The United Nations Recommendations on the Transport of Dangerous Goods, 1999, has specified differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) measurements as a screening method for determining the explosive properties of chemicals. In this study, we have investigated the effects of different vessel materials on the exothermic decomposition energy (Q(Dsc)) of 49 chemical substances by performing measurements with DSC. Different Q(Dsc) values were obtained for various types of sealed pressure vessels and a glass capillary tube vessel. To evaluate Q(Dsc), all the decomposition energy values (calorific values) obtained in this study were investigated in terms of the permissible fluctuation range specified by American Society for Testing of Materials (ASTM) standards. In this manner, we have demonstrated that the material and shape of a vessel affects the measurement of exothermic decomposition energy. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.