Major Update to National Standards for Dangerous Goods to Take Effect in October

On March 28, 2025, the State Administration for Market Regulation and the Standardization Administration of China jointly released the updated national standards GB 12268-2025 List of Dangerous Goods and GB 6944-2025 Classification and Code of Dangerous Goods, marking a new phase in China’s hazardous materials safety management. These two standards will fully replace the current GB 12268-2012 and GB 6944-2012, with official implementation set for October 1, 2025.

Background and Release Timeline

As key regulations in China’s dangerous goods management framework, the new standards strictly adhere to GB/T 1.1-2020 Directives for Standardization—Part 1: Rules for the Structure and Drafting of Standardizing Documents. They cover full-chain management requirements for dangerous goods classification, transportation, storage, and more. The full text will be publicly available within 20 working days after release, providing a six-month transition period for industries to adapt.

GB 12268-2025: List of Dangerous Goods

Scope: Specifies general provisions, structure, special provisions, limited/excepted quantities, packaging requirements, and regulations for portable tanks and bulk containers. Applies to transportation, storage, distribution, and related activities of dangerous goods.

Development: Managed by SAC (Code 469) and executed by the National Technical Committee on Dangerous Chemicals Management Standardization (TC 251). Drafted by institutions including the Water Transport Research Institute of the Ministry of Transport, Shanghai Research Institute of Chemical Industry Testing Co., Ltd., China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Federation and Nanning Customs Technical Center.

GB 6944-2025: Classification and Code of Dangerous Goods

Scope: Specifies hazard classes, categories, packaging groups, classification priorities, sample transportation principles, and naming/coding rules. Applies to transportation, storage, handling, distribution, and related activities.

Development: Coordinated by SAC (Code 469) and TC 251. Drafted by the Ministry of Transport's Waterborne Transport Research Institute, Shanghai Chemical Research Institute Co., Ltd., China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Federation, and the Emergency Management Department's Chemical Registration Center, among other entities.

Alignment with International Standards

The new standards fully align with the UN Recommendations on the Transport of Dangerous Goods – Model Regulations (22nd revised edition) and the Manual of Tests and Criteria (7th revised edition), ensuring harmonization between China’s road, rail, and waterway transport systems and global air/sea shipping rules. This alignment will enhance compliance in cross-border dangerous goods transportation and reduce international logistics costs for enterprises.

Building the Backbone of China’s Standard System

As foundational standards, GB 12268-2025 and GB 6944-2025 form the backbone of China’s dangerous goods and chemicals regulatory framework. They will drive the development of derivative standards for transportation management, strengthen lifecycle risk control, and advance modernization in safety governance.

The updates reflect China’s dynamic response to evolving international regulations and its commitment to balancing development with safety. With the new standards, dangerous goods producers, transporters, and storage operators must accelerate technical upgrades, while regulators will refine supporting measures to safeguard public safety.

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Further Information

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