AS 1940, the standard for storing flammable and combustible liquids

What it is

AS 1940:2017, "The storage and handling of flammable and combustible liquids", is the sixth edition of this standard, reissued incorporating Amendment No. 1 in August 2019. It supersedes AS 1940-2004.

In our own words: it covers the planning, design, construction and safe operation of sites that store or handle flammable or combustible liquids, from small package quantities through to bulk tanks, dispensing and associated fire protection. Relevant to any warehouse holding flammable stock — paints, solvents, aerosols, fuel — on ordinary racking rather than in a dedicated store.

Named five times over, in the regulator’s own words

We read, in full, SafeWork NSW’s Code of Practice — Managing Risks of Hazardous Chemicals in the Workplace, a Safe Work Australia model code republished under NSW branding. It cites AS 1940 repeatedly, not once in passing. Three of those citations, verbatim:

"Further information on hot work permit systems is available in the following Australian Standards: AS 1940: The storage and handling of flammable and combustible liquids…"

"Bunding should be designed and constructed in accordance with the relevant Australian Standard specific to the type of hazardous chemical, for example AS 1940: The storage and handling of flammable and combustible liquids, and in consultation with the emergency services authority."

"Australian Standard AS 1940: The storage and handling of flammable and combustible liquids provides guidance on the safe storage and handling of flammable and combustible liquids, including aspects such as package stores, bulk storage, tank design, pipework and valves."

Because this is a model Code of Practice, the same citations are very likely to appear in the Safe Work Australia original and in equivalent state versions, though we verified this specific NSW-hosted copy directly rather than every state’s reprint of it.

What we may not tell you

Nothing here states a minor-storage quantity threshold, a separation distance, a tank design parameter or any fire-protection specification the standard sets out. A widely repeated online table of storage-quantity figures attributed to this standard exists elsewhere on the internet, and we have deliberately not reproduced it or anything like it — see how a citation like this one actually works for why that line matters.

Where it sits next to other standards you might need

A warehouse rarely stores one hazard class in isolation. The same Code of Practice, in the same passage of research, also names the standard covering mixed classes stored alongside it, and there is a newer, separate standard again for toxic substances specifically, published in 2025.

For the operational side of hazard communication — what needs a safety data sheet and how a site marks that kind of store — see the signage standard covering that marking and the broader basics of dangerous goods storage.

Common questions

What did AS 1940:2017 replace?

AS 1940-2004 and its earlier amendments. The current edition is the sixth, reissued with Amendment 1 in August 2019.

Is AS 1940 actually cited by a regulator?

Yes, repeatedly. A SafeWork NSW model Code of Practice on managing risks of hazardous chemicals names it at least five separate times across its text, in its own words — the strongest citation evidence in this whole reference.

Does this page tell me how much flammable liquid I can store?

No. Storage quantity thresholds, bunding sizes and separation distances belong to the standard itself, and we do not reproduce them. This page tells you the document exists, what it covers in general terms, and that a regulator points to it.

Is AS 1940 the same as AS/NZS 3833?

No. AS 1940 covers flammable and combustible liquids specifically. AS/NZS 3833 covers storing several different classes of dangerous goods together in the same store — a related but distinct question, covered on its own page.

Read next

• what a regulator citation is actually worth
• the standard for storing mixed dangerous goods together
• AS 1319
• a standard barely a year old at the time of writing
• how dangerous goods storage law is structured
• AS 1657, the fixed platforms and ladders standard