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HazMat Tool — substance information
Ammonium nitrate emulsion or Ammonium nitrate suspension or Ammonium nitrate gel, intermediate for blasting explosives
HMT January 2026
Reference only — HMT snapshot for inspection and audit support; not a shipping paper, placard mandate, or CVI record.
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×Note: Special provisions may be very complex. The extracts are taken from 49 CFR §172.102. Please be careful with the information, as necessary, additional conditions may be applied that are not written here. Please check the original source and report bugs.
This entry applies to non-sensitized emulsions, suspensions, and gels consisting primarily of a mixture of ammonium nitrate and fuel, intended to produce a Type E blasting explosive only after further processing prior to use. The mixture for emulsions typically has the following composition: 60-85% ammonium nitrate; 5-30% water; 2-8% fuel; 0.5-4% emulsifier or thickening agent; 0-10% soluble flame suppressants; and trace additives. Other inorganic nitrate salts may replace part of the ammonium nitrate. The mixture for suspensions and gels typically has the following composition: 60-85% ammonium nitrate; 0-5% sodium or potassium perchlorate; 0-17% hexamine nitrate or monomethylamine nitrate; 5-30% water; 2-15% fuel; 0.5-4% thickening agent; 0-10% soluble flame suppressants; and trace additives. Other inorganic nitrate salts may replace part of the ammonium nitrate. These substances must satisfy the criteria for classification as an ammonium nitrate emulsion of Test Series 8 of the UN Manual of Tests and Criteria, Part I, Section 18 (IBR, see § 171.7 of this subchapter), and may not be classified and transported unless approved by the Associate Administrator.
For domestic transportation, this entry directs to § 173.66 of this subchapter for: a. The standards for transporting a single bulk hazardous material for blasting by cargo tank motor vehicles (CTMV); and b. The standards for CTMVs capable of transporting multiple hazardous materials for blasting in bulk and non-bulk packagings (i.e., a multipurpose bulk truck). Note: “UN3375, Ammonium nitrate emulsion” and “UN0332, Explosive, blasting, type E or Agent blasting, type E” are subject to the United Nations (UN) Test Series 8(d) (UN/SCETDG/55/INF.27) (IBR, see § 171.7 of this subchapter), otherwise known as the Vented Pipe Test (VPT).
Authorized IBCs: Metal (31A, 31B and 31N); Rigid plastics (31H1 and 31H2); Composite (31HZ1). Additional Requirement: Only liquids with a vapor pressure less than or equal to 110 kPa at 50 °C (1.1 bar at 122 °F), or 130 kPa at 55 °C (1.3 bar at 131 °F) are authorized.
Stowage category “D” means the material must be stowed “on deck only” on a cargo vessel or on a passenger vessel carrying a number of passengers limited to not more than the larger of 25 passengers or one passenger per each 3 m of overall vessel length, but the material is prohibited on a passenger vessel in which the limiting number of passengers is exceeded.
