In March, 2025, the State Administration for Market Regulation and the Standardization Administration of China jointly issued two revised national standards—GB 12268-2025: List of Dangerous Goods and GB 6944-2025: Classification and Code of Dangerous Goods—signaling a new chapter in the nation’s hazardous materials safety management. These standards will fully replace GB 12268-2012 and GB 6944-2012, and are scheduled to take effect on October 1, 2025.

Background and Release Timeline

As essential components of China’s regulatory system for dangerous goods, the new standards strictly follow GB/T 1.1-2020, which sets rules for the structure and drafting of standardized documents. They offer comprehensive guidance across the entire lifecycle of hazardous materials, including classification, transport, storage, and handling. The full standards text will be made publicly available within 20 working days of release, allowing for a six-month transition period for industry stakeholders.

GB 12268-2025: List of Dangerous Goods

Scope: Covers general provisions, structure, special conditions, limited/excepted quantities, packaging requirements, and rules for portable tanks and bulk containers. Applicable to the transportation, storage, distribution, and handling of dangerous goods.

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

GB 6944-2025: Classification and Code of Dangerous Goods

Scope: Defines hazard classes and categories, packaging groups, classification hierarchy, sample transportation principles, and naming/coding conventions. It applies to the transport, storage, handling, and distribution of hazardous substances.

Development: Also led by SAC (Code 469) and TC 251. Drafted by institutions such as the Waterborne Transport Research Institute, Shanghai Chemical Research Institute Co., Ltd., the China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Federation, and the Chemical Registration Center of the Emergency Management Department, among others.

Alignment with International Standards

Both standards are fully harmonized with the 22nd revised edition of the UN Recommendations on the Transport of Dangerous Goods – Model Regulations and the 7th edition of the UN Manual of Tests and Criteria. This alignment ensures consistency across China’s road, rail, and inland waterway systems with global air and maritime transport regulations. It will also facilitate international trade and help businesses reduce cross-border logistics costs.

Strengthening China’s Regulatory Foundation

As cornerstone documents, GB 12268-2025 and GB 6944-2025 reinforce the backbone of China’s chemical and hazardous goods regulatory framework. They will guide the development of supporting standards, enhance risk management throughout the product lifecycle, and contribute to the modernization of safety governance.

These updates underscore China’s proactive approach to aligning with evolving global regulations while prioritizing safety. Stakeholders across the hazardous goods value chain—producers, transporters, and storage operators—are encouraged to initiate technical upgrades promptly, as regulators work to establish complementary measures to protect public safety.

In March, 2025, the State Administration for Market Regulation and the Standardization Administration of China jointly issued two revised national standards—GB 12268-2025: List of Dangerous Goods and GB 6944-2025: Classification and Code of Dangerous Goods—signaling a new chapter in the nation’s hazardous materials safety management. These standards will fully replace GB 12268-2012 and GB 6944-2012, and are scheduled to take effect on October 1, 2025.

Background and Release Timeline

As essential components of China’s regulatory system for dangerous goods, the new standards strictly follow GB/T 1.1-2020, which sets rules for the structure and drafting of standardized documents. They offer comprehensive guidance across the entire lifecycle of hazardous materials, including classification, transport, storage, and handling. The full standards text will be made publicly available within 20 working days of release, allowing for a six-month transition period for industry stakeholders.

GB 12268-2025: List of Dangerous Goods

Scope: Covers general provisions, structure, special conditions, limited/excepted quantities, packaging requirements, and rules for portable tanks and bulk containers. Applicable to the transportation, storage, distribution, and handling of dangerous goods.

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

GB 6944-2025: Classification and Code of Dangerous Goods

Scope: Defines hazard classes and categories, packaging groups, classification hierarchy, sample transportation principles, and naming/coding conventions. It applies to the transport, storage, handling, and distribution of hazardous substances.

Development: Also led by SAC (Code 469) and TC 251. Drafted by institutions such as the Waterborne Transport Research Institute, Shanghai Chemical Research Institute Co., Ltd., the China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Federation, and the Chemical Registration Center of the Emergency Management Department, among others.

Alignment with International Standards

Both standards are fully harmonized with the 22nd revised edition of the UN Recommendations on the Transport of Dangerous Goods – Model Regulations and the 7th edition of the UN Manual of Tests and Criteria. This alignment ensures consistency across China’s road, rail, and inland waterway systems with global air and maritime transport regulations. It will also facilitate international trade and help businesses reduce cross-border logistics costs.

Strengthening China’s Regulatory Foundation

As cornerstone documents, GB 12268-2025 and GB 6944-2025 reinforce the backbone of China’s chemical and hazardous goods regulatory framework. They will guide the development of supporting standards, enhance risk management throughout the product lifecycle, and contribute to the modernization of safety governance.

These updates underscore China’s proactive approach to aligning with evolving global regulations while prioritizing safety. Stakeholders across the hazardous goods value chain—producers, transporters, and storage operators—are encouraged to initiate technical upgrades promptly, as regulators work to establish complementary measures to protect public safety.

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