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A1/A2 and package type for transport

Add a nuclide

Content form

Special form = indispersible solid or sealed capsule with a special form certificate (SSR-6 para. 239) — limit A1.

Activity reference

Transport conditions

Package contents

Prefilled example — Ir-192 0.8 TBq in special form (industrial radiography source). Remove it and add your own contents.

  • Ir-192 · 0.8 TBq · special form
Type A packageΣ A/A1·A2 = 0.8 · UN 3332
What it means
Activity does not exceed A1 (special form) / A2 (other) — a Type A packaging tested for normal conditions of transport (drop, stacking, penetration, water spray) is sufficient (SSR-6 paras 429–430, 634–649).
UN number / proper shipping name
UN 3332 — RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL, TYPE A PACKAGE, SPECIAL FORM, non-fissile or fissile-excepted
Calculation details and caveats
NuclideA1A2Fraction
Ir-1921 TBq600 GBq0.8

Formula

Type A (para. 430): Σ B(i)/A1(i) + Σ C(j)/A2(j) ≤ 1excepted (Table 4): Σ A/(10⁻³·A1 | 10⁻³·A2 | 10⁻⁴·A2 liquids) ≤ 1by air Type B (para. 433): special form ≤ min(3000·A1, 10⁵·A2), other ≤ 3000·A2.
  • Special form applies only to material with a valid special form certificate (SSR-6 paras 239, 602–603; sealed source certificate) — otherwise use «other form» (A2).
  • Fissile material, uranium hexafluoride, LSA/SCO (industrial packages IP-1/2/3) and dose-rate/TI limits are not covered — check them separately.

Kvant transport packaging sets (УКТ)

Manufacturer limits from the operating manuals: each УКТ carries at most min(A1/A2, shielding limit) per nuclide. Green = fits, yellow = exceeds the set limit, grey = nuclide not covered by this set.

SetPackage typeResult
УКТIА-65Type Anot for: Ir-192
УКТIА-85Type Anot for: Ir-192
УКТIIА модели 940Type Anot for: Ir-192
УКТIВ-5МType B(U)fits — —

Limits are taken from the manufacturer's operating manuals (revision shown in the source data); the shipping decision is made by the certificate of the specific set and the consignor's radiation safety service.

Related calculators

Transport indexSource categoryDecayActivity ↔ mass
Rules and limits of the method
Package type by A1/A2A1 — content limit of a Type A package for special form material, A2 — for other material (IAEA SSR-6 Rev. 1 Table 2 = НП-053-16 Annex 1 Table 1; identical values).Mixtures: Σ B(i)/A1(i) + Σ C(j)/A2(j) ≤ 1 (para. 430). Above 1 — Type B(U)/B(M) by design certificate (paras 431–432).Not covered: LSA/SCO and industrial packages IP-1/2/3, fissile material and CSI, UF6, instruments/articles in excepted packages, dose-rate and transport-index limits (see the TI calculator).

Package type by A1/A2

What A1 and A2 are

A1 and A2 are the basic radionuclide values for transport (IAEA SSR-6 Table 2; RF НП-053-16 Annex 1 Table 1 carries identical values). A1 is the Type A package content limit for special form radioactive material (a sealed source with a special form certificate); A2 applies to material in any other form and is never larger than A1 because it also accounts for internal exposure if the contents disperse.

The calculator takes the activity on the shipping date (passport value or decayed by half-life), divides it by A1 or A2 and applies the mixture rule of SSR-6 para. 430 to decide: excepted package (Table 4), Type A (sum of fractions ≤ 1) or Type B(U)/B(M), which needs a design approval certificate. For air transport the Type C threshold of para. 433 is checked.

Package types for radioactive material

Excepted packages hold fractions of A1/A2 (10⁻³ for solids, 10⁻⁴ for liquids) with minimal requirements. Type A packages withstand normal conditions of transport — 1.2 m drop, stacking, penetration, water spray — and are limited to A1/A2. Type B(U)/B(M) packages carry activities above A1/A2, survive accident conditions (9 m drop, punch, 800 °C fire for 30 min, immersion) and require a competent-authority certificate. Type C is for air transport of very large activities. Industrial packages IP-1/2/3 are for low specific activity material and surface contaminated objects and are outside this calculator.

Kvant УКТ packaging sets and loading limits

The УКТIА-65, УКТIА-85 and УКТIIА model 940 sets are Type A packagings; УКТIВ-5М is Type B(U). The loading limit of a given set is the lower of the A1/A2 regulatory value and the shielding limit: for Ir-192 and Se-75 in УКТIА-65 it equals A1, while for Co-60 and Cs-137 it is tens of times lower because of the surface dose rate. The calculator shows which sets accept the entered contents according to the operating manuals.

SSR-6 (Rev. 2) 2025 revised A1/A2 for 242 nuclides (Am-241, Cs-137 and Sr-90 among them); it is not yet adopted in НП-053-16, ADR or IMDG and is offered for reference only.

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