Petroleum Act Penalties in Pakistan: Fines for Storing Without a Licence
Petroleum (Amendment) Act 2025 explained: fines from Rs 1 million to Rs 100 million, sealing, confiscation...
Read Guide →
- Petroleum Classification Guide
Petroleum Class A, B and C in Pakistan: Flash Point Guide
Every DPL application starts with one question: what class is your product? This guide explains petroleum Class A, B and C in Pakistan, the flash point limits set by the 2023 amendment to the Petroleum Act 1934, common products in each class, and how the class changes your licence, storage and safety distances.
What's on this page?
- What Is Flash Point and Why It Decides the Class
- Petroleum Class A, B and C: Flash Point Limits
- Common Products in Each Petroleum Class
- How the Petroleum Class Changes Your DPL Licence
- What Changed in 2023 and Why Businesses Objected
- How to Find Your Product's Petroleum Class
- Petroleum Class A, B and C: FAQs
The Basics
What Is Flash Point and Why It Decides the Class
The flash point is the lowest temperature at which a liquid gives off enough vapour to flash for a moment when a flame is brought near it. The Petroleum Act 1934 uses the same idea in its own definition of “flashing point”. The lower the flash point, the easier the product catches fire, and the stricter the rules for storing it.
Flash point is measured in a laboratory with a closed-cup tester (Abel or Pensky-Martens). The figure on a certificate is for that batch: two consignments of the same product can test a few degrees apart, which matters when a product sits close to a class boundary.
The original 1934 Act had only two groups. “Dangerous petroleum” was anything with a flash point below 76°F (about 24.4°C), and everything else was “non-dangerous”. Heavy oils with a flash point of 200°F (about 93.3°C) or higher were left out of the licensing chapter altogether. The 2023 amendment replaced this with three classes, A, B and C, which is how NEPSA (formerly the Department of Explosives) now looks at every product on a DPL licence.
The Three Classes
Petroleum Class A, B and C: Flash Point Limits
Since the August 2023 amendment, “petroleum” for licensing means a product with a flash point below 93°C, split into three classes:
| Class | Flash point | What it means in practice | Old 1934 term |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class A | Below 24°C | Gives off flammable vapour at normal room temperature. Highest risk, strictest rules. | Dangerous petroleum |
| Class B | 24°C up to below 55°C | Catches fire once warmed, for example in a closed godown on a Karachi summer afternoon. | Non-dangerous |
| Class C | 55°C to 93°C | Needs real heating before it gives off flammable vapour. Lower risk. | Non-dangerous |
| Above 93°C | 93°C and higher | Outside the three classes for licensing purposes. | Exempt heavy oil (200°F and above) |
Do not use Indian charts for Pakistani applications. India’s Petroleum Rules use different cut-offs (23°C and 65°C), so a product that is Class B in India can be Class C in Pakistan, and the other way round.
Product Examples
Common Products in Each Petroleum Class
The table below gives typical closed-cup flash points taken from suppliers’ safety data sheets. Use it to get a first idea; the flash point on your own product’s data sheet or test certificate is what NEPSA will go by.
| Product | Typical flash point | Usual class |
|---|---|---|
| Petrol (motor spirit) | About −43°C | Class A |
| Hexane | About −22°C | Class A |
| Acetone | About −20°C | Class A |
| Ethyl acetate | About −4°C | Class A |
| Toluene | About 4°C | Class A |
| Methanol | About 11°C | Class A |
| Ethanol | About 13°C | Class A |
| Xylene | About 27°C | Class B |
| n-Butanol | About 35°C | Class B |
| Kerosene and Jet A-1 | 38°C or higher | Class B |
| Mineral turpentine (white spirit) | About 38 to 43°C | Class B |
| High speed diesel | Close to 55°C | Class B or C, check the batch |
| Light diesel oil | About 66°C or higher | Class C |
| Furnace oil | 66°C or higher | Class C, or above 93°C |
| Ethylene glycol | About 111°C | Above 93°C |
| Most lubricating oils | Well above 150°C | Above 93°C |
Paints, thinners, inks and adhesives are mixtures: their class follows the flash point of the finished product, which is usually set by the solvent in them. You can look up many industrial chemicals in our chemical MSDS tool.
Licensing Impact
How the Petroleum Class Changes Your DPL Licence
The licence form depends on how you store the product: Form L for bulk tanks, Form M for drums and packages, and Form K for a petrol pump. The class then decides the conditions inside that licence:
- Safety distances. The draft Petroleum Rules 2025 propose distances for Class A storage that grow with quantity: 6 m up to 2,500 litres, 7.5 m up to 25,000 litres, 9 m up to 50,000 litres, 12 m up to 100,000 litres and 15 m above that. These are draft figures and may change, so confirm them before you buy land.
