Hazmat Placards: Table 1, Table 2 and the 1,001-Pound Rule
Updated October 27, 2026
Placard questions are some of the most common on the CDL hazmat test, and many of them are small math problems. This page explains the two placard tables, the 1,001-pound rule, the DANGEROUS placard, where placards go and how ID numbers are shown. The rules come from 49 CFR 172.500 to 172.560 and the Hazardous Materials section of the CDL manual.
What a placard is
A placard is a diamond-shaped (square-on-point) sign at least 9.84 inches (250 mm) on each side. It tells other drivers and emergency responders the hazard class of what you are carrying. The hazard class or division number is shown in the bottom corner. Package labels look similar but are much smaller.
Table 1: placard any amount
Table 1 materials need placards for any amount, even one small package.
| Table 1 material | Placard |
|---|---|
| Division 1.1, 1.2, 1.3 explosives | EXPLOSIVES 1.1, 1.2 or 1.3 |
| Division 2.3 poison gas | POISON GAS |
| Division 4.3 dangerous when wet | DANGEROUS WHEN WET |
| Division 5.2 organic peroxide, Type B, liquid or solid, temperature controlled | ORGANIC PEROXIDE |
| Division 6.1 material that is poisonous by inhalation | POISON INHALATION HAZARD |
| Class 7 packages with a RADIOACTIVE YELLOW-III label | RADIOACTIVE |
Table 2: the 1,001-pound rule
Everything else is in Table 2: Divisions 1.4, 1.5 and 1.6, 2.1 and 2.2, Class 3 and combustible liquids, Divisions 4.1 and 4.2, 5.1, other 5.2 organic peroxides, 6.1 poisons that are not inhalation hazards, Class 8 and Class 9. Division 6.2 infectious substances have no placard.
For Table 2 materials in non-bulk packages, placards are needed once the total reaches 1,001 pounds or more:
- Add the gross weight (product plus packaging) of every Table 2 material on the vehicle, from all your shipping papers.
- If the total is under 1,001 pounds, Table 2 placards are not required, though you may display the correct ones.
- If the total is 1,001 pounds or more, placard for each Table 2 class aboard, or use DANGEROUS where allowed.
Exceptions to know:
- Bulk packaging (such as a cargo tank) must be placarded for any amount, even residue.
- A material with INHALATION HAZARD on its papers or package needs POISON INHALATION HAZARD or POISON GAS placards in any amount, plus its class placards.
- A material with a dangerous when wet subsidiary hazard needs DANGEROUS WHEN WET placards in any amount, plus its class placards.
- A CLASS 9 placard is not required for domestic transportation, although a bulk package of Class 9 must still show its ID number.
The DANGEROUS placard
You may use DANGEROUS placards instead of separate placards when the vehicle carries non-bulk packages of two or more Table 2 categories that need different placards. But once 2,205 pounds (1,000 kg) or more of one category is loaded at one facility, that category’s own placard is required. DANGEROUS is always optional; you can placard each class instead. It never replaces a Table 1 placard.
Where placards go
- On each side and each end of the vehicle: front, rear and both sides.
- The front placard may be on the front of the tractor, the front of the trailer, or both.
- Readable from the direction it faces, with the words level and reading left to right.
- At least 3 inches from any other marking, such as advertising.
- Clear of ladders, doors, tarps and other attachments, on a contrasting background, and kept clean and undamaged.
- Slogans such as “Drive Safely” may not be shown with them.
- Placards go on before you drive. An improperly placarded vehicle may be moved only in an emergency to protect life or property.
- A placard may be shown only when the material it represents is aboard. Remove or cover placards when the load is gone, except that a bulk packaging stays placarded until it is cleaned and purged.
ID numbers
Bulk packages, such as cargo tanks, must display the material’s four-digit identification number. It goes on the placard itself, on an orange panel next to the placard, or on a white square-on-point display. An ID number may never be shown on a DANGEROUS, RADIOACTIVE, EXPLOSIVES or subsidiary hazard placard; use an orange panel or white display next to it instead.
Test yourself
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Which material must be placarded in any amount, because it is in Table 1?Answer: ADivision 4.3 dangerous when wet is a Table 1 material, so any amount needs DANGEROUS WHEN WET placards. Classes 3 and 8 and Division 2.2 are Table 2 materials and follow the 1,001-pound rule.
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Which of these is a Table 2 placard, required only when Table 2 materials total 1,001 pounds or more in non-bulk packages?Answer: BDivision 5.1 oxidizers are a Table 2 category. EXPLOSIVES 1.1, POISON GAS and DANGEROUS WHEN WET are Table 1 placards, needed for any amount.
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When you add up Table 2 materials for the 1,001-pound rule, which weight do you use?Answer: CThe rule uses aggregate gross weight: the weight of every Table 2 hazardous material on the vehicle, including its packaging, added together from all the shipping papers.
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When may you use DANGEROUS placards in place of separate class placards?Answer: DDANGEROUS may replace separate Table 2 placards when two or more Table 2 categories are aboard. If 2,205 pounds or more of one category was loaded at one facility, that category's own placard is required, and DANGEROUS never replaces a Table 1 placard.
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A cargo tank of gasoline must show its identification number. Which display is allowed?Answer: AA bulk package's ID number may go on the class placard, such as FLAMMABLE, or on an orange panel or white square-on-point display near it. ID numbers may never go on a DANGEROUS placard.
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How far must a placard be from other markings on the vehicle, such as advertising?Answer: BEach placard must be at least 3 inches away from any other markings, so it stays easy to see and read.
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Your placards blew off, and you cannot replace them where you are. When may the improperly placarded vehicle be moved?Answer: CPlacards must be attached before you drive. An improperly placarded vehicle may be moved only in an emergency, to protect life or property.
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Where on a placard does the hazard class or division number appear?Answer: DPlacards for a primary or subsidiary hazard show the hazard class or division number in the bottom (lower) corner of the diamond.
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Your truck carries 400 pounds of Division 1.3 explosives and no other hazmat. Which placards are needed?Answer: CDivision 1.3 explosives are a Table 1 material, so they must be placarded in any amount, on all four sides. The 1,001-pound rule applies only to Table 2.
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Your van holds 700 pounds of a Class 3 flammable liquid and 250 pounds of a Class 8 corrosive, gross weight, in non-bulk packages. Which placards are required?Answer: BBoth are Table 2 materials and together weigh 950 pounds, under 1,001 pounds, so no placards are required. You may still display the correct placards if you choose.
More practice: hazard classes, cargo tank rules and the CDL hazmat practice test.
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