Fuel in an IBC tote: what the fire code allows

01What the fire guidance says

One NFPA-based guide states that plastic and composite IBCs should never be used for Class I flammable liquids, and that metal IBCs are suitable for onsite storage of Class I flammables and of Class II and Class III combustibles. Listed rigid nonmetallic IBCs are suitable for onsite storage of Class II and Class III combustible liquids only.

The reason is fire. A plastic IBC containing a combustible or flammable liquid can melt or burn fairly quickly and release its entire contents, which increases the fire hazard. Metal IBCs can withstand fire for at least 30 minutes when fitted with a pressure venting device.

02Diesel, gasoline and heating oil

The classes depend on the product’s flash point. The SDS names the class, and your fire marshal decides what is allowed on your site.

03What the desk does with a fuel ticket

A ticket that says the tote will hold fuel or oil gets a question back. The desk asks which fuel, where it will be stored and whether the tote is a listed one. It will not match a plastic tote to gasoline. A metal tote is the match for that job, and the metal tote page describes the type.

04Tote that held fuel before

A tote whose last contents were a fuel is a hazardous-chemical ticket. It needs the SDS and a rinse, and goes through the same empty test as other totes. See the RCRA empty guide and the last-contents guide for the order the desk asks.

+More in Guides

• MetalCarbon or stainless steel totes, often UL 142 listed.
• Last contents and the SDSWhy a tote's last contents and its safety data sheet decide where it can go next, and how to find them on a used tote.
• Drums to totesHow many 55 gallon drums a 275 or 330 gallon tote replaces, the floor space it frees, and how to buy totes and sell the empties in one loop.
• RCRA emptyWhat 40 CFR 261.7 says about empty totes over 119 gallons, when a triple rinse is required, and what that means before a tote is sold.
• Three-state rulesWhich agency handles empty containers and rinse water in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware, kept apart state by state.
• Reading the UN plateEvery mark on an IBC's UN plate explained: 31HA1, packing group letter, manufacture date, stacking test load and maximum gross mass.
• StackingHow many totes can stack, empty or full, depends on the tote: why the answer is on its UN plate and what else to check.
• Retest datesThe 2.5-year leakproofness test, the 5-year internal inspection, and what an out-of-date tote is still good for.
• Dimensions and weightsFootprint, height, capacity and empty and full weights for 275 and 330 gallon totes, with gallons, liters, pounds and kilograms checked.
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