Dangerous goods · Interdoc Shipping Guide

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How to tell if your item is a dangerous good. Ask the manufacturer for the Safety Data Sheet (SDS). If chapter 14 shows a four-digit UN number (UN 1845, UN 3373, UN 3480 etc.), the item is a dangerous good. The class and packing instruction number follow from the UN number.

⚛️ The nine IATA classes

The classification framework comes from the United Nations Model Regulations and is adopted unchanged by IATA for air carriage. The classes below are universal — every airline and air courier in the world uses them.

Accessible — may be carried on cargo or passenger aircraft with declaration

Class 3

Flammable liquids

Solvents, paints, alcohol-based products, many perfumes, petrol-based items

Class 4.1

Flammable solids

Safety matches, certain metal powders, sulphur

Class 4.2

Spontaneously combustible

White phosphorus, some metal catalysts

Class 5.1

Oxidising substances

Concentrated peroxide solutions, ammonium nitrate

Class 5.2

Organic peroxides

Fibreglass repair kits, some industrial hardeners

Class 8

Corrosives

Battery acid, drain cleaner, concentrated bleach, sodium hydroxide

Inaccessible — strict restrictions, may not be carried on passenger aircraft

Class 6.1

Toxic substances

Pesticides, certain industrial chemicals, mercury

Class 6.2

Infectious substances

Diagnostic specimens, blood samples, clinical trial materials — UN 3373 / UN 2814

Class 9

Miscellaneous DG

Lithium batteries, dry ice, magnetised materials, airbag inflators

Classes not accepted on our network

Class 1

Explosives

Fireworks, ammunition, blasting caps — refused

Class 2

Gases under pressure

Most compressed-gas cylinders — refused except limited aerosols

Class 7

Radioactive materials

Medical isotopes, X-ray sources — refused on standard service

🧪 UN 3373 — diagnostic specimens

Patient diagnostic specimens, blood samples for laboratory testing, and clinical trial material that does not contain Category A pathogens fall under Class 6.2 with the UN number 3373 — "Biological Substance, Category B". They are accepted on our network with correct packaging.

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Packing Instruction 650 (P650) — the three-layer system every UN 3373 shipment must use:

Primary receptacle — watertight, leak-proof container holding the specimen
Secondary packaging — watertight, leak-proof, with absorbent material between the primary and secondary capable of soaking up the entire primary contents
Outer packaging — rigid, with the UN 3373 diamond mark and "Biological Substance, Category B" wording, sized to withstand a 1.2 m drop test

Pre-tested P650-compliant kits are commercially available; we recommend you use one rather than assemble from scratch.

🔋 Lithium batteries — the special case

Lithium-ion and lithium-metal batteries are everywhere — in phones, laptops, e-cigarettes, toys, power tools, drones, medical devices, even greeting cards with light-up features. They are all Class 9 dangerous goods. The shipping rules depend on whether the battery is loose, packed with equipment, or installed inside equipment, and on its watt-hour rating (lithium-ion) or lithium content (lithium-metal).

The four UN numbers

UN #	Chemistry	Configuration	Common examples
UN 3480	Lithium-ion	Loose batteries shipped alone	Spare laptop batteries, power banks shipped on their own
UN 3481	Lithium-ion	Packed with, or inside, equipment	Laptops, phones, cameras, tablets, drones
UN 3090	Lithium-metal	Loose batteries shipped alone	Spare button cells (specific to lithium-metal chemistry)
UN 3091	Lithium-metal	Packed with, or inside, equipment	Watches, smoke detectors, hearing aids, calculators

The four sections

Each UN number splits further into Sections IA, IB or II depending on size, quantity per package, and configuration. Higher sections mean more documentation.

Section IA

Largest cells/batteries above standard thresholds. Full dangerous-goods documentation including Shipper's Declaration. Class 9 lithium battery label and "Cargo Aircraft Only" mark. Trained shipper required.

Section IB

Smaller cells/batteries below the Section IA size thresholds but in larger package quantities than Section II allows. Reduced documentation but still requires Class 9 label and Cargo Aircraft Only mark.

Section II

Smallest cells, in limited quantities per package, inside or with equipment. No Shipper's Declaration required but lithium battery handling mark and shipper's responsibility statement still apply.

Section II thresholds

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To qualify for Section II (the least-regulated tier), all of the following must be true:

Lithium-ion: ≤ 20 Wh per cell and ≤ 100 Wh per battery
Lithium-metal: ≤ 1 g lithium content per cell and ≤ 2 g per battery
Package quantity within the IATA limits for that specific UN number / section
Batteries inside or packed with equipment (UN 3481 / UN 3091) — Section II is generally not available for batteries shipped alone

For a typical laptop or phone (with one lithium-ion battery ≤ 100 Wh), Section II of UN 3481 applies.

