Regulatory framework
UN Class 1: explosives
The six divisions, the thirteen compatibility groups, and what the classification code decides about a shipment.
Last reviewed 2026-08-28
Read this as orientation, not as authority
This page summarises a regulatory position for planning purposes. It may contain errors or omissions, it is not legal, safety or regulatory advice, and the underlying rules are amended on cycles of their own. Nothing here states what hansa express holds or is approved for. Confirm the current requirement with the competent authority, or ask us about your actual consignment, before you act on it.
What Class 1 covers
Class 1 of the UN dangerous goods system covers explosive substances, explosive articles, and substances or articles manufactured to produce a practical explosive or pyrotechnic effect. It is the class that behaves least like ordinary freight: an entry is not simply flagged as hazardous, it is given a two-part classification code that then governs almost every downstream decision.
That code is written as a division and a compatibility group together — 1.1D, 1.4S, 1.3G. Both halves matter. The division states how the material behaves if it functions; the compatibility group states what it may safely travel with. A shipment described only as “explosives” cannot be planned, quoted or booked, because neither question has been answered.
The six divisions
- 1.1 — substances and articles with a mass explosion hazard, where practically the entire load functions virtually instantaneously.
- 1.2 — substances and articles with a projection hazard but not a mass explosion hazard.
- 1.3 — substances and articles with a fire hazard and either a minor blast hazard, a minor projection hazard, or both, but not a mass explosion hazard.
- 1.4 — substances and articles presenting no significant hazard, where the effects of accidental functioning are largely confined to the package.
- 1.5 — very insensitive substances which nevertheless have a mass explosion hazard, but are so insensitive that initiation or transition from burning to detonation in normal conditions of carriage is very unlikely.
- 1.6 — extremely insensitive articles which do not have a mass explosion hazard and contain only extremely insensitive detonating substances.
The thirteen compatibility groups
- A — primary explosive substance.
- B — an article containing a primary explosive substance and not having two or more effective protective features. Detonators typically sit here.
- C — propellant explosive substance or other deflagrating explosive substance, or an article containing one.
- D — secondary detonating explosive substance, black powder, or an article containing a secondary detonating explosive substance, in each case without means of initiation and without a propelling charge.
- E — an article containing a secondary detonating explosive substance, without means of initiation, but with a propelling charge.
- F — an article containing a secondary detonating explosive substance with its own means of initiation, with or without a propelling charge.
- G — pyrotechnic substance, or an article containing one. Most fireworks and signalling devices fall here.
- H — an article containing both an explosive substance and white phosphorus.
- J — an article containing both an explosive substance and a flammable liquid or gel.
- K — an article containing both an explosive substance and a toxic chemical agent.
- L — an explosive substance or article presenting a special risk, needing isolation of each type from every other.
- N — articles containing only extremely insensitive detonating substances.
- S — a substance or article so packed or designed that any hazardous effect of accidental functioning is confined within the package.
What the classification code decides
Loading and segregation. The compatibility group determines what may be loaded in the same vehicle, container or hold. The recurring operational problem in this class is that detonators (group B) and the charges they initiate (groups D or E) are exactly the two things a customer wants delivered together, and exactly the two the rules are most reluctant to carry together. Mixed-loading provisions in ADR, RID and the IMDG Code settle this, not commercial preference.
Acceptance. Carriers, vessels, aircraft and terminals accept by classification code. A 1.4S consignment and a 1.1D consignment of identical weight and dimensions are not comparable bookings: one may move on a scheduled service, the other may need a dedicated vehicle, a nominated berth, or a routing that avoids particular tunnels and population centres.
Quantity. Limits are expressed in net explosive quantity — the mass of explosive substance itself, not the gross weight of the packed consignment. Two pallets of identical gross weight can carry very different net explosive quantities, and it is the net figure a permit, a vehicle limit or a terminal threshold is written against.
Routing. Tunnel restriction codes under ADR, port and terminal acceptance at sea, and national routing designations all key off the classification.
How a classification is assigned
Classification into Class 1, and the assignment of a division and compatibility group, is a matter for a competent authority on the basis of the UN test series set out in the Manual of Tests and Criteria. It is not something a shipper, a forwarder or a carrier decides on the day.
Many products have a listed entry in the dangerous goods list with a default classification. Others move under a not-otherwise-specified entry, where the assignment comes from the approval issued for that specific product. Where a product has been classified differently by different authorities — which happens, particularly with pyrotechnics — the classification recognised at each point on the route is what governs there.
For planning, the practical consequence is simple. The UN number, proper shipping name, division and compatibility group should come from the manufacturer or the approval document, in writing, before a route is designed around them.
Common questions
Why is 1.4S treated so differently from the rest of Class 1?
Because the S group is defined by containment: the packaging and article design are such that the effects of accidental functioning stay inside the package. That is why 1.4S consignments are the ones most often accepted on services that will take no other explosive classification. It is a statement about the tested package, not about the substance alone — repack it and the classification does not simply travel with the contents.
Can detonators and boosters ship in the same consignment?
Sometimes, under specific mixed-loading provisions, and never as a matter of course. Compatibility groups B and D are separated by default in ADR, RID and the IMDG Code, with limited exceptions. Where the two genuinely must arrive together, it is usually planned as two movements timed to converge, or under a provision confirmed for that route in advance rather than assumed.
Is net explosive quantity the same as the weight on the packing list?
No, and confusing the two is a common cause of a refused booking. Net explosive quantity is the mass of the explosive substance itself. Gross weight includes the article, the inner packaging, the outer packaging and the pallet. Permits, vehicle limits and terminal thresholds are written against the net figure.
What if a product has no listed UN entry?
It moves under a not-otherwise-specified entry, with a classification assigned by a competent authority following the UN test series. You should hold that approval document — it is what a carrier, a terminal and a customs authority will ask to see.
Sources and verification
Planning a movement like this?
Send the cargo, the two ends of the lane and the date. If we cannot move it ourselves we will tell you who can — same day.