Chemical storage: OSHA and EPA rules for the shelf and the yard
OSHA has no single chemical storage standard. The rules sit in several places: limits and cabinets for flammable liquids (29 CFR 1910.106, 1926.152), separation of oxygen and fuel-gas cylinders (1910.253(b)(4)(iii), 1926.350(a)(10)), one construction sentence that segregates non-compatible materials (1926.250(b)(3)), labels and safety data sheets under HazCom, and quick-drench facilities wherever corrosives can reach the eyes or body (1910.151(c), 1926.50(g)). Above set quantities, EPA adds Tier II reporting (40 CFR 370). This hub puts them on one page, with the numbers, a compatibility check and the guide behind each rule.
Verified against the eCFR · November 12, 2026
At a glance
Flammables outside a cabinet
On a construction site, no more than 25 gallons in a room outside an approved storage cabinet.
1926.152(b)(1)Cabinet capacity
Not more than 60 gallons of Category 1, 2 or 3 flammable liquids, or 120 gallons of Category 4, in one cabinet.
1910.106(d)(3)(i), 1926.152(b)(3)Incompatibles
In construction, non-compatible materials are segregated in storage. Every SDS lists its incompatible materials in Section 10.
1926.250(b)(3), 1910.1200(g)(2)(x)Oxygen and fuel gas
Stored oxygen cylinders stay a minimum of 20 feet from fuel-gas cylinders or combustibles, or behind a noncombustible barrier at least 5 feet high.
1910.253(b)(4)(iii), 1926.350(a)(10)Labels stay on
Incoming labels are not removed or defaced unless the container is immediately marked with the required information.
1910.1200(f)(9)Corrosives nearby
Facilities for quick drenching or flushing of the eyes and body within the work area, for immediate emergency use.
1910.151(c), 1926.50(g)Can these two products sit together?
Pick the reactivity group of each product, from Section 10 of its SDS or the examples in the list. The answer reads EPA's compatibility chart pair by pair. Runs on the same engine as the full Chemical Compatibility Matrix.
Groups and codes from EPA's chemical compatibility chart (EPA-600/2-80-076). Section 10 of each product's safety data sheet lists its own incompatible materials.
Flammable liquids: plant and jobsite, side by side
Categories 1 to 4 are the flammable liquid categories of the HazCom standard, shown in Section 2 of the SDS.
| Topic | General industry (1910.106) | Construction (1926.152) |
|---|---|---|
| Containers | Only approved containers and portable tanks; DOT containers meeting 49 CFR are acceptable (1910.106(d)(2)(i)). Maximum container sizes by category are in Table H-12. | Only approved containers and portable tanks. Approved safety cans or DOT containers for 5 gallons or less, except highly viscous liquids in their original containers (1926.152(a)(1)). |
| Outside a cabinet or storage room | In industrial plants covered by 1910.106(e): 25 gallons of Category 1 in containers, 120 gallons of Category 2, 3 or 4 in containers, or 660 gallons of Category 2, 3 or 4 in one portable tank, per room or fire area (1910.106(e)(2)(ii)). | No more than 25 gallons in a room outside an approved storage cabinet (1926.152(b)(1)). More than 25 gallons go in an acceptable or approved cabinet (1926.152(b)(2)). |
| One cabinet | Not more than 60 gallons of Category 1, 2 or 3, or 120 gallons of Category 4 (1910.106(d)(3)(i)). | The same 60 and 120 gallons, and not more than three cabinets in one storage area. More than that goes to an inside storage room (1926.152(b)(3)). |
| Pouring from one container to another | Category 1 or 2, or Category 3 with a flashpoint below 100 °F, is dispensed only with the nozzle and container electrically interconnected (1910.106(e)(6)(ii)). | Category 1, 2 or 3 is transferred only when the containers are bonded (1926.152(e)(2)). |
| Where it may not sit | Water-reactive materials are not stored in the same room as flammable liquids (1910.106(d)(7)(iv)). | Not in exits, stairways or areas used for the safe passage of people (1926.152(a)(2)). Water-reactive materials that create a fire hazard stay out of the room (1926.152(b)(4)(iii)). |
| Storage outside buildings | Covered by 1910.106(d)(6) for container storage outside buildings. | Containers of 60 gallons or less, up to 1,100 gallons per pile, piles 5 feet apart and at least 20 feet from a building (1926.152(c)(1)), with a 12-foot access way for fire apparatus within 200 feet of each pile (1926.152(c)(2)). |
The category of a product decides which of these limits apply: flammable liquid categories and their flash points, or classify one with the flammable liquid category classifier.
