified packaging in a specific format is not always held in stock, and packaging availability is a common reason a first production run slips. See chemical transport and dangerous goods.
Compatibility and Format
Chemical compatibility between product and packaging needs establishing rather than assuming. Plastics can be permeable to some solvents, allowing slow loss of contents or ingress of moisture; some products attack container linings; and closures and seals are frequently the weak point, since an elastomer that swells in your formulation will fail long before the container does. Compatibility should be confirmed in the actual packaging as part of stability testing rather than tested in glass.
Format also drives cost in ways that are easy to underestimate. Small packs cost far more per litre to fill than drums or IBCs, both in material and in line time, and not every manufacturer can fill every format - see filling and packing. Establishing your required formats early avoids the common situation where a manufacturer can make the product but cannot package it as you sell it.
Labels and Closures
Two frequently overlooked items are label adhesion and closure torque. A label that lifts on a solvent-wetted surface, or a closure applied at the wrong torque, produces field failures that have nothing to do with the product itself. Both are worth confirming during a trial run rather than discovering after a first full production batch has shipped.
Questions to Ask a Manufacturer
- What UN-certified packaging formats do you have available for our product's hazard classification?
- Can you confirm the packing group rating our product requires, and match packaging accordingly?
- Do you handle both hazardous-goods packaging and standard commercial packaging in-house?
- How do you verify packaging certification remains current and correctly documented?
Related Pages
Frequently Asked Questions
Does every chemical product need UN-certified packaging?
No - only products classified as dangerous goods for transport require it. Non-hazardous products can generally use standard commercial packaging, though this should be confirmed against the product's actual classification.
Can the same drum be reused for a different product?
Not automatically - UN certification and packing group ratings are specific to tested configurations, and reuse for a different hazardous product should be checked against the certification rather than assumed to carry over.
Find a Manufacturer
Find a UK Contract Chemical Manufacturer
Search the directory of UK contract and toll manufacturers by process, industry and capability.
Search the DirectoryLast reviewed: August 2026. Regulation and guidance change — verify anything you rely on against the primary source. Tell us if something here is out of date.