To fill out DD Form 2522, the Department of Defense’s hazardous chemical warning label, pull the chemical’s Material Safety Data Sheet and copy its identifiers, hazard severity ratings, precautions, required PPE, and manufacturer contact information into the form’s ten numbered fields. The form is a fillable 4-by-6-inch PDF you can type into on screen or print blank and complete by hand in permanent ink. Every entry comes from the MSDS, so having the right data sheet in front of you is the whole job.
What You Need Before You Start
Get the MSDS (or the newer Safety Data Sheet) for the exact chemical going into the container. Names matter: a generic name off the drum won’t tell you the hazard ratings, target organs, or emergency contact number the form asks for.
Download a blank DD Form 2522 from the Executive Services Directorate at esd.whs.mil, under the DD Forms 2500–2999 index.1Washington Headquarters Services. DD Form 2522 Hazardous Chemical Warning Label The current edition is dated October 2000, and the file was last updated in July 2024. Most installation safety offices also keep pre-printed blanks on hand. Print onto adhesive label stock or heavy paper you can attach with adhesive and a clear protective overlay.
Completing the Ten Fields
The form has ten numbered blocks.2Washington Headquarters Services. DD Form 2522 Hazardous Chemical Warning Label Fill in every one. A partially completed label can be worse than no label, because blanks read as “no hazard here” to someone in a hurry.
Blocks 1 Through 5: Identifying the Chemical
Block 1 is the chemical or common name. Enter it exactly as the MSDS product identifier reads so anyone can pull the right data sheet in an emergency. A common workplace name is acceptable only if it matches the MSDS.
Block 2 is the hazard code. Your MSDS or installation safety office will have the assigned classification code.
Block 3 is the NSN or LSN. The National Stock Number is the 13-digit identifier the DoD supply system uses.3Defense Logistics Agency. National Stock Numbers (NSNs) If the chemical has no NSN, use your installation’s Local Stock Number.
Block 4 is the manufacturer’s part number or catalog number, taken from the original container or the MSDS.
Block 5 is the item name as it appears in the DoD supply system or on the original shipping documentation.
Block 6: The Hazard Severity Ratings
Block 6 is where DD Form 2522 diverges from the GHS pictogram labels you see on commercial products. Instead of “Danger” or “Warning” signal words, the form uses a four-level severity scale — NONE, SLIGHT, MODERATE, or SEVERE — across four hazard categories:
- Health: severity of effects from inhalation, ingestion, or absorption.
- Contact: severity of harm from skin or eye contact.
- Fire: flammability risk level.
- Reactivity: tendency to react violently, decompose, or polymerize.
The MSDS supplies the ratings. If your data sheet uses a 0–4 numeric scale instead of words, translate as follows: 0 is NONE, 1 is SLIGHT, 2 is MODERATE, and 3 or higher is SEVERE. When a rating is ambiguous, check with your installation safety officer rather than rating low.
Blocks 7 Through 10: Precautions, PPE, Contact, and Year
Block 7 is a plain-language summary of the chemical’s most important dangers and handling precautions, including any target organ effects. The form itself directs readers to “See MSDS for further information,” so hit the highlights and don’t try to reproduce the whole data sheet in a small box.
Block 8 is the Protect field. Check EYES, SKIN, or RESPIRATORY, in any combination, to indicate the PPE required when handling the chemical.
Block 9 is the manufacturer’s or responsible party’s company name, mailing address, and emergency telephone number including area code. This is what someone with a spill or exposure will use to reach the right people quickly.
Block 10 is the procurement year, meaning the year the chemical was purchased or received. It supports shelf-life tracking and disposal scheduling.
Write legibly enough to be read at arm’s length from across a shop floor, and use permanent ink if you’re completing the form by hand.
Attaching the Label So It Survives
Adhesive label stock is the cleanest option. If you print on heavy paper, attach it with a heavy-duty adhesive and add a clear protective overlay. The overlay is worth the extra step, because chemical splash, abrasion, and moisture can destroy an unprotected paper label within days in an active workspace.
Place the label on a flat, visible surface of the container, away from handles, lids, and moving parts. It should be the first thing anyone sees before opening or moving the vessel. Don’t put it on the bottom, and don’t put it on a face that will sit against a wall in storage.
Inspect labels periodically. If one becomes torn, peeled, chemically saturated, or hard to read, replace it right away with a freshly completed DD Form 2522. A faded label nobody replaces defeats the purpose of the program.
When You Need One (and When You Don’t)
The DoD Hazard Communication Program under DoD Instruction 6050.05 requires a label on every container of hazardous chemicals in a military workplace.4Department of Defense. DoD Instruction 6050.05 – DoD Hazard Communication (HAZCOM) Program DD Form 2522 fills that requirement any time a container lacks complete manufacturer labeling: secondary containers you’ve poured chemicals into, containers whose original labels have become torn or illegible, and drums broken down into smaller working quantities.
You do not need a DD Form 2522 on a portable container that qualifies for OSHA’s “immediate use” exception, meaning the person who poured the chemical is the only one who will handle it and will use it entirely within the same work shift.5eCFR. 29 CFR 1910.1200 – Hazard Communication The moment the shift ends or another person could access the container, the exception no longer applies.
Some products are excluded from OSHA’s hazard communication labeling requirements because they’re regulated under other federal labeling laws: EPA-regulated pesticides, food and drug products, cosmetics, consumer products used as a consumer would normally use them, alcoholic beverages, and treated agricultural seeds.6Occupational Safety and Health Administration. 1910.1200 – Hazard Communication If the product already carries compliant labeling under one of those statutes, DD Form 2522 isn’t required.
What’s Changing Under the 2024 OSHA Rule
OSHA published a final rule on May 20, 2024, updating the Hazard Communication Standard to align with Revision 7 of the UN Globally Harmonized System.7Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Final Rule Modifying the HCS to Maintain Alignment with the GHS Employers, including DoD workplaces, must update workplace labels, HAZCOM programs, and training for single-substance chemicals by July 2026, and for mixtures by January 2028. During the transition, workplaces may comply with either the previous standard or the new rule.
The current edition of DD Form 2522 does not include GHS pictograms or signal words. Until updated DoD guidance is issued on whether a revised form or supplemental labeling will meet the July 2026 employer deadline, completing the current form accurately and keeping a current SDS accessible near the container remains compliant.