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GHS hazard statement

H311: Toxic in contact with skin

  • H311
  • Health hazards
  • Danger

H311 means “Toxic in contact with skin”. It is a GHS hazard statement for Acute toxicity, dermal (Category 3), shown with GHS06 under the signal word “Danger”.

Hazard class and category

Hazard classCategoryPictogramSignal wordUN transport class
Acute toxicity, dermalCategory 3
GHS pictogram GHS06: Skull and Crossbones
DangerDiv 2.3 or 6.1

What H311 means

Acute toxicity covers harmful effects that occur after a single exposure, or several exposures within 24 hours, by swallowing (oral), skin contact (dermal) or breathing in (inhalation). The GHS has five categories, from Category 1 (most toxic) to Category 5, based on lethal-dose or lethal-concentration data.

The product can cause serious harm, and in the worst categories death, after one short exposure. Categories 1 to 3 carry the skull-and-crossbones pictogram, and Category 4 carries the exclamation mark.

What to do

Avoid all contact, breathing and swallowing. Use only with good ventilation or local exhaust, wear the gloves, protective clothing and respiratory protection the SDS calls for, do not eat, drink or smoke while working, wash thoroughly afterwards, and call a poison center or doctor if exposed.

This is general guidance for the hazard class. The safety data sheet for your product always takes precedence.

Precautionary statements for H311

The GHS lists these precautionary statements for this hazard. Which ones appear on a label depends on the supplier's classification.

CodeStatement
P262Do not get in eyes, on skin, or on clothing.
P264Wash hands [and ...] thoroughly after handling.
P270Do not eat, drink or smoke when using this product.
P280Wear protective gloves/protective clothing/eye protection/face protection/hearing protection/...
P302+P352IF ON SKIN: wash with plenty of water/...
P316Get emergency medical help immediately.
P321Specific treatment (see ... on this label).
P361+P364Take off immediately all contaminated clothing and wash it before reuse.
P405Store locked up.
P501Dispose of contents/container to ...

Chemicals carrying H311

8 chemicals in our database. Classification comes from each chemical's primary GHS source, so a supplier's SDS may differ.

H311 frequently asked questions

What does H311 mean?

H311 means "Toxic in contact with skin". It is a GHS hazard statement in the health hazards group, covering Acute toxicity, dermal (Category 3).

Which pictogram goes with H311?

H311 is shown with GHS06 (Skull and Crossbones).

What signal word goes with H311?

The signal word for H311 is "Danger".

Which precautionary statements go with H311?

The GHS data lists 10 precautionary statements for H311, including P262, P264, P270, P280, P302+P352. They cover prevention, response, storage and disposal. The full list is on this page.

Hazard statements describe the hazard of a classified substance or mixture. The classification of a specific product can differ, so use the supplier's SDS.

https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ghs/ghscode_10.txt (UN GHS Revision 10, retrieved 2026-10-12)