Ask two suppliers whether you need a flammable storage cabinet or a COSHH cabinet and you will usually get two confident, contradictory answers. The honest position is less dramatic: on most UK ranges — including ours — these are closely related products built to the same guidance, and the difference that actually matters is often the ventilation and the label rather than the steel.
This guide sets out what each name means, where the genuine specification differences are, and the one comparison in our own catalogue that shows how small the gap really is. Prices quoted are live at the time of writing.
What each name actually refers to
A COSHH cabinet is named after a duty, not a design. The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 require employers to assess and control exposure to hazardous substances; storing them securely, separately and with spill containment is one way that duty is met. There is no British Standard defining a "COSHH cabinet" and no regulation specifying its dimensions — a point we set out in full in our guide to COSHH cabinet requirements and regulations.
A flammable storage cabinet is named after a hazard class. It is designed to hold flammable liquids — solvents, thinners, fuels, adhesives, aerosols — and the design intent is to slow the passage of flame and contain any spill. The relevant guidance is HSG51 (storage of flammable liquids in containers) and CS19, sitting alongside duties under DSEAR, which is the regulation that actually governs dangerous substances and explosive atmospheres.
So one name describes the legal duty you are discharging; the other describes what is going inside. That is why the two categories overlap so heavily — a flammable liquid is a substance hazardous to health, so a flammable cabinet is, in practice, a COSHH cabinet with a specific job.
A handful of other names circulate for the same two products, and none of them signals a different specification. Flammable liquid storage cabinet and flammable storage cupboard are simply longer forms of the same thing. Hazardous storage cabinet, hazardous substance cabinet and chemical storage cabinet are the COSHH cabinet under other labels — our own catalogue uses at least three of them for products of identical construction. When you are comparing quotes, compare the steel gauge, the sump, the locking and the flame-path detailing; the product name will not tell you which is better.
The comparison at a glance
| COSHH / hazardous substance cabinet | Flammable storage cabinet | |
|---|---|---|
| Named after | The COSHH duty on the employer | The hazard class of the contents |
| Primary guidance | COSHH 2002 | HSG51, CS19, DSEAR |
| Typical finish | Yellow (sometimes other colours) | Yellow — occasionally red in other ranges |
| Sump | Usually yes | Yes — expected |
| Flame-path detailing | Varies by range | Return flange around doors and joints; all-metal locks |
| Ventilation | Often vented | Normally closed |
| Typical contents | Cleaning chemicals, acids, agrochemicals, general COSHH stock | Solvents, fuels, thinners, adhesives, aerosols |
The finding that makes this comparison concrete
Our GPC range includes a flammable cabinet, an acid cabinet and a pesticide/agrochemical cabinet. Put their published specifications side by side and something becomes clear: they are, on the manufacturer's own data, the same cabinet.
All three are 1.2 mm sheet steel with formed welded seams, vertical door reinforcement panels, a return flange around doors and joints to prevent the passage of flame, all-metal security locks with two keys, and adjustable galvanised shelves at 75 mm centres that reverse to work as trays. All three are built to the same four sizes — 915 w × 483 d at 915, 1220, 1500 and 1830 mm high. All three cite the same standards: designed to comply with the Flammable Liquid Storage Regulations (1972) as appropriate, HSG51 and CS19, and Factory Inspectorate Certificate of Approval No. 1 Parts 3 and 4.
The prices show the same thing:
| Size (w × d × h) | Flammable (FSC) | Acid (ASC) | Pesticide / agrochemical (PSC) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 915 × 483 × 915 mm | £1,268.10 | £1,319.76 | £1,319.76 |
| 915 × 483 × 1220 mm | £1,409.58 | £1,461.30 | £1,461.30 |
| 915 × 483 × 1500 mm | £1,727.88 | £1,779.30 | £1,779.30 |
| 915 × 483 × 1830 mm | £1,928.82 | £1,980.18 | £1,980.18 |
Two things follow. First, the acid cabinet and the pesticide cabinet are identical in price at every size — the same product under two labels, exactly as we found with the CoSHH Security Cupboards and the Hazardous Substance Security Cupboards. Second, the flammable cabinet is around £51 cheaper at every size, which is the opposite of what most buyers expect from the product with the fiercest-sounding name.
We are not saying the labelling is meaningless. Signage matters for a COSHH assessment, for the fire risk assessment and for anyone who opens the door in an emergency, and buying the cabinet that says what is inside it is the right call. We are saying that if a supplier quotes you a large premium for a "flammable" cabinet over a "chemical storage cabinet" of the same construction, ask what is physically different.
Ventilation: the one difference that genuinely changes the specification
If there is a single technical distinction worth understanding in this category, it is ventilation — and it points in opposite directions depending on what you are storing.
For flammable liquids, the cabinet should normally be closed. The point is to contain vapour and resist the passage of flame; venting a cabinet full of solvent vapour into the room defeats the object.