- Construction. Class A storage needs the full set of precautions: flameproof electrical fittings, a spill sump, ventilation at floor level and a clear area around the godown. See our DPL licence requirements guide for the plot and godown sizes.
- Mixed stock. When one godown holds products from different classes, plan the site for the most dangerous one. That is how inspectors usually assess it.
- The product list. Your licence names each product and its maximum quantity. Storing a product that is not on the licence, or more than the licensed quantity, is an offence under the Petroleum Act, and since 2025 the fines run into millions of rupees (see our guide to Petroleum Act penalties).
Licence fees are set by form, not by class: Form M is Rs 25,000 for the godown, Form L is Rs 30,000 per product up to 500,000 litres, and Form K is Rs 6,000 per product. Estimate your total with our DPL cost estimator.
The 2023 Change
What Changed in 2023 and Why Businesses Objected
Before 2023, licensing focused on “dangerous petroleum” below 76°F. The amendment of August 2023 stretched the definition of petroleum up to a flash point of 93°C and split it into Class A, B and C. Products that many traders had never licensed, such as diesel-range fuels, several solvents, thinners and industrial chemicals with flash points between 24°C and 93°C, came inside the licensing net.
Trade bodies including the FPCCI and the Lahore Chamber of Commerce objected that importers and users of these chemicals would suddenly need licences and new godowns. In November 2024 the government deferred the new flash point standards rules for six months while the issue was discussed. In 2025 Parliament amended the Act again (Petroleum (Amendment) Act 2025), with a small wording change to the definition and much heavier penalties.
What this means for you: if you store a product with a flash point between 24°C and 93°C and you have never held a licence for it, check your position now rather than after an inspection.
Step by Step
How to Find Your Product's Petroleum Class
- Get the safety data sheet (SDS) for each product from your supplier. Section 9 lists the flash point and the test method.
- Check the method. A closed-cup figure is the one to use. An open-cup figure reads a few degrees higher.
- Test if in doubt. If the SDS gives a wide range, or the product sits near 24°C or 55°C, have a sample tested by a petroleum testing laboratory such as HDIP (Hydrocarbon Development Institute of Pakistan).
- Match it to the table above and write down the class and the maximum quantity you will store.
- List every product with its class in your licence application, and keep the SDS copies at the site for the inspector.
Need the full application process? Read how to get a DPL licence in Pakistan or the Petroleum Rules 1937 guide.
Keep Reading
Related Licensing Guides
Form M Godown Construction Requirements in Pakistan
Plot size, walls, sump, ventilators, doors and fire safety a chemical godown needs for a Form...
Read Guide →
DPL License Requirements in Pakistan: Documents, Land & Godown
Documents for Form L and Form M, a 120 × 120 ft plot with a 30...
Read Guide →
Common Questions
Petroleum Class A, B and C: FAQs
Quick answers to what clients ask us about petroleum classes and flash points.
What is Class A petroleum in Pakistan?
Class A petroleum is any product with a flash point below 24°C, such as petrol, acetone, methanol, toluene and hexane. It gives off flammable vapour at room temperature, so it has the strictest storage rules and the largest safety distances.
Is diesel Class B or Class C petroleum?
It depends on the batch. High speed diesel usually has a flash point close to 55°C, which is the line between Class B and Class C. Check the test certificate for your supply, and if it varies, plan the site as Class B.
Is kerosene Class A petroleum?
No. Kerosene and Jet A-1 normally have a flash point of 38°C or higher, which makes them Class B.
Do products with a flash point above 93°C need a DPL licence?
Products that flash at 93°C or higher, such as most lubricating oils and ethylene glycol, fall outside the three petroleum classes. Keep the safety data sheet at the site so you can show the flash point if an inspector asks.
Where do I find the flash point of my chemical?
Section 9 of the product’s safety data sheet (SDS or MSDS) gives the flash point. You can also search our chemical MSDS tool, or have a sample tested in a petroleum laboratory.
Are Pakistan's petroleum classes the same as India's?
No. Pakistan uses 24°C and 55°C as the class limits, while India uses 23°C and 65°C. Always use the Pakistani limits for a NEPSA application.
Not Sure Which Class Your Product Is?
Send us the safety data sheet of each product you store. We will confirm the class, the right licence form and the land and godown you need before you spend money.