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CN code vs UN number: how they differ

SENT is the Polish system for monitoring the road transport of goods (Act on the system for monitoring road and rail transport of goods and trade in heating fuels). The CN code is the customs classification of goods (tariff, sanctions, SENT), while the UN number is the four-digit number of a dangerous good in ADR. There is no one-to-one table, so you cannot read one from the other: take the CN code from the invoice or the customs declaration, and the UN number from the safety data sheet, section 14.

Provisions checked at the source on 2 October 2026.

Search a UN number by product name

What the CN code is

The CN code comes from the combined nomenclature and classifies goods for tariff purposes. It is used by EU sanctions (annexes with CN codes), SENT (a catalogue of goods with thresholds) and many other provisions. You take the code from the invoice or the customs declaration, or you establish the classification. CN code and sanctions search · CN code overview

What the UN number is

The UN number is the four-digit number that identifies a dangerous good in ADR. It indicates the hazard class. The packing group, warning labels, hazard identification number (Kemler) and tunnel restriction code are given by the entry for that number in Table A of ADR. Some UN numbers have several entries, for example with different packing groups. UN number search

Why there is no CN-to-UN table

The CN code defines the type of goods in the tariff. A UN number is assigned to a specific substance or article according to its properties, such as composition or concentration. That is why the same CN code may cover goods classified differently in ADR, or not dangerous at all, and the same UN number may concern goods from different tariff headings.

That is why we do not give UN numbers next to CN codes. Below are goods from the SENT catalogue that can be dangerous: the SENT page shows the threshold and exemptions from the provisions, and the link to the ADR search lets you look up the number by the name of the goods.

How to establish both

  1. CN code: from the invoice or the customs declaration. If there is none, establish the tariff classification of the goods.
  2. UN number, class and packing group: from the safety data sheet, section 14. Do not derive them from the CN code.
  3. Compare the name on the sheet with the result in the ADR search (ADR Check data). Clarify any discrepancy with the consignor.
  4. Count the quantity of the dangerous goods towards the 1000-point limit in the ADR calculator.

Whether a specific product is dangerous, and which UN number, class and packing group it has, follows from its classification, not from the CN code. You will find these data in the safety data sheet, section 14. The CN code comes from the invoice or the customs declaration: the two are different classifications.

How to combine them in transport

SENT needs the CN code, quantity, route, transaction and procedure: you check them in the tool. ADR needs the UN number and the quantity. Both lists of data are collected in the freight forwarder checklist, and the rules for transport through Poland on the page for foreign carriers. Freight forwarder checklist · Transport through Poland

Frequently asked questions

Can I get a UN number from a CN code?

No. The UN number follows from the classification of the specific product in ADR, not from the CN code: one CN code may cover both dangerous goods and goods that are not dangerous. Read the UN number from the safety data sheet.

Is every SENT good a dangerous good?

No. The SENT catalogue also covers goods that are not dangerous, for example clothing, footwear or fruit. SENT concerns a CN code from the catalogue and a quantity threshold, ADR concerns the classification of the goods as dangerous.

Is every ADR good subject to SENT?

No. SENT applies only to CN codes in the SENT catalogue, once the threshold is exceeded and without an exemption. A dangerous good with a code outside the catalogue is not subject to SENT, but is still subject to ADR.

Where do I get the UN number if I only have the CN code from the invoice?

Ask the consignor for the safety data sheet of the goods and read the UN number, class and packing group from section 14. The ADR search lets you check the name of the goods and compare it with the sheet. Where there is no sheet or the classification is doubtful, it is settled by a qualified person, for example a safety adviser.

Related

For guidance only, not legal advice or a classification of the goods. The classification is made by the consignor on the basis of the safety data sheet and the ADR provisions.

Data: ADR Check (adr.exportsy.pl). Basis: European Agreement concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Road (ADR). For guidance only, it does not replace the text of the Agreement or the assessment of a dangerous goods safety adviser (DGSA).