For agrochemicals and pesticides, the opposite is usually required. Guidance for agrochemical stores expects ventilation so that vapour does not accumulate in a sealed space.
This is why one cabinet cannot always do both jobs — and why one product in our range is unusually useful. The GPC Storage Cabinet for Hazardous Substances (SSC01Z, £2,404.08) is an all-welded unit with an adjustable vent, and GPC states that it meets the requirements of flammable storage with the vent closed and agrochemical storage with the vent open. If you have both classes on site and limited floor space, that single cabinet resolves what would otherwise be a two-cabinet problem. It is the most expensive cabinet in the range and, for a mixed store, frequently the cheapest answer.
Red or yellow — and why the colour is not a specification
Ask about "red vs yellow cabinets" and you will find a widely repeated convention: yellow for flammables, red for fire-fighting equipment, sometimes red for flammables in other markets. It is a convention, not a standard, and there is no UK regulation that assigns a colour to a hazard class of cabinet.
What matters is the labelling. Our GPC hazardous range is finished in stove enamel yellow and supplied with labels to BS5378; the Bott Verso cupboard is RAL 1023 safety yellow with labelling compliant with BS EN ISO 7010:2012+A5:2015. The GPC CoSHH security cupboards ship with regulation labels enclosed for the customer to fit to suit their own assessment — which is the honest way round, since only you know what is going inside.
So: do not choose a cabinet by its colour, and do not assume a red one is rated for something a yellow one is not. If you want the reasoning behind the pictograms themselves, see our guide to COSHH symbols and their meanings.
"Fire resistant cabinet" — a third name, and a warning
Fire resistant cabinet is the third term people search for here, and it is the one most likely to cause an expensive misunderstanding, because it covers two genuinely different specifications: flame-resistance achieved by construction to HSG51 and CS19, and a cabinet type-tested to BS EN 14470-1 and classified Type 15, 30, 60 or 90 by furnace test. Both get marketed as "fire resistant". Only the second gives you a rating in minutes.
Our range is the first kind. It is worth noting that the GPC CoSHH security cupboards carry a Reaction to Fire Classification to EN 13501-1 — but read that carefully, because it is easy to misread as a fire-resistance rating. EN 13501-1 classifies how a material reacts when exposed to fire; it does not certify that the cabinet will protect its contents for 30 or 90 minutes. Those are different tests answering different questions.
If a fire risk assessment specifies a rated cabinet, go to a supplier who publishes the BS EN 14470-1 test classification. We would rather tell you that than sell you the wrong cabinet. The full distinction is set out in our COSHH cabinet requirements guide, which owns this topic in detail.
What goes in each
Into a flammable cabinet: solvents, thinners, white spirit, petrol and diesel in approved containers, adhesives, paints and lacquers, aerosols, and anything else carrying a flammable pictogram. Keep quantities in the workroom to the working minimum and keep the bulk elsewhere.
Into a COSHH or hazardous substance cabinet: cleaning chemicals, disinfectants, laboratory reagents, oils, and general COSHH-assessed stock that is not flammable. Acids and alkalis should be segregated from each other and from flammables — which is the real reason people end up with more than one cabinet.
Into neither: four categories that regularly get put in the wrong place.
- Gas cylinders. Never in a cabinet — they need ventilated outdoor storage. See gas cylinder storage and our guide to the regulations.
- Lithium-ion batteries. A different failure mode entirely — thermal runaway, not vapour ignition. See lithium battery storage cabinets.
- Drum-scale quantities. A 205-litre drum does not belong in a cabinet. See drum storage and our guide to storing oil drums safely.
- Incompatible substances together. Segregation is the point of the exercise. A single cabinet holding acids alongside flammables has not solved the problem it was bought for.
Petroleum chests — the category people miss
If you are storing petrol rather than general solvents, there is a third product and it is not a cabinet. Our GPC Petroleum Storage Chests are fully welded units built to A.P.E.A. requirements, suitable for 'CLASS A' storage and labelled per the Petroleum Consolidation Act 1928, conforming to BS5378 and EC Directive 92/58/EEC. They have a sloping roof — 810 mm at the rear, 610 mm at the front — to shed weather, a hasp and staple for padlocking, and a removable sump. Sizes are 610, 965 and 1270 mm wide × 630 mm deep, at £1,357.02, £1,684.98 and £1,993.14.
One practical warning straight from the manufacturer's notes: a forklift is needed to unload these. Confirm you have one before the delivery arrives.
What it costs
Four honest bands, at live prices:
- £269 – £859 — Bott Verso hazardous substance cupboards, 525 × 350 × 800 mm up to 1050 × 550 × 2000 mm. RAL 1023 yellow, fully welded steel, 3-point locking, reinforced doors opening to 180°, adjustable sealed steel trays rated 75 kg UDL, delivered assembled, 10-year extended guarantee. The sensible starting point for a workshop.
- £1,268 – £1,980 — the GPC flammable, acid and pesticide/agrochemical cabinets in the four heights above.
