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UN accreditation

UN classifications are established by the United Nations and are designed to ensure that industrial packaging meets rigorous safety standards for the transport of hazardous materials. If you plan to work with hazardous solids or liquids, you should ensure that you purchase classified and approved storage containers. If a barrel is UN certified, it means it has passed extremely high quality and safety standards and tested for defects.

The codes

UN classifications appear on industrial packaging as a long series of letters, numbers and symbols. This marking is permanent and the UN classification explains what materials or substances the barrel is certified to transport. For an industrial storage barrel, for example, the classifications refer to the following:

UN accreditation

Just because you have a UN certified barrel doesn’t mean it’s automatically suitable for safe storage of your product. There are several levels in terms of hazardous material. If you are unsure of which container to use, contact us or ask your association for your respective industry so they can tell you exactly what type of container you need.

The tests carried out

To obtain UN certification, each product must pass very rigorous testing. Here are some basic tests:

Drop test

This test involves dropping a barrel in free fall from all sides (top, bottom, side, corner, etc.). All deformations and leaks are noted.

Stacking Test

This test consists of determining the compressive strength of a barrel under constant weight for a period of time.

Vibration Test

This test evaluates the resistance to vibration when moving. The barrels are placed on a vibrating plate which simulates a transport.

Pressure test

This test determines the maximum internal pressure that the barrel can experience. The barrel is filled with water to capacity and maintains constant pressure for few minutes.