Incompatible products and gas cylinders
What the federal text says
- Construction: non-compatible materials are segregated in storage (1926.250(b)(3)).
- Materials that react with water stay out of rooms that hold flammable liquids (1910.106(d)(7)(iv); 1926.152(b)(4)(iii) where they create a fire hazard).
- General industry storage of material may not create a hazard (1910.176(b)).
- Each SDS states safe storage conditions, including incompatibilities, in Section 7, and lists incompatible materials in Section 10 (1910.1200(g)(2)(vii) and (g)(2)(x)).
No OSHA standard prescribes a segregation chart. Segregation groups and distance tables come from fire codes, such as NFPA 30 and NFPA 400, and from EPA's compatibility method. Where the OSHA text ends and the fire code begins.
Compressed gas cylinders
- Stored oxygen cylinders are separated from fuel-gas cylinders or combustible materials, especially oil or grease, by a minimum of 20 feet or by a noncombustible barrier at least 5 feet high with a fire-resistance rating of at least one-half hour (1910.253(b)(4)(iii), 1926.350(a)(10)).
- In construction, cylinders are secured upright at all times, except briefly while hoisted or carried (1926.350(a)(9)), with valve protection caps in place and secured when moved or stored (1926.350(a)(1)).
- Inside buildings in general industry, welding and cutting gas cylinders are stored in a well-protected, well-ventilated, dry location at least 20 feet from highly combustible materials such as oil (1910.253(b)(2)(ii)).
Labels and safety data sheets in the storeroom
Incoming labels stay on
Labels on incoming containers are not removed or defaced unless the container is immediately marked with the required information (1910.1200(f)(9)).
GHS labels hubDecanted products get a label
A secondary container carries the product identifier with words, pictures or symbols giving at least general information on its hazards, unless a portable-container exception applies (1910.1200(f)(6), (f)(8)).
HazCom compliance hubEvery product on the list, with its SDS
The chemical list uses the product identifier of the SDS (1910.1200(e)(1)(i)), and the SDSs are readily accessible in the work area during each shift (1910.1200(g)(8)).
Chemical inventory hubEyewash and extinguishers near the storage
Quick drenching or flushing
Where the eyes or body of any person may be exposed to injurious corrosive materials, suitable facilities for quick drenching or flushing are provided within the work area for immediate emergency use (1910.151(c); 1926.50(g) on a jobsite). Acids, caustic cleaners and battery electrolyte are corrosive materials of this kind.
Eyewash station requirementsExtinguishers on a construction site
- A fire extinguisher rated not less than 10B within 50 feet of wherever more than 5 gallons of flammable or combustible liquids or 5 pounds of flammable gas are being used (1926.150(c)(1)(vi)).
- A portable extinguisher rated not less than 20-B units outside, and not more than 10 feet from, the door of any room storing more than 60 gallons of flammable liquids (1926.152(d)(1)).
EPA rules that follow the quantity
Tier II inventory
A hazardous chemical at 10,000 pounds or more at any one time, or an extremely hazardous substance at 500 pounds or its threshold planning quantity if lower (40 CFR 370.10(a)), reported by March 1 for the preceding year (40 CFR 370.45(a)).
EPCRA Tier II hubSPCC plan for oil
Oil in aboveground containers can call for a Spill Prevention, Control and Countermeasure plan under 40 CFR part 112. The thresholds and the way containers are counted are in the guide.
SPCC plan requirementsWaste in storage
Spent batteries, lamps and aerosol cans can be managed as universal waste, with lighter rules than other hazardous waste.
Universal waste rulesYour SDS library, read and checked
Every sheet in the library is tied to a product on a jobsite, read by HazComFast and checked by a person before it counts.
The AI reads, a person confirms
Drop in the supplier's PDF, scanned or not, in English or Spanish. HazComFast reads every page, fills in the hazards, the H and P statements, first aid and PPE, and shows where each value came from. Anything it isn't sure about waits for a person to confirm it.
Spanish sheets
A Spanish SDS that says PELIGRO is recorded as DANGER, and the original file stays attached as you received it.
A viewer that lasts the shift
An SDS left open for a whole shift still opens. Search "eye contact" and the viewer jumps to Section 4.
What it shouldn't sit next to
Open a product and see which other products stored on the same jobsite it should not sit next to.
Products you stopped using
Scan the QR on a product you stopped using and the page says it was removed from inventory, with the archived SDS one tap away.
Proof of reading, without chasing
Nobody has to remember to ask. Add a hazardous product to a site and every worker there gets one notice with a 7-day due date, a reminder at day 3, and an escalation at day 7.
What you hand an inspector
One click gives you the jobsite's SDS binder as a ZIP with a CSV index, and a dated CSV or PDF of who confirmed reading what.