- £1,357 – £2,576 — petroleum chests, and the CoSHH security cupboards at 1200/1800 mm high × 900/1200 mm wide × 460 mm deep, with welded 1.5 mm steel, a seven-lever safe lock with anti-pick mechanism, full-length hinges with concealed fixings, spill-retaining galvanised shelves, an integral liquid-tight sump and Germ Guard Active Technology anti-bacterial powder coating.
- £2,404.08 — the adjustable-vent SSC01Z, if you need one cabinet to cover both flammable and agrochemical classes.
For a full treatment of which size to buy, including every dimension and price in the range, see COSHH cabinet sizes.
Two things we do not sell
- Cabinets with drawers. "Flammable storage cabinet with drawers" is a common search and nothing in our range has them. There is a reason beyond availability: a reversible shelf retains a leak, a drawer on slides does not. If you want drawers for tools alongside a hazardous cupboard, use a workshop drawer cabinet next to it, not instead of it.
- Type-tested BS EN 14470-1 cabinets. As above — if you need a rating in minutes, we are not the right supplier and will say so.
So which one do you need?
- Start with the pictogram on the container, not with the cabinet name. A flame means a flammable cabinet and a DSEAR consideration. A corrosion symbol means acid storage and segregation from everything else.
- Check whether you have more than one incompatible class. If yes, you need either two cabinets or the adjustable-vent unit — not one cabinet with everything in it.
- Check whether your risk assessment specifies a fire rating in minutes. If it does, you need a type-tested cabinet and this range is not it.
- Size it on stock, segregation and sump capacity, using the sizes guide.
- Confirm the sump. GPC does not publish a sump capacity for any cabinet in this range. We will not estimate one from the footprint, and we would confirm it against the manufacturer's drawing before taking an order that depends on it. If total volume makes containment the binding constraint, a cabinet may be the wrong product and floor-level spill containment is the better answer — see our guide to what UK law requires on bunding.
Browse the full range on COSHH cabinets or the wider hazardous storage category. If you are unsure which class you are dealing with, send us the safety data sheet and we will tell you honestly which cabinet it belongs in — including when the answer is one we do not stock.
Frequently asked questions
What is a flammable storage cabinet?
A steel cabinet designed to store flammable liquids safely — solvents, fuels, thinners, adhesives and aerosols. The design intent is to slow the passage of flame and contain spillage, typically through welded seams, a return flange around doors and joints, all-metal locks that will not melt, and an integral sump in the base. Ours are built to HSG51 and CS19 guidance.
What are the requirements for flammable cabinets in the UK?
There is no single regulation that specifies a flammable cabinet's construction. The governing duties are DSEAR, which requires you to control risks from dangerous substances, and COSHH where health effects are involved. HSE guidance HSG51 and CS19 describe what good storage looks like in practice: containment of spillage, resistance to flame passage, secure locking, quantities in the workroom kept to a working minimum, and appropriate labelling and siting. Anyone quoting you a specific mandatory specification should be asked which regulation it comes from.
What is the difference between a COSHH cabinet and a flammable cabinet?
The names describe different things — COSHH names the employer's legal duty, flammable names the hazard class of the contents — and in practice the products overlap heavily. On our own range the flammable, acid and pesticide cabinets share construction, standards and sizes, differing by about £51 and the label. The genuine specification difference to watch is ventilation: flammable storage normally wants the cabinet closed, agrochemical storage wants it vented.
Is a flammable or COSHH cabinet a legal requirement?
Neither is mandatory by name. COSHH requires you to control exposure to hazardous substances and DSEAR requires you to control risks from dangerous substances; a suitable cabinet is the usual way those duties are discharged where chemicals are kept in a workroom. The regulations describe outcomes, not products.
Can I keep flammables and other chemicals in the same cabinet?
Generally no. Segregation of incompatible substances is one of the main reasons for having a cabinet at all — acids should not sit with flammables, and oxidisers should not sit with either. If space is the constraint, the adjustable-vent SSC01Z covers flammable storage with the vent closed and agrochemicals with it open, which is a genuine two-in-one rather than a compromise.
Do flammable cabinets need to be vented?
Normally the opposite — a flammable cabinet is usually kept closed so vapour is contained rather than released into the workroom. Ventilation is expected for agrochemical and pesticide storage. This is the single technical difference most likely to affect which cabinet you should buy.
Why are red and yellow cabinets different?
They generally are not, in specification terms. Colour is a widely used convention rather than a UK standard, and no regulation assigns a colour to a hazard class of cabinet. Judge a cabinet by its construction, its sump, its locking and its labelling, not its finish.
What size flammable cabinet do I need?
Size it on the stock you actually keep in the workroom, on what must be segregated from what, and on the spill volume the sump has to hold. Our range runs 915 × 483 mm in four heights from 915 to 1830 mm, plus the smaller Bott Verso cupboards from 525 × 350 × 800 mm. There is no regulated minimum size, so there is no size you are obliged to buy.