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Learn · Glossary

UN number

The four-digit identifier the UN assigns to each dangerous substance or article; the same across ADR, IMDG and IATA.

Also: UN No. · UN ID

Every dangerous substance or article has a four-digit UN number, written with the prefix “UN”: petrol is UN 1203. The number is the same in every mode, so a shipment classified for road keeps its identity when it moves onto a ship or an aircraft.

From the UN number you find everything else in the ADR, IMDG or IATA DGR tables: proper shipping name, class, packing group, packing instructions, limited quantities and special provisions. It is the first thing a forwarder asks a customer who wants to ship dangerous goods.