ADR 1.1.3.6 Exemption Calculator

What Is the ADR 1.1.3.6 Exemption?

ADR 1.1.3.6 provides a small load exemption that allows the transport of limited amounts of dangerous goods without full ADR compliance. If the total quantity of dangerous goods on a vehicle stays below a calculated threshold, the shipment is exempt from most ADR requirements — including placarding, vehicle marking, written instructions, and the need for an ADR-trained driver.

The exemption works on a points system. Every dangerous goods substance is assigned a transport category (0 through 4) based on its hazard level. Each category has a multiplier: category 1 substances score 50 points per unit, category 2 scores 3 points, category 3 scores 1 point, and category 4 scores 0 (effectively unlimited). One exception is written into the table itself: ADR 1.1.3.6.3 note a names nine category 1 entries — UN 0081, 0082, 0084, 0241, 0331, 0332, 0482, 1005 (anhydrous ammonia) and 1017 (chlorine) — that score 20 points per kg under 1.1.3.6.4 and are capped at 50 kg per transport unit; the calculator and every UN page apply that branch automatically. If the total points across all substances on the vehicle stay at or below 1,000 points, the 1.1.3.6 exemption applies.

How the Points Calculator Works

Enter each substance by UN number and the quantity you are carrying (in kilograms for solids or litres for liquids). The calculator looks up the transport category and multiplier from the ADR 2025 Table A, multiplies quantity × multiplier for each substance, and sums the total. If the total is ≤ 1,000 and no transport category 0 substances are present, you qualify for the exemption.

Transport category 0 substances (the most hazardous, including explosives and certain toxic gases) are never eligible for the 1.1.3.6 exemption, regardless of quantity. If any category 0 substance appears in your load, full ADR compliance is required for the entire vehicle.

Which Quantity to Enter — the 1.1.3.6.3 Basis

The figure the 1.1.3.6 table counts is not always the number on the packing list. ADR 2025 defines “maximum total quantity per transport unit” per kind of goods, and once you select a UN number the calculator labels the input with the definition that governs that row. A gross package mass is the wrong figure for articles, solids and liquids: it overstates the points, and for a load near the threshold that can flip the verdict. The four definitions, quoted verbatim — In the above table, "maximum total quantity per transport unit" means:

• “For articles, total mass in kilograms of the articles without their packagings (for articles of Class 1, net mass in kilograms of the explosive substance; for dangerous goods in machinery and equipment specified in this Annex, the total quantity of dangerous goods contained therein in kilograms or litres as appropriate);”
• “For solids, liquefied gases, refrigerated liquefied gases and dissolved gases, net mass in kilograms;”
• “For liquids, the total quantity of dangerous goods contained in litres;”
• “For compressed gases, adsorbed gases and chemicals under pressure, the water capacity of the receptacle in litres.”

Source: ADR 2025, 1.1.3.6.3 (UNECE, ECE/TRANS/352 Vol. I) — quoted verbatim. Note the wording for articles: the mass of the articles without their packagings, not the gross mass of the packages.

Per-Substance Quantity Limits

Beyond the 1,000-point threshold, ADR 1.1.3.6 also imposes maximum quantities per transport category on a single transport unit. Category 1 substances are limited to 20 kg/L (50 kg for the nine 1.1.3.6.3 note-a entries), category 2 to 333 kg/L, and category 3 to 1,000 kg/L. The calculator checks these per-category limits automatically and warns you if any substance exceeds its individual maximum, even if the overall points total is below 1,000.

What the Exemption Means in Practice

When a shipment qualifies under 1.1.3.6, the driver does not need an ADR driver training certificate, the vehicle does not need orange plates or placards, and there is no requirement to carry written instructions (formerly “Tremcards”). The goods must still be properly packaged and labelled at the package level, and the vehicle must carry a 2 kg fire extinguisher. This exemption is widely used in the UK and Europe for small consignments of chemicals, aerosols, paints, and other everyday hazardous goods.

See also: ADR Dangerous Goods Lookup · LQ/EQ Checker · ADR Tunnel Codes