# General Services Administration — Hazardous Materials Safety Interpretation

**Citation:** 99-0181  
**Type / status:** guidance / guidance  
**Agency:** Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration  
**Effective:** Not stated  
**Published:** 1999-08-06

99-0181 response to General Services Administration concerning 172.202.

## Document text

<<<PAGE 1>>>

of Transportation
US. Department
400 Seventh Street, S.W.
Washington, D.C.
20590
Special Programs
Research and
Administration
AUG
6 1999
Mr. Bob Burnett
Ref. No. 99-0181
General Services Administration
Bidg.
412-A
Rough & Ready
Island
Stockton, CA
95203
Dear Mr. Burnett:
This is in response to your letter dated June 29, 1999,
requesting clarification of a proper shipping description under
the Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR; 49 CFR Parts 171-180).
Specifically, you asked if it was permissible for a coating kit
containing two receptacles of coating solution, one classified as
packing group (PG) II and the other classified as PG III, to be
described under one shipping description as a PG II material.
The answer is no.
A Class 3, PG III material may not be
described on a shipping paper as a PG II material. In the
scenario you describe, the PG II and PG III coating solution
should be described separately on your shipping paper.
I hope this satisfies your request.
Sincerely,
besi
/ Transportation Regulations Specialists
Office of Hazardous Materials
Standards
990181
172.202

<<<PAGE 2>>>

WESTERN DISTRIBUTION CENTER BLDG.
412
ROUGH AND READY ISLAND
BON
STOCKTON, CA
• 95203
*ADMINISTRATION *
GENSRAL SERVICES
172.202
99-0181
June 29, 1999
TO: Hazardous Materials, D.O.I.
FROM: Bob Burnett
General Services Administration
Bldg 412-A
Rough & Ready Island
Stockton
Ca
95203
SUBJECT: Description of hazardous materials
We
have
a coating kit being
shipped to us that contains
Paint, 3, UN1263 with equal quantities (3.8L) Of packing
group
II and III.
They have chosen to describe this material as 7.6 L of packing
group II and ignore the group III.
Is this permissible to describe as
such, or must each
i be
considered a Proper Shipping Name?
Your help is greatly appreciated

## Provenance

- Official: Yes
- Source: <https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/sites/phmsa.dot.gov/files/legacy/interpretations/Interpretation%20Files/1999/990181.pdf>
- Source ID: `phmsa`
- SHA-256: `ddc0527cb17279110e6d67066fe971b9cd290f21061287c4e2e169388f7ce52d`
- Retrieved: 2026-08-20T00:59:31.977Z
- Exported: 2026-08-22T10:07:43.496Z
- Document slug: `phmsa-interpretation-99-0181`

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