Dangerous Goods Code Signage
Dangerous goods signage
What a placard load is, which labels and panels go where on your vehicle, and what you need in the cab.
Quick answer
- You only need placards if your load is a placard load (Step 1).
- Packaged loads: one class label on the front and one on the rear of the vehicle.
- Bulk loads (tankers, IBCs, bulk containers): class label on the front, EIPs on the rear and both sides.
- Every placard load also needs an emergency information holder in the cab with the EPGs and transport documents.
- Current rules: ADG Code Edition 7.9, mandatory since 1 October 2025.
Is my load a placard load?
If any line below applies: yes| Your load | It is a placard load when |
|---|---|
| Any receptacle over 500 L or 500 kg (tank, IBC, bulk container) | Always, any quantity |
| Packages, cylinders or drums (each 500 L/kg or less) | 1,000 L or kg or more of dangerous goods in total |
| Packages containing Division 2.1 flammable gas (not aerosols), Division 2.3 toxic gas or any Packing Group I goods | 250 L or kg or more in total |
| Category A infectious substances (Division 6.2) | Any quantity |
| Empty tanks or bulk containers not yet cleaned | Always treated as a placard load |
Not a placard load: limited-quantity goods (they use the LQ mark instead) and fumigated units with no other dangerous goods. Explosives (Class 1) and radioactive goods (Class 7) have their own placard rules under the Australian Explosives Code and the radioactive transport code.
What goes where on my vehicle?
Use the row that matches your vehicle| Vehicle and load | Front | Rear | Sides |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rigid truck, or prime mover + semi-trailer carrying packages | Class label | Class label | Not required |
| B-double or road train carrying packages | Class label on the front of the combination | Class label on the rear of the combination | Class label on each side of every trailer carrying a placard load |
| Tanker, IBCs or bulk container (over 500 L or kg) | Class label | EIP (replaces the rear class label if it faces the rear) | EIP on both sides of each tank, container or vehicle |
One class on board
Use that class label, plus any subsidiary hazard label the goods require.
More than one class on board
Use Mixed Class labels, or a label for each class carried (or both).
Class labels on vehicles are 250 x 250 mm. Every class label we sell is that size, in decal, metal or plastic.
What is an EIP and what goes on it?
Needed for bulk loadsAn Emergency Information Panel tells emergency crews exactly what they are dealing with. It shows:
- the UN number and proper shipping name of the goods
- the class label
- the Hazchem code (tells fire crews how to respond)
- an emergency contact phone number
Carrying more than one bulk product? A multi-load EIP can be used instead of one EIP per product.
Blank EIPs (decal or metal, 800 x 600 mm), pocket banners for swapping inserts, and Hazchem holders. Want it printed with your load details? Send us the UN number and Hazchem code.
What do I need in the cab?
Every placard load- Emergency information: an Emergency Procedure Guide (EPG) for the goods plus the vehicle fire guide, or the Australian and New Zealand Emergency Response Guide. A safety data sheet does not count.
- Transport documents for everything on board.
- An emergency information holder to keep them in: marked “Emergency procedure guides” or “Emergency information” in red letters at least 10 mm high on white, fixed inside a cab door (or next to it).
- Safety equipment and PPE to suit the classes carried (for example, gloves, eye protection, a torch and a spill kit).
What to buy: common set-ups
| Your set-up | You will need |
|---|---|
| Rigid truck or semi, packaged goods, one class | 2 class labels (front and rear), EPG holder and EPGs |
| Same, but several classes | 2 Mixed Class labels (or a pair for each class), EPG holder and EPGs |
| B-double or road train, packaged goods | 2 class labels for the front and rear, plus 2 for each trailer carrying the load (one each side) |
| Tanker or bulk container | 1 class label (front), 3 EIPs (rear and both sides), Hazchem holders if your panels swap, EPG holder and EPGs |
Licences: packaged placard loads do not need a dangerous goods driver or vehicle licence. Bulk loads (any receptacle over 500 L or kg) do, issued by the dangerous goods regulator in your state.
Class labels we stock
| Class | Hazard | Labels |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Explosives | 1, 1.1, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6 |
| 2 | Gases | Flammable, non-flammable non-toxic, oxidizing, toxic |
| 3 | Flammable liquids | Flammable liquid |
| 4 | Flammable solids | Flammable solid, spontaneously combustible, dangerous when wet |
| 5 | Oxidizers | Oxidizing agent 5.1, organic peroxide 5.2 |
| 6 | Toxic and infectious | Toxic, infectious substance |
| 7 | Radioactive | Radioactive |
| 8 | Corrosive | Corrosive |
| 9 | Miscellaneous | Miscellaneous dangerous goods |
| Mixed | More than one class | Mixed class, plus marine pollutant and elevated temperature marks |
Sources: NTC – ADG Code 7.9 · WorkSafe WA road transport guide · SafeWork SA dangerous goods transport guide · Business Queensland · NSW EPA
General information to help you choose signs, not legal advice. Your notice, permit or order conditions take priority. Not sure? Ask Randy or contact the team.