Interpretation Response #23-0071

Below is the interpretation response detail and a list of regulations sections applicable to this response.

Interpretation Response Details

Response Publish Date: 09/18/2023

Company Name: Council on the Safe Transportation of Hazardous Articles

Individual Name: L’Gena Shaffer

Location State: NY Country: US

View the Interpretation Document

Response text:

September 18, 2023

L'Gena Shaffer
Director, Regulatory Compliance
Council on the Safe Transportation of Hazardous Articles
101 Ridge Street, Suite I
Glens Falls, NY  12801

Reference No. 23-0071

Dear Ms. Shaffer:

This letter is in response to your August 18, 2023, letter requesting clarification of the Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR; 49 CFR Parts 171-180) applicable to the use of a comma in place of a decimal point in the United Nations (UN) specification packaging marking when used for describing the specific gravity on a packaging. In your letter, you provide an image of a UN specification packaging marking and ask whether the comma in "/Y1,6/" is acceptable to represent the specific gravity of 1.6.

The answer is yes. The use of a comma in place of a decimal point for the specific gravity is acceptable for international shipments to the United States. However, note that the use of the comma on a specification package marking in the United States may potentially lead to the frustration of the shipment as this practice is not widely known to domestic shippers or carriers.

I hope this information is helpful. Please contact us if we can be of further assistance.

Sincerely,

Shane C. Kelley
Director,
Standards and Rulemaking Division

Regulation Sections