704 Placard
Also known as NFPA 704 DIAMOND. A system under the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) that uses diamond-shaped placards for displaying important characteristics of stored or in-transit hazardous materials. These placards are located on the outside of buildings at the entrance to the storage area or upon individual containers (e.g., drums, tanks, tank cars, etc.). Each diamond placard is divided into four colored quadrants. These colored quadrants provide information about the type of danger caused by the material. The left, top, and right quadrant will contain a rating number from 0-4. The higher the number the greater the risk. These three quadrants represent a specific characteristic of the hazardous material, as the graphic indicates. The bottom quadrant will contain a symbol to indicate any special hazards. For example, a "W" with a strike-through mark instructs fire-fighters that the material will react violently when it comes in contact with water.