A liquid with a boiling point of 40°C and a flash point of 20°C would be assigned to which Packing Group?

• A. Packing Group 1
• B. Packing Group 2
• C. Packing Group 3
• D. Not assigned

Answer: (B)

For flammable liquids, the packaging group is determined by both the flash point and the boiling point. The flash point tells you how easily the vapors can ignite, while the boiling point indicates how readily the liquid will vaporize at room temperature. A flash point of 20°C shows high flammability, but a boiling point of 40°C means it won’t produce large amounts of vapor at room temperature as quickly as a liquid that boils below 35°C. That combination fits Packing Group II, which covers liquids that are flammable but not extremely volatile at ambient conditions. If the boiling point were also below 35°C, it could be placed in Packing Group I as more hazardous; if the flash point were higher and the liquid posed less ignition risk, it could fall into Packing Group III.