Markings, NFPA 704 Markings
on Fuel Tanks

The Uniform Fire Code (UFC) requires the use of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 704: Standard System for the Identification of the Hazards of Materials for Emergency Response. Aboveground storage tanks for the storage of flammable liquids over 100 gallons capacity and permanently installed, must bear the label or placard identifying the material in the tank.

The NFPA 704 placarding system is the predominant emergency response marking standard and may be required for buildings and areas containing regulated amounts of hazardous materials. NFPA 704 provides criteria for assessing the health, flammability instability and related hazards that are presented by short-term, acute exposure to a material under conditions of fire, spill or similar emergencies.

A number rating system of 0 (no hazard) to 4 (severe risk) is provided to rate each of the four hazards and is placed on a placard to provide emergency responders with the information needed to determine immediate actions to be taken in an emergency. The four divisions are typically color-coded with red indicating flammability, blue indicating level of health hazard, yellow for chemical reactivity and white containing codes for special hazards.