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Loose lithium batteries shipped on their own are not accepted on our standard service. The combination of fire risk and limited liability cover makes this category uneconomic for both you and the carrier network. Send the batteries inside the equipment they power, or with the equipment they will power, and Section IB or II rules apply instead.

State of charge

Stand-alone lithium-ion batteries (UN 3480) must be shipped at ≤ 30% state of charge. This is a hard IATA rule intended to limit the energy available in a thermal-runaway event. It does not apply to batteries inside or with equipment.

📞 How to declare DG with Interdoc

Our online quote engine does not currently handle dangerous-goods bookings end-to-end — there are too many variables (origin/destination acceptance, packing instruction, training requirements) for an automated flow to do safely. All DG shipments are handled as manual exceptions.

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To request a DG quote: email admin@interdoc.co.za with:

The Safety Data Sheet (SDS) for the product
UN number, proper shipping name, class and packing group
Net quantity per package and number of packages
Origin and destination addresses
Confirmation of whether the consignor has IATA DG training (or whether we should arrange a Regulated Agent on your behalf)

We will confirm acceptance, quote the route and required surcharges, and supply the packaging-and-labelling brief within one business day.

❓ Frequently asked questions

What are dangerous goods?

A dangerous good is any item that can pose a risk to health, safety, property or the environment in transit. IATA classifies them into nine numbered classes. Most aerosols, perfumes, lithium batteries and many household chemicals are dangerous goods even if they sit in your kitchen cupboard.

What are the nine IATA dangerous goods classes?

Class 1 Explosives, Class 2 Gases, Class 3 Flammable liquids, Class 4 Flammable solids (4.1) / spontaneously combustible (4.2) / dangerous when wet (4.3), Class 5 Oxidisers (5.1) and Organic peroxides (5.2), Class 6 Toxic (6.1) and Infectious (6.2), Class 7 Radioactive, Class 8 Corrosives, Class 9 Miscellaneous (includes lithium batteries).

How do I know if my item is a dangerous good?

Ask the manufacturer for the Safety Data Sheet (SDS). If chapter 14 shows a four-digit UN number — UN 1845, UN 3373, UN 3480 etc. — the item is a dangerous good. The class and packing instruction number follow from the UN number. No UN number means not a DG.

Can I ship a laptop or phone internationally?

Yes. Devices with built-in lithium-ion batteries ≤ 100 Wh ship under UN 3481 Section II — the least-regulated tier. No Shipper's Declaration required but lithium battery handling mark and shipper's responsibility statement still apply. Use original manufacturer packaging where possible.

What is UN 3373?

UN 3373 is the UN number for 'Biological Substance, Category B' — patient diagnostic specimens, blood samples for lab testing, and clinical trial material that does not contain Category A pathogens. Accepted on our network using Packing Instruction 650 (three-layer leak-proof system) with the UN 3373 diamond mark on the outer.

What dangerous goods does Interdoc refuse?

Class 1 Explosives, most Class 2 compressed gases (except limited aerosols), Class 7 Radioactive materials, and loose lithium batteries (UN 3480 / UN 3090 shipped alone). All other classes can be carried with the correct declaration, packaging and documentation — handled as manual exceptions.

Why must lithium-ion batteries ship at 30% charge?

Stand-alone lithium-ion batteries shipped under UN 3480 must travel at ≤ 30% state of charge. This is a hard IATA rule intended to limit the energy available in a thermal-runaway event. The rule does not apply to batteries packed with or inside equipment (UN 3481).

📚 Sources & attributions

The dangerous-goods classification framework is set by the United Nations and adopted unchanged by IATA and ICAO. Every airline and air courier on earth uses the same nine classes, the same UN numbers, the same packing instructions and the same lithium-battery section structure — this is the canonical international system with no proprietary alternative.

Primary upstream sources

IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations — current edition (annual revision)
ICAO Technical Instructions for the Safe Transport of Dangerous Goods by Air, Doc 9284
UN Model Regulations on the Transport of Dangerous Goods — "Orange Book" recommendations
IATA Lithium Battery Guidance Document — Sections IA / IB / II thresholds and shipping rules
UN Manual of Tests and Criteria — basis for lithium-battery state-of-charge limits

Industry standards & terminology

Nine UN/IATA hazard classes — universal taxonomy (Class 1 Explosives through Class 9 Miscellaneous)
UN 3373 (Biological Substance, Category B) + Packing Instruction P650
UN 3480 / 3481 / 3090 / 3091 — lithium-battery nomenclature
Section IA / IB / II — universal lithium-battery threshold framework
100 Wh / 20 Wh / 1 g / 2 g — universal Section II cutoffs
30% state-of-charge limit for UN 3480 stand-alone lithium-ion
Accessible vs inaccessible DG distinction — ICAO Technical Instructions

All original prose, explanations and the "how to declare DG with Interdoc" workflow on this page are the original work of Interdoc and have been verified against publicly indexed web content as not derived from any specific carrier's documentation.

Dangerous goods.