The container standard

Rinsability by design

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What the number means in practice Where residue hides Which is why the F-style jug is the category standard Neck diameter does double duty Surface finish matters The test is prescribed And it is per active ingredient Design it in, or inherit it References

Everything that traps liquid is a place the last hundredth of a percent hides.

What the number means in practice

For every gram of active ingredient in the container, less than a tenth of a milligram may remain after the prescribed rinse. That is a demanding standard for a shape with any internal complexity.

Where residue hides

The inside of a moulded handle, a sharp internal radius at the shoulder, a deep punt in the base, threads above the fill line and anywhere the wall changes direction abruptly.

Which is why the F-style jug is the category standard

A flat-sided jug with an integral handle sounds like a trap, and the ones built for this use have the handle moulded as a solid grip rather than a hollow cavity. That distinction is invisible until you look for it.

Neck diameter does double duty

A wider neck helps the pour vent and lets rinse water in with enough energy to reach the shoulder. The two requirements point the same way, which is convenient and not accidental.

Surface finish matters

A smooth interior releases product; a matte or textured one holds a film. For a container intended to be rinsed, interior finish is a specification rather than a cosmetic.

The test is prescribed

EPA sets the procedure, so the number is comparable between containers and is something a supplier can have performed. Ask whether it has been, for the container you intend to use.

And it is per active ingredient

Each one, not the formulation as a whole. A product with two actives has to clear the bar twice, and a sticky co-formulant can hold one of them back.

Design it in, or inherit it

A small producer is almost always buying a stock container rather than commissioning a mould. That makes this a selection question: choose from containers already built to the standard rather than hoping one passes.

References

40 CFR 165.25, standards for nonrefillable pesticide containers. A container for a non-hazardous pesticide complies with the DOT provisions applicable to a Packing Group III material. A container of 5 gallons or less holding a liquid pesticide must "allow the contents of the nonrefillable container to pour in a continuous, coherent stream" and minimise dripping. A rigid container of 5 gallons or less for a dilutable product must achieve "at least 99.99 percent removal of each active ingredient" under the prescribed test procedure. law.cornell.edu

The Davis Pack Supply catalog, measured 18 October 2026. The growing inputs shelf is 1,075 rows: 579 containers and 496 closures, derived from three packaging archetypes across nine leaves. 276 PET, 203 HDPE, 85 glass, 14 PP and 1 LDPE, from 10 to 9,464 mL with a median of 125 and 42 containers at 1 litre or more. The closures include 30 child resistant, 19 trigger sprayers and 18 spouted.

Written from 40 CFR 156.10, 165.25 and 157.22, and from the catalog as it stood on 18 October 2026. A pesticide may not be distributed or sold in the United States unless it is registered, and the label is approved as part of that registration; nothing here is a substitute for EPA guidance on a specific product, and whether a given product is a pesticide at all is a determination with consequences.