The safe and secure storage of chemicals in a laboratory is a fundamental component of daily operations. As with most industries, each laboratory that handles chemicals must adhere to specific regulations when it comes to chemical storage. How and where chemicals can be stored is dictated and monitored by two different regulatory bodies, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and the International Code Council’s (ICC) International Building Code/ International Fire Code (IBC/IFC).

The unified goal for the NFPA and the IBC/IFC is to set standards for building construction and layout, ensuring the safety of anyone who is working within or occupying a facility. Because chemical inventory is such an intricate detail within laboratory functionality, both the NFPA and IBC/IFC have their sections dedicated to hazardous chemical storage (NFPA 45, and Chapter 50 of the ICC.) Each regulatory body has individually set standards for chemical storage that do not spell out the same limitations. Therefore, when a facility that will operate with chemicals is being planned, both sets of codes must be scrutinized to maintain that it falls within operation allowances.

Created in 1975, NFPA’s 45 specifically deals with the “Standard on Fire Protection for Laboratories Using Chemicals.” The 2019 revision is the latest version from a previous 2015 edition of the NFPA 45 documentation. When it comes to hazardous chemical storage, NFPA focuses on rating different laboratory units based on the amount of flammable and combustible liquids in use within the unit.

These laboratory units fall within a class rating system:

Class A (high fire hazard)
Class B (moderate fire hazard)
Class C (low fire hazard)
Class D (minimal fire hazard)

All chemicals are to adhere to NFPA 400 storage regulations unless there are exceptions present.

Table of the class of flammable/combustible liquids as per NFPA 30.

When it comes to flammable or combustible liquids, the NFPA sets a Maximum Allowable Quantity (MAQ) for these chemicals based on the square footage of the containment facility. When a laboratory or a building with a laboratory unit exceeds a certain floor threshold, the Maximum Allowable Quantity (MAQ) will be reduced per floor depending on the class of hazard it falls under. This causes the quantity of a certain chemical to be limited by the floor it is stored on, with decreasing permissible quantities beyond the third floor.

Reduction of the MAQ above a certain floor:

• MAQ reduced by 50% for Class B lab units above the 3rd floor.
• MAQ reduced by 25% for Class C and Class D lab units located on the 4th through the 6th floor.
• MAQ reduced by 50% for Class C and Class D lab units above the 6th floor.

The NFPA also sets a Maximum Allowable Container Capacity (MACC) per type of container: