Gas cylinder (GHS04)
Gas cylinder (GHS04)
Gas under pressure — compressed, liquefied, refrigerated or dissolved.
What it looks like
An upright gas cylinder in outline, black on white in a red diamond.
What it means
The hazard here is physical rather than chemical, and it applies even to gases that are otherwise harmless. A damaged cylinder becomes a projectile; a heated one can burst; a refrigerated liquefied gas causes cold burns; and a leak in an enclosed space displaces oxygen without any smell to warn you. Camping gas, CO2 cartridges, helium canisters and welding cylinders all carry it. Store upright, secured, and out of the sun.
Defined by UN GHS / EU CLP / OSHA HazCom. Where a symbol differs between standards, the difference is described above rather than resolved — both versions are in circulation on real labels.
Other hazard warnings symbols
| Symbol | Means |
|---|---|
| Exploding bomb (GHS01) | Explosive, self-reactive, or an organic peroxide that can explode. |
| Flame (GHS02) | Flammable — or a substance that heats up, ignites in air, or gives off flammable gas when wet. |
| Flame over circle (GHS03) | Oxidising — it will feed a fire, including one that has nothing else to burn with. |
| Corrosion (GHS05) | Causes severe skin burns and eye damage, or corrodes metal. |
| Skull and crossbones (GHS06) | Acute toxicity — fatal or toxic in small amounts by swallowing, skin contact or inhalation. |
| Exclamation mark (GHS07) | Irritant, skin sensitiser, harmful if swallowed or inhaled, or may cause drowsiness — the lower-severity hazards. |
| Health hazard (GHS08) | Serious long-term health effects — cancer, genetic damage, harm to fertility or the unborn child, organ damage, asthma from inhalation, or fatal if swallowed and it enters the airways. |
| Environment (GHS09) | Hazardous to the aquatic environment — toxic to fish and other water life. |
| Orange explosive (E) | Explosive, under the old European system. |
| Orange oxidising (O) | Oxidising agent, under the old European system. |
| Orange flammable (F, F+) | Highly flammable (F) or extremely flammable (F+), under the old European system. |
| Orange toxic (T, T+) | Toxic (T) or very toxic (T+), under the old European system. |
| Orange harmful or irritant (Xn, Xi) | Harmful (Xn) or irritant (Xi), under the old European system. |
| Orange corrosive (C) | Corrosive, under the old European system. |
| Orange dangerous for the environment (N) | Dangerous for the environment, under the old European system. |
| NFPA 704 fire diamond | A US placard telling emergency responders how a stored chemical behaves in a fire. |
| Biohazard | Biological material that can cause disease — blood, cultures, clinical waste. |
| Radiation trefoil | Ionising radiation — a radioactive source or a device producing radiation. |
| Laser radiation | Laser radiation — do not look into the beam. |
Common questions
- What does the gas cylinder (ghs04) symbol mean?
- Gas under pressure — compressed, liquefied, refrigerated or dissolved.
- What does it look like?
- An upright gas cylinder in outline, black on white in a red diamond.
Related pages
- Flame (GHS02) Flammable — or a substance that heats up, ignites in air, or gives off flammable gas when wet.
- Corrosion (GHS05) Causes severe skin burns and eye damage, or corrodes metal.
- Exploding bomb (GHS01) Explosive, self-reactive, or an organic peroxide that can explode.
- Flame (GHS02) Flammable — or a substance that heats up, ignites in air, or gives off flammable gas when wet.
- Flame over circle (GHS03) Oxidising — it will feed a fire, including one that has nothing else to burn with.
- Corrosion (GHS05) Causes severe skin burns and eye damage, or corrodes metal.
- Skull and crossbones (GHS06) Acute toxicity — fatal or toxic in small amounts by swallowing, skin contact or inhalation.
- Exclamation mark (GHS07) Irritant, skin sensitiser, harmful if swallowed or inhaled, or may cause drowsiness — the lower-severity hazards.
- Health hazard (GHS08) Serious long-term health effects — cancer, genetic damage, harm to fertility or the unborn child, organ damage, asthma from inhalation, or fatal if swallowed and it enters the airways.
- Environment (GHS09) Hazardous to the aquatic environment — toxic to fish and other water life.
- Orange explosive (E) Explosive, under the old European system.
- Orange oxidising (O) Oxidising agent, under the old European system.
Sources
- Official vendor product documentation — At One Place