When Do You Need a Dangerous Goods Placard?
In New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Australian Capital Territory and Northern Territory, you need a placard once the quantity you store exceeds the placard quantity set for that particular chemical. Those quantities run from 5 kg or 5 L for the most reactive substances up to 10,000 L for the least. Flammable liquids, the most common dangerous goods on an Australian site, sit at 50 L, 250 L and 1,000 L depending on category. Victoria and Western Australia set their own quantities under their own dangerous goods regulations and classify by packing group rather than category.
How much can you store before you need a placard?
The full table, as published by Safe Work Australia. It applies in the six jurisdictions that use the WHS laws. The placard quantity is the point at which a placard comes in; the manifest quantity is the higher figure at which you also have to keep a manifest.
| Chemical | Category | Placard quantity | Manifest quantity | Sign |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flammable gases | Category 1A, 1B or any combination of categories 1A and 1B | 200 L | 5,000 L | Class 2.1 - Flammable Gas |
| Gases under pressure | with acute toxicity, categories 1, 2, 3 or 4 Note: category 4 only up to LC50 of 5,000 ppmV | 50 L | 500 L | Class 2.3 - Toxic Gas |
| with skin corrosion categories 1A, 1B or 1C | 50 L | 500 L | Class 2.3 - Toxic Gas | |
| not specified elsewhere in this Table | 1,000 L | 10,000 L | Class 2.2 - Non-Flammable Non-Toxic Gas | |
| Aerosols | Category 1, category 2, category 3 or any combination of these categories | 5,000 L | 10,000 L |
Class 2.1 - Flammable Gas Class 2.2 - Non-Flammable Non-Toxic Gas |
| Flammable liquids | Category 1 | 50 L | 500 L | Class 3 - Flammable Liquid |
| Category 2 | 250 L | 2,500 L | Class 3 - Flammable Liquid | |
| Category 3 | 1,000 L | 10,000 L | Class 3 - Flammable Liquid | |
| Any mix of Category 1, Category 2 and Category 3 where none of them on its own exceeds its quantity | 1,000 L | 10,000 L | ||
| Category 4 | 10,000 L | 100,000 L | ||
| Self-reactive substances | Type A | 5 kg or 5 L | 50 kg or 50 L | |
| Type B | 50 kg or 50 L | 500 kg or 500 L | Class 4.1 - Flammable Solid | |
| Type C-F | 250 kg or 250 L | 2,500 kg or 2,500 L | Class 4.1 - Flammable Solid | |
| Flammable solids | Category 1 | 250 kg | 2,500 kg | Class 4.1 - Flammable Solid |
| Category 2 | 1,000 kg | 10,000 kg | Class 4.1 - Flammable Solid | |
| Any mix of self-reactive substances Type B, self-reactive substances Type C-F, flammable solids Category 1 and flammable solids Category 2 where none of them on its own exceeds its quantity | 1,000 kg or 1,000 L | 10,000 kg or 10,000 L | ||
| Pyrophoric liquids and Pyrophoric solids | Category 1 | 50 kg or 50 L | 500 kg or 500 L | Class 4.2 - Spontaneously Combustible |
| Self-heating substances and mixtures | Category 1 | 250 kg or 250 L | 2,500 kg or 2,500 L | Class 4.2 - Spontaneously Combustible |
| Category 2 | 1,000 kg or 1,000 L | 10,000 kg or 10,000 L | Class 4.2 - Spontaneously Combustible | |
| Any mix of pyrophoric liquids and pyrophoric solids Category 1, self-heating substances and mixtures Category 1 and self-heating substances and mixtures Category 2 where none of them on its own exceeds its quantity | 1,000 kg or 1,000 L | 10,000 kg or 10,000 L | ||
| Substances which in contact with water emit flammable gas | Category 1 | 50 kg or 50 L | 500 kg or 500 L | Class 4.3 - Dangerous When Wet |
| Category 2 | 250 kg or 250 L | 2,500 kg or 2,500 L | Class 4.3 - Dangerous When Wet | |
