(a) Applicability. Exceptions for hazardous materials shipments in the following paragraphs are permitted only if this section is referenced for the specific hazardous material in the § 172.101 Table or in a packaging section in this part.

(b) Additional packaging exceptions. Packagings for limited quantity materials are specified according to hazard class in §§ 173.150 through 173.155, 173.306, and 173.309(b). In addition to exceptions provided for limited quantity materials elsewhere in this part, the following are provided:

(1) Strong outer packagings as specified in this part, marking requirements specified in subpart D of part 172 of this subchapter, and the 30 kg (66 pounds) gross weight limitation when—

(i) Unitized in cages, carts, boxes or similar overpacks;

(ii) Offered for transportation or transported by:

(A) Rail;

(B) Private or contract motor carrier; or

(C) Common carrier in a vehicle under exclusive use for such service; and

(iii) Transported to or from a manufacturer, a distribution center, or a retail outlet, or transported to a disposal facility from one offeror.

(2) The 30 kg (66 pounds) gross weight limitation does not apply to packages of limited quantity materials marked in accordance with § 172.315 of this subchapter when offered for transportation or transported by highway or rail between a manufacturer, a distribution center, and a retail outlet provided—

(i) Inner packagings conform to the quantity limits for inner packagings specified in §§ 173.150(b), 173.152(b), 173.154(b), 173.155(b), 173.306(a) and (b), and 173.309(b), as appropriate;

(ii) The inner packagings are packed into corrugated fiberboard trays to prevent them from moving freely;

(iii) The trays are placed in a fiberboard box which is banded and secured to a metal, plastic, composite, or wooden pallet by metal, fabric, or plastic straps, to form a single palletized unit. Hazardous materials should be compatible with the pallet material;

(iv) The package conforms to the general packaging requirements of subpart B of this part; and

(v) The maximum net quantity of hazardous material permitted on one palletized unit is 250 kg (550 pounds).

(c) Display packs. Display packs, as defined in § 171.8 of this subchapter, of consumer commodity or limited quantity packages that exceed 30 kg gross weight limitation may be transported by container/trailer in trailer-on-flatcar (TOFC) or container-on-flat-car (COFC) service, roadrailer and/or railrunner trailers, motor vehicle, or cargo vessel under the following conditions:

(1) Packaging. Combination packages must conform to the requirements of subpart B of this part and meet the following, as appropriate:

(i) Primary containers must conform to the quantity limits for inner packagings prescribed in §§ 173.150(b), 173.152(b), 173.154(b), 173.155(b) and 173.306(a) and (b), as appropriate;

(ii) Primary containers must be packed into trays that secure individual containers from shifting inside the completed combination package during transportation;

(iii) Tray(s) must be placed into a fiberboard box, and the fiberboard box must be banded and secured to a pallet by metal, fabric, or plastic straps to form a single palletized unit; and

(iv) The maximum net quantity of hazardous material permitted in one palletized unit is 550 kg (1,210 lbs.).

(2) Marking. The outside of each package must be plainly and durably marked in accordance with one of the following, as appropriate:

(i) As a consumer commodity as prescribed in § 172.316 of this subchapter; or

(ii) As a limited quantity as prescribed in § 172.315 of this subchapter.

(d) Exceptions for waste limited quantity materials. Exceptions for certain waste limited quantity materials are prescribed in § 173.12(h).

[78 FR 1114, Jan. 7, 2013, as amended at 78 FR 65481, Oct. 31, 2013; 80 FR 72924, Nov. 23, 2015; 81 FR 3673, Jan. 21, 2016; 83 FR 55809, Nov. 7, 2018; 87 FR 79776, Dec. 27, 2022]