Table II

Five codes

On this page11

The legend P is polyethylene And PET is not polyethylene Which matters because PET is everywhere G is glass PA is defined by a property, not a resin Which our catalog cannot confirm FP is fluoropolymer LDPE has its own code for one reason The useful way to read the table References

P is polyethylene. Which is not PET, and that is the point of this page.

The legend

"'P' is for polyethylene; 'FP' is fluoropolymer (polytetrafluoroethylene [PTFE]; Teflon(R)), or other fluoropolymer, unless stated otherwise in this Table II; 'G' is glass; 'PA' is any plastic that is made of a sterilizable material (polypropylene or other autoclavable plastic); 'LDPE' is low density polyethylene."

P is polyethylene

Which in practice means HDPE or LDPE. It is the general-purpose plastic code and it covers most of the inorganic rows.

And PET is not polyethylene

Polyethylene terephthalate is a polyester. It shares three syllables with polyethylene and is a different polymer, and it does not appear in Table II under any code.

Which matters because PET is everywhere

146 of the 359 containers on this shelf are PET. For a regulated sample that is not a material the table names, and the fact that it is clear, cheap and tough does not change that.

G is glass

And glass is the only option for several organic rows, because a polymer takes those analytes out of the water. 108 glass containers here.

PA is defined by a property, not a resin

"Any plastic that is made of a sterilizable material (polypropylene or other autoclavable plastic)." It is the bacterial code, and it is about whether the container can be sterilized.

Which our catalog cannot confirm

We do not record autoclavability for any product. We can tell you a container is polypropylene, which the footnote names as an example, and we cannot tell you it is sterilizable. 13 PP containers.

FP is fluoropolymer

PTFE or another fluoropolymer, for rows where even polyethylene is too reactive. We have none, so any row requiring FP cannot be served here.

LDPE has its own code for one reason

The protozoan rows. Cryptosporidium and Giardia are collected in LDPE with field filtration. We have no LDPE, so those two cannot be sampled from this shelf.

The useful way to read the table

Find your analyte, read the container column, then check the material against what you are holding. The code is short and the consequence of getting it wrong is a number nobody can use.

References

40 CFR 136.3, Table II, "Required Containers, Preservation Techniques, and Holding Times", footnote 1: "'P' is for polyethylene; 'FP' is fluoropolymer (polytetrafluoroethylene [PTFE]; Teflon(R)), or other fluoropolymer, unless stated otherwise in this Table II; 'G' is glass; 'PA' is any plastic that is made of a sterilizable material (polypropylene or other autoclavable plastic); 'LDPE' is low density polyethylene." Footnote 2: "Except where noted in this Table II and the method for the parameter, preserve each grab sample within 15 minutes of collection." ecfr.gov

The Davis Pack Supply catalog, measured 19 October 2026. The field sampling shelf is 768 rows: 359 containers and 409 closures. 5 mL to 950 mL with a median of 118; 124 containers at 60 mL or under, 211 at 120 or under, 317 at 500 or under, and nothing above a litre. 146 PET, 108 glass, 92 HDPE, 13 PP, no LDPE and no fluoropolymer. 194 jars, 163 bottles, 2 tubes. 103 clear, 82 white, 52 amber, 34 natural. Closures: 346 continuous thread, 27 dome lids, 14 phenolic, 11 liners and sealing discs, 6 specialty.

Written from 40 CFR 136.3 Table II and from the catalog as it stood on 19 October 2026. Part 136 governs Clean Water Act compliance monitoring; it is used here for everything else as the best available statement of what a container does to a water sample, not as a rule that binds a student with a creek. Nothing on this shelf is sold precleaned or certified for regulated sampling, and no preservation chemistry is given, because that belongs to the laboratory running the analysis.