Key facts
- On a construction site, no more than 25 gallons of flammable liquids sit in a room outside an approved cabinet (1926.152(b)(1)).
- One cabinet holds not more than 60 gallons of Category 1, 2 or 3 flammable liquids, or 120 gallons of Category 4 (1910.106(d)(3)(i), 1926.152(b)(3)).
- In construction, non-compatible materials are segregated in storage (1926.250(b)(3)). In general industry, the federal separation sentences are narrow, such as water-reactives kept out of rooms with flammable liquids (1910.106(d)(7)(iv)).
- Stored oxygen cylinders are kept a minimum of 20 feet from fuel-gas cylinders or combustible materials, or behind a noncombustible barrier at least 5 feet high (1910.253(b)(4)(iii), 1926.350(a)(10)).
- Each SDS states safe storage conditions, including incompatibilities, in Section 7, and lists incompatible materials in Section 10 (1910.1200(g)(2)(vii), (g)(2)(x)).
- A hazardous chemical present at 10,000 pounds or more at any one time, or an extremely hazardous substance at 500 pounds or its threshold planning quantity if lower, is reported on Tier II by March 1 (40 CFR 370.10(a), 370.45(a)).
Tools, guides and the rules
Free tools
- Chemical Compatibility Matrix
A whole shelf against EPA's compatibility chart, in English and Spanish.
- Flammable Liquid Category Classifier
Category 1 to 4 from the flash point and boiling point.
- Chemical Inventory Template
The 1910.1200(e)(1)(i) list, by location.
- SDS Binder Kit
Cover, index, where-kept and emergency pages for the binder.
- EPCRA Tier II Threshold Screener
Whether a stored quantity crosses a Tier II threshold.
Chemical storage FAQ
Does OSHA require a flammable storage cabinet?
Once the quantity outside one passes the limit. On a construction site, more than 25 gallons of flammable liquids in a room go into an acceptable or approved cabinet (29 CFR 1926.152(b)(1) and (b)(2)). In industrial plants covered by 1910.106(e), the amounts allowed outside a cabinet or storage room are 25 gallons of Category 1, 120 gallons of Category 2, 3 or 4 in containers, or 660 gallons of Category 2, 3 or 4 in one portable tank (1910.106(e)(2)(ii)).
How much can one flammable cabinet hold?
Not more than 60 gallons of Category 1, 2 or 3 flammable liquids, or 120 gallons of Category 4 (29 CFR 1910.106(d)(3)(i)). Construction uses the same figures and adds that no more than three cabinets may stand in one storage area; above that, the liquids go to an inside storage room (1926.152(b)(3)).
Does OSHA require separating incompatible chemicals?
In construction, yes: 29 CFR 1926.250(b)(3) says non-compatible materials are segregated in storage. In general industry the federal sentences are narrow: water-reactive materials stay out of rooms with flammable liquids (1910.106(d)(7)(iv)), and stored oxygen cylinders stay 20 feet from fuel gas or behind a barrier (1910.253(b)(4)(iii)). No OSHA standard prescribes a segregation chart: segregation groups and distance tables come from fire codes such as NFPA 30 and NFPA 400. Each SDS lists incompatible materials in Section 10.
Does a chemical storage area need an eyewash?
Where the eyes or body of any person may be exposed to injurious corrosive materials, suitable facilities for quick drenching or flushing are provided within the work area for immediate emergency use (29 CFR 1910.151(c), and 1926.50(g) in construction).
When does chemical storage trigger EPA Tier II reporting?
When a hazardous chemical is present at 10,000 pounds or more at any one time, or an extremely hazardous substance at 500 pounds or its threshold planning quantity, whichever is lower (40 CFR 370.10(a)). The report for the preceding calendar year is due by March 1 (40 CFR 370.45(a)).
Sources
- ecfr.gov/current/title-29/section-1910.106
- ecfr.gov/current/title-29/section-1926.152
- ecfr.gov/current/title-29/section-1926.250
- ecfr.gov/current/title-29/section-1910.253
- ecfr.gov/current/title-29/section-1926.350
- ecfr.gov/current/title-29/section-1910.151
- ecfr.gov/current/title-40/part-370
- epa.gov/sites/default/files/2016-03/documents/compat-haz-waste.pdf
Paragraphs of 29 CFR 1910.106, 1910.151, 1910.176, 1910.253, 1910.1200, 1926.50, 1926.150, 1926.152, 1926.250 and 1926.350, and 40 CFR 370, verified against the eCFR on November 12, 2026. General guidance, not legal advice; fire codes and State Plans may add requirements.
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