Dangerous Goods

Dangerous goods (DG) — also called hazardous materials (hazmat) in North America — are substances, materials, or articles that pose risks to health, safety, property, or the environment during transportation. They are regulated by strict international frameworks governing classification, packaging, labeling, documentation, and the modes of transport they may travel on. Shipping dangerous goods without proper compliance can result in fines, cargo seizure, carrier rejection, and most critically, life-threatening accidents.

Regulatory Frameworks

Dangerous goods regulations are mode-specific and internationally coordinated:

• Air: IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations (DGR) — the most restrictive. Based on UN recommendations and ICAO Technical Instructions. Updated annually. Many DG categories are forbidden on passenger aircraft.
• Ocean: IMDG Code (International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code) — published by the IMO, updated biennially. Governs stowage, segregation, and emergency procedures for DG containers.
• Road (US): DOT/PHMSA regulations in 49 CFR — the Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR). Govern placarding, marking, packaging, and training requirements.
• Road (EU): ADR (European Agreement concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Road).
• Rail: RID (Regulation concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Rail).

UN Classification System

All dangerous goods are assigned a UN number (a 4-digit code, e.g., UN 1090 = Acetone) and classified into 9 classes based on their primary hazard:

Lithium Batteries: The E-Commerce DG Challenge

Lithium batteries (Class 9) are the most commercially significant dangerous goods category for e-commerce. Virtually every consumer electronics product — smartphones, laptops, power banks, wireless headphones, electric toothbrushes, drones — contains lithium-ion or lithium-metal batteries.

Key restrictions:

• Lithium batteries are regulated when shipped as standalone batteries (state of charge limits, watt-hour limits)
• Batteries contained in equipment face fewer restrictions
• Large batteries (>300 Wh) are forbidden on passenger aircraft entirely
• Section II lithium batteries (smaller batteries in compliance) can ship under less restrictive rules on cargo aircraft

Carriers (FedEx, UPS, DHL, USPS) all have specific lithium battery acceptance criteria. Incorrect shipping of lithium batteries is one of the most common causes of carrier surcharges, rejected shipments, and in extreme cases, cargo fires — lithium battery thermal runaway events have caused multiple aircraft incidents.

Dry Ice (UN 1845)

Dry ice, used to keep shipments frozen during transit, is a Class 9 dangerous good requiring labeling, quantity limits, and ventilation disclosures. Maximum quantities per package and per aircraft vary by carrier and service. E-commerce cold chain shippers and pharmaceutical companies must include the required "Dry Ice" diamond hazard label and disclose the quantity in the air waybill.