# ASi International — Hazardous Materials Safety Interpretation **Citation:** 98-0405 **Type / status:** guidance / guidance **Agency:** Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration **Effective:** Not stated **Published:** 1998-02-26 98-0405 response to ASi International concerning 172.101. ## Document text <<>> 1 - U.S. Department of Transportation 400 Seventh Street, SW Research and Washington, D.C. 20590 Special Program: Administration FEB 26 1998 Mr. Greg Lemley Sales ASi International 4595 Van Epps Road Cleveland, OH 44131 Dear Mr. Lemley: This is in response to your letter dated November 14, 1997, requesting clarification on the applicability of the Hazardous. Materials Regulations (HMR; 49 CFR Parts 171-180) to your product, "Magnesium Ferro Silicon." Specifically, you are requesting confirmation that your : defining criteria in Part 173 of the HMR. material does not meet the Division 4.3 (Dangerous When Wet Material) hazard class Under § 173.22, it is the shipper's responsibility to properly classify a hazardous material. This office does not normally perform this function. However, based on the test results provided in your letter, your product, "Magnesium Ferro Silicon", meets the Division 4.3 (Dangerous When Wet Material) hazard class guidelines in the UN Manual of Tests and Criteria. Your test results report the maximum evolution rate of 1.6 liters per kilogram of substance per hour which exceeds the UN Manual of Tests and Criteria, Part III, Section 33 : maximum evolution rate of 1 liter per kilogram of substance per hour for Division 4.3 material. Therefore, your product, "Magnesium Ferro Silicon" is subject to the HMR. I hope this answers your inquiry. If you need additional assistance, do not hesitate to contact us. Sincerely, - Nih mas telling Delmer F. Billings Chief, Regulations Development Office of Hazardous Materials Standards <<>> • • ..!* Bootte. ASi International :: 13 172.101 SC: 170,174 November 14, 1997 Alan Roberts Assistant Administrator for Hazardous Materials Safety Department of Transportation 400 7th Street SW Washington, DC. 20590-001 FERRO SILICON LETTER OF INTERPRETATION Our company imports silicon based material (Magnesium Ferro Silicon) from Brazil into the port of Baltimore. We are currently shipping this material as a hazardous product according to 49 CFR part 173. We have sent this material to an independent testing laboratory to determine if it is hazardous to ship. We would like to get this material or a letter stating this material can be shipped as non-hazardous. All our tests indicate that this product is not hazardous according to this regulation. We have included the test results from the independent lab. We deem it not hazardous & will take all responsibility herein for shipping said material I have addressed this letter to you as some of the US Ferro silicon producers have said that this is where they have sent their requests for the same ruling. If you are not the person whom this letter should be sent to, please return to me so that I can send it to the appropriate individual. Please notify me if there is anything else that you need from me to process this request. Key enly. Sales 4595 Van Epps Road * Cleveland, Ohio 44131 * Phone 216-485-1800 - Fax 216-485-1807 <<>> 1.- RECD JUN 0 9 1997 610 Willow Street AndrewS. Melreath & Son, Ine. P.O. Box 1453 Harrisburg, PA 17105-1453 Telephone: (717) 238-9331 ANALYTICAL AND CONSULTING CHEMISTS Telex: 84-2321 Fax: (717) 238-4843 June 5, 1997 ASI International 4595 Van Epps Road Cleveland, Ohio 44131 Gentlemen: The sample received from you on May 22, 1997, identified as: Magnesium Ferro Silicon, was tested in accordance with DOT Standard 173, Appendix E, Division 4.3 (Dangerous water wet material. Results are as follows: * Spontaneous Ignition Test Division 4.3 a (1) No Spontaneous Ignition Division 4.3 a (2) No Spontaneous Ignition Division 4.3 a (3) No Spontaneous Ignition Gas Evolution Measurement Total volume in Mi each hour. Time Interval Test 1 Test 2 Test3 I Hour 7.00 MI 8.00 MI 5.50 MI 2 Hour 9.50 MI 10.75 MI 7.50 MI 3 Hour 11.00 MI 11.50 MI 8.50 MI 4 Hour 12.25 MI 11.75 MI 9.50 MI 5 Hour 13.50 MI 12.50 MI 10.00 MI 6 Hour 14.50 MI 13.00 MI 10.75 MI 7 Hour 16.00 Ml 13.75 MI 12.00 MI 24 Hour 21.00 MI 15.75 MI 14.00 MI Total 21.00 MI 15.75 MI 14.00 MI <<>> weights of Test Six mples, Icalled Mo. Leade far test sample weiglets 12114184009 $ 25 grands) Domple sher03 1211797 <<>> 77. 7 == Page No. 2 June 5, 1997 DOT Test Maximum Rate - 1.6 liter/hour/kilogram Average Rate - 0.42 liter/hour/kilogram after 7 hours Average Rate - 0.14 liter/hour/kilogram after 24 hours Note: The evolved gas was flammable. Yours very truly, ANDREW S. McCREATH & SON, INC. ## Provenance - Official: Yes - Source: - Source ID: `phmsa` - SHA-256: `fa113ca540dda816107374eee45183e5956ef7057dbc7b38bf051dd606df0672` - Retrieved: 2026-08-20T00:59:31.977Z - Exported: 2026-08-22T21:39:25.858Z - Document slug: `phmsa-interpretation-98-0405` ### Source metadata ```json { "materialSubtype": "interpretation", "interpretationArea": "hazardous_materials", "representation": "full_text_from_official_pdf", "companies": [ "ASi International" ], "individuals": [ "Mr. Greg Lemley" ], "refIds": [ "98-0405" ], "catalogDates": [ "1998-02-26" ], "catalogParts": [ 172 ], "catalogRowCount": 1, "sourceRecordUrls": [ "https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/node/68196" ], "linkedAttachmentUrls": [], "unavailableResponseUrls": [], "duplicateRepresentationUrls": [], "citedSections": [ "172.101", "173.22" ], "catalogPageUrls": [ "https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/regulations/title49/section/172101" ], "pdfUrls": [ "https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/sites/phmsa.dot.gov/files/legacy/interpretations/Interpretation%20Files/1998/980405.pdf" ], "representations": [ { "viewUrl": "https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/sites/phmsa.dot.gov/files/legacy/interpretations/Interpretation%20Files/1998/980405.pdf", "detailUrl": null, "detailHtmlPath": null, "pdfUrl": "https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/sites/phmsa.dot.gov/files/legacy/interpretations/Interpretation%20Files/1998/980405.pdf", "pdfArtifactPath": "data/sources/phmsa-interpretations/98-0405-3d9a8e19ef.pdf", "pdfArtifactSha256": "ee80938ebb91e0a6655640c41b7a66441c1d3fbd9a57ddc7790b581f20aea066", "extractedTextPath": "data/sources/phmsa-interpretations/98-0405-3d9a8e19ef.v2.txt", "extractedTextSha256": "14bb59edd7809594c2a18bd4848504db7f405a143ec078148014412f7e8e3910", "pageCount": 5, "extractionVersion": 2 } ], "caveat": "Interpretations apply regulations to the facts presented and do not create independently enforceable requirements.", "jurisdiction": "US" } ```