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Chemical Storage Incompatibility Reference Table

Most chemical storage incidents come from ordinary materials meeting each other: bleach and acid, acid and cyanide, oxidizer and solvent. This table lists common incompatible pairs, what happens on contact and a practical storage action, so you can check your warehouse layout in minutes.

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Material A	Keep apart from	What can happen on contact	Storage action
Mineral acids (hydrochloric, sulfuric)	Strong bases (sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide)	Violent exothermic neutralization, spattering and heat	Separate cabinets or bunded areas, never share a spill tray
Hypochlorite bleach	Acids	Releases toxic chlorine gas	Store in different rooms or bunds, label clearly
Hypochlorite bleach	Ammonia and ammonium compounds	Forms toxic chloramine vapors	Segregate and prohibit shared transfer hoses
Cyanide salts	Acids	Releases highly toxic hydrogen cyanide gas	Dedicated locked storage, no acids in the same area
Sulfides	Acids	Releases toxic hydrogen sulfide gas	Keep in separate cabinets, ensure ventilation
Nitric acid	Organic solvents and organic acids (acetic acid)	Strong oxidation, heat and possible violent reaction or fire	Store nitric acid apart from all organics
Strong oxidizers (nitrates, peroxides, chlorates)	Flammable liquids and combustibles	Fuel and oxidizer give intense fire that is hard to extinguish	Separate rooms or fire-rated barriers, keep wood shelving away
Hydrogen peroxide (concentrated)	Organics, metals, metal salts	Catalytic decomposition releasing oxygen and heat, container pressurization	Vented caps, store cool, away from contaminants
Water-reactive metals (sodium, potassium, lithium)	Water and aqueous solutions	Releases flammable hydrogen and heat, may ignite	Store under mineral oil or inert gas, away from sprinklers and sinks
Organic peroxides	Heat, amines, acids, reducing agents	Self-accelerating decomposition and fire	Temperature-controlled storage per supplier limits, no stacking
Azides (sodium azide)	Heavy metals such as copper, lead and their salts	Forms shock-sensitive metal azides	Avoid metal piping and drains, store separately
Ammonia (anhydrous or aqueous)	Halogens, acids	Violent reaction, toxic and corrosive fumes	Segregate and provide ventilation
Chlorine gas cylinders	Hydrogen, ammonia, fuel gases	Violent reaction and fire	Separate cylinder bays by distance or fire barrier
Flammable gas cylinders	Oxygen cylinders	Fire intensifies sharply in oxygen enriched air	Maintain separation distance or a fire-rated wall per local code
Acetylene	Copper, silver, mercury and their alloys	Forms explosive acetylides	Use approved regulators and fittings only
Peroxide-forming solvents (diethyl ether, THF)	Air, light and age	Peroxides can accumulate and detonate on concentration	Date on opening, test before distillation, discard on schedule
Perchloric acid	Organics, dehydrating agents, reducing agents	Explosive perchlorate compounds can form	Dedicated storage with glass or ceramic secondary containment
Glacial acetic acid	Oxidizing acids, peroxides, nitrates	Heat and violent oxidation of an organic acid	Store with organic acids, not oxidizers
Hydrofluoric acid	Glass, silicates, strong bases	Attacks glass and releases heat on neutralization	Plastic containers and secondary containment, separate cabinet
Isocyanates	Water, amines, alcohols	Exothermic reaction and carbon dioxide pressure build-up	Keep sealed and dry, store under dry nitrogen if required

This is a general screening list, not a complete compatibility matrix. Always consult the SDS section on incompatible materials and your local code on segregation distances.

Storage location hazard check

Share how your ERP bins map to hazard classes and we will suggest simple put-away rules that prevent incompatible storage.

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How to use the table

Search for any chemical or class you store and read across to see what it must be kept away from. Export the filtered rows to Excel and compare them against your storage location map or the ERP warehouse bins where each item is held. Any pair that shares a bin, a spill containment area, a drain or a common transfer hose deserves a documented decision.

Segregate by hazard class first, alphabetical order never
Check shared secondary containment and shared floor drains
Include satellite accumulation points and waste containers

Why segregation beats labeling

Labels help people choose correctly, but segregation protects you when someone gets it wrong, when a forklift hits a rack, or when a sprinkler discharges. The aim is that a leak from one container cannot reach an incompatible one. Distance, separate bunds, fire-rated walls and dedicated cabinets each work in different situations. Where you cannot separate completely, reduce quantities and keep incompatible stock on opposite sides of the room with independent containment.

Common mistakes

Typical errors include storing acids and bases in one cabinet because both are 'corrosives', sharing one spill tray, forgetting that waste streams are also incompatible, and mixing at transfer points through shared hoses or pumps. Another recurring one is ignoring age: peroxide-forming solvents become more dangerous over time. Review the list whenever a new product, a new supplier packaging or a new warehouse layout is introduced.

Treat waste containers with the same segregation rules
Review segregation after every layout change
Train temporary staff on the top five incompatible pairs for your site

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there one official chemical compatibility chart?

No single chart covers every chemical. Public charts, supplier SDS section 10 data and local codes are combined in practice. This list covers common high-consequence pairs and should be extended with your own site materials.

Can acids and bases be stored on the same rack?

It is better not to. They can be in the same room if each has its own containment and a barrier or distance between them, but sharing a shelf or spill tray risks a violent neutralization during a leak.

Are waste containers covered by the same segregation rules?

Yes. Mixed waste is a common cause of incidents because contents may be unknown. Keep waste streams separated by compatibility and label them with the contents and hazards.

Where do I find incompatibility data for a specific product?

Check section 10 of the SDS, stability and reactivity, and section 7, handling and storage. If the information is vague, ask the supplier or run a compatibility study before storing the product near other chemicals.

Netray can help flag incompatible storage in your ERP by linking hazard classes to warehouse locations, so a put-away or transfer order can warn the user before the mistake happens.

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