| Category 3 | 1,000 kg or 1,000 L | 10,000 kg or 10,000 L | Class 4.3 - Dangerous When Wet | |
| Any mix of Category 1, Category 2 and Category 3 where none of them on its own exceeds its quantity | 1,000 kg or 1,000 L | 10,000 kg or 10,000 L | ||
| Oxidising liquids and Oxidising solids | Category 1 | 50 kg or 50 L | 500 kg or 500 L | Class 5.1 - Oxidizing Agent |
| Category 2 | 250 kg or 250 L | 2,500 kg or 2,500 L | Class 5.1 - Oxidizing Agent | |
| Category 3 | 1,000 kg or 1,000 L | 10,000 kg or 10,000 L | Class 5.1 - Oxidizing Agent | |
| Any mix of Category 1, Category 2 and Category 3 where none of them on its own exceeds its quantity | 1,000 kg or 1,000 L | 10,000 kg or 10,000 L | ||
| Organic peroxides | Type A | 5 kg or 5 L | 50 kg or 50 L | |
| Type B | 50 kg or 50 L | 500 kg or 500 L | Class 5.2 - Organic Peroxide | |
| Type C-F | 250 kg or 250 L | 2,500 kg or 2,500 L | Class 5.2 - Organic Peroxide | |
| Any mix of Type B and Type C-F where none of them on its own exceeds its quantity | 250 kg or 250 L | 2,500 kg or 2,500 L | ||
| Acute Toxicity | Category 1 | 50 kg or 50 L | 500 kg or 500 L | Placards |
| Category 2 | 250 kg or 250 L | 2,500 kg or 2,500 L | Placards | |
| Category 3 | 1,000 kg or 1,000 L | 10,000 kg or 10,000 L | Placards | |
| Any mix of Category 1, Category 2 and Category 3 where none of them on its own exceeds its quantity | 1,000 kg or 1,000 L | 10,000 kg or 10,000 L | ||
| Skin corrosion | Category 1A | 50 kg or 50 L | 500 kg or 500 L | Class 8 - Corrosive |
| Category 1B | 250 kg or 250 L | 2,500 kg or 2,500 L | Class 8 - Corrosive | |
| Category 1C | 1,000 kg or 1,000 L | 10,000 kg or 10,000 L | Class 8 - Corrosive | |
| Corrosive to metals | Category 1 | 1,000 kg or 1,000 L | 10,000 kg or 10,000 L | Class 8 - Corrosive |
| Any mix of skin corrosion Category 1A, skin corrosion Category 1B, skin corrosion Category 1C and corrosive to metals Category 1 where none of them on its own exceeds its quantity | 1,000 kg or 1,000 L | 10,000 kg or 10,000 L | ||
| Unstable explosives | All | 5 kg or 5 L | 50 kg or 50 L | |
| Any mix of self-reactive substances Type A, organic peroxides Type A and unstable explosives where none of them on its own exceeds its quantity | 5 kg or 5 L | 50 kg or 50 L |
The signs for the classes on this page
Each one is the placard for that class, in aluminium or polypropylene, with the stickers and the label roll on the same page.
Does the threshold bite at the number, or above it?
Above it. The wording in every one of the eight jurisdictions is that the quantity exceeds the placard quantity, so storing exactly the stated amount does not trigger it and storing any more than that does.
There are two different signs, on two different triggers
The outer warning placard is the HAZCHEM sign at the entrance, and it counts chemicals used, handled or stored at the workplace. The placard itself goes where the goods are, and it counts only what is stored. They are separate duties in separate clauses, so it is possible to owe one and not the other.
Bulk storage in Victoria and Western Australia
In both of those states, anything stored in bulk has to be placarded whatever the quantity. There is no threshold on that duty at all. In Western Australia bulk means a container over 500 L, more than 500 kg in a container, or more than 500 kg in an undivided quantity outside a container. A site can therefore sit under every placarding quantity, owe no HAZCHEM outer warning placard, and still owe bulk placards. We have not checked whether the WHS states carry an equivalent rule, so nothing here is claimed about them.
