Hazmat placard chart
Every DOT placard, and a load checker that hangs the right ones on the truck, with the rule behind each one.
What’s on the truck?
Highway, non-bulk packages, US domestic. Enter each material’s gross weight on the vehicle: the product plus its packaging.
Add each material with its gross weight. The checker applies the 1,001 lb rule, the Table 1 materials that need placards in any amount, the DANGEROUS option and the exceptions in 49 CFR 172.504, then hangs the placards on the truck.
Every DOT placard
Placards go on each side and each end of the vehicle. Table 1 placards are required for any amount; Table 2 placards once the vehicle carries 1,001 lb or more of Table 2 materials. Tap a placard for when it’s required and the exceptions.
Any amount
Table 1: placard the vehicle for any quantity.
1,001 lb or more
Table 2: placard once the vehicle carries 1,001 lb or more of Table 2 materials in all, by gross weight. Division 6.2 takes no placard.
Options and special placards
Allowed in place of a required placard, or used only on tank vehicles.
Placard artwork: PHMSA’s DOT Chart 17 (PHH50-0187-0621), a US government work. Rules: 49 CFR 172.500 to 172.560 and the 172.101 table as published on the eCFR, current to November 3, 2026. This chart is a guide to highway placarding of non-bulk packages; the regulations control. See the placarding requirements guide or play Hazmat Shift to practice.
Placarding questions
When does a truck need hazmat placards?
Any amount of a Table 1 material needs placards: explosives 1.1 to 1.3, poison gas, dangerous when wet, Type B temperature-controlled organic peroxide, materials poisonous by inhalation, and packages with a Radioactive Yellow-III label. Table 2 materials need placards once the vehicle carries 1,001 lb or more of Table 2 materials in all, by aggregate gross weight (49 CFR 172.504(a), (c) and (e)). Bulk packagings are placarded whatever their weight.
What is the 1,001 lb placard rule?
A transport vehicle carrying less than 1,001 lb (454 kg) aggregate gross weight of Table 2 materials needs no placards for them (49 CFR 172.504(c)). Gross weight means the product plus its packaging. At 1,001 lb or more, each Table 2 category on board gets its placard. The exception doesn’t cover bulk packagings or materials subject to 172.505, such as materials that are poisonous by inhalation.
When can I use the DANGEROUS placard?
A vehicle with non-bulk packages of two or more Table 2 categories may show DANGEROUS instead of the separate Table 2 placards. A category with 2,205 lb (1,000 kg) or more loaded at one facility must still show its own placard, and DANGEROUS never replaces a Table 1 placard (49 CFR 172.504(b)).
Do I need a Class 9 placard?
Not for domestic transportation (49 CFR 172.504(f)(9)). You may display one anyway, and a bulk packaging must still show its identification number. Class 9 is listed in Table 2, but whether non-bulk Class 9 counts toward the 1,001 lb total isn’t settled, so the load checker flags loads where it decides the answer.
How many placards does a truck need, and how big are they?
Each required placard goes on each side and each end of the vehicle, so four of each. The front ones may go on the tractor (49 CFR 172.504(a), 172.516(b)). Placards measure at least 250 mm (9.84 in) on each side (172.519(c)).
Do limited quantities need placards?
No. Limited quantities marked or described as such aren’t subject to placarding, and neither are infectious substances, small and excepted quantities, or combustible liquids in non-bulk packaging (49 CFR 172.500(b)).
Does using this chart count as hazmat training?
No. Employers must train and test every hazmat employee at least once every three years under 49 CFR 172.704. DOT Hazmat Advanced covers highway placarding in Module 11, along with marking, labeling, shipping papers and loading, with a certificate when you finish.
Placarding is one module
DOT Hazmat Advanced covers highway placarding in Module 11, with marking, labeling, shipping papers and loading around it. Online and self-paced, with a certificate when you finish.