Which law applies where you are
| Where | The regulation | Placard clause | Where the quantities are |
|---|---|---|---|
| New South Wales |
Work Health and Safety Regulation 2025 (NSW) [2025-440] Current version for 3 July 2026 |
s 350 Placard - requirement to display | Schedule 11 Placard and manifest quantities |
| Queensland |
Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld) (SL 2011 No. 240) Current as at 29 March 2026 |
s 350 Placard - requirement to display | Schedule 11 Placard and manifest quantities |
| South Australia |
Work Health and Safety Regulations 2012 (SA) Version 1.7.2026 (placard provisions unamended since 1 January 2021) |
reg 350 Placard - requirement to display | Schedule 11 Placard and manifest quantities |
| Tasmania |
Work Health and Safety Regulations 2022 (Tas) (SR 2022 No. 109) Authorised version as at 1 July 2025 |
reg 350 Placard - requirement to display | Schedule 11 Placard and manifest quantities |
| Australian Capital Territory |
Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (ACT) (SL2011-36) Republication No 47, effective 29 November 2025 |
s 350 Placard - requirement to display | Schedule 11 Placard and manifest quantities |
| Northern Territory |
Work Health and Safety (National Uniform Legislation) Regulations 2011 (NT) As in force at 17 July 2026 |
reg 350 Placard - requirement to display | Schedule 11 Placard and manifest quantities |
| Victoria |
Dangerous Goods (Storage and Handling) Regulations 2022 (Vic) (S.R. No. 115/2022) Authorised Version No. 002, as at 1 October 2023 |
reg 47 Placarding requirements | Schedule 2 Quantities of dangerous goods, column 4 (Placarding Quantity) |
| Western Australia |
Dangerous Goods Safety (Storage and Handling of Non-explosives) Regulations 2007 (WA) Consolidated version 02-ab0-00, currency start 1 July 2026 |
reg 70 Dangerous goods stored in packages or IBCs, signs at sites of (and reg 69 for bulk) | Schedule 1 Quantities of dangerous goods, Placarding quantity column |
Victoria and Western Australia are different
Neither uses the WHS laws for placarding. Both classify dangerous goods by packing group rather than by GHS category, and both add several classes together into a single threshold rather than counting each class on its own. So a figure written for a Category 2 flammable liquid does not translate into either state.
The signs themselves
A placard has to meet the requirements set out in the schedule named above for your state. We stock the class diamonds in aluminium and polypropylene, the stickers, and the label rolls of 500.
More on each class
One page for each family of classes, with the signs in it.
Common questions
Is the placard quantity the same in every state?
The figures are the same in the six states and territories that use the WHS laws. Victoria and Western Australia set their own, and classify by packing group rather than by category, so their figures are not directly comparable.
What is the difference between a placard quantity and a manifest quantity?
The placard quantity is the lower figure, and passing it means you display placards. The manifest quantity is the higher figure in the same row, and passing it means you also keep a manifest of what you hold.
Do I count each chemical separately or add them together?
The table has rows for individual categories and separate rows for mixtures where no single category passes its own figure. Which applies depends on what you hold, so read the row that matches your situation in the linked source.
Does a placard have to look a particular way?
Yes. Each jurisdiction sets the dimensions, colours and content in a schedule of its own regulations, named in the table above for your state.
Figures on this page were checked against the linked sources on 2026-09-29.
General information, not advice for your site. The figures on this page are quoted from the government sources linked beside them and were checked on the date shown. What applies to you depends on what you store, how much, and which state you are in, and the law changes. Check the source, or ask your regulator.
Not on this list? If the class or the wording you want is not here, tell us on Custom Signs - your own text, your own size - and we will come back with a price.
Not sure which classes you hold?
Lupin Systems keeps your safety data sheets in one place and works out the signage and the PPE from what you store.