Dangerous goods: regulatory updates

Review recent changes to IATA regulations, IATA variations and other regulatory information.

Shipping hazardous materials via FedEx Ground® service? Start here.

If you ship dangerous goods, you should know about changes to International Air Transport Association (IATA) dangerous goods regulations. Though this summary presents some of the major changes, it’s not comprehensive, so you should consult appropriate available channels to stay informed about all regulatory changes. Shippers may obtain additional information and assistance via:

The FedEx dangerous goods/hazardous materials hotline at 1.800.463.3339 (say "dangerous goods"). Outside the U.S., call 1.901.375.6806.
The IATA website (https://www.iata.org/en/programs/cargo/dgr/).

Disclaimer: The following update is for customer information only. It is not intended as a training source, recurrent or otherwise. FedEx does not warrant the accuracy of this information and accepts no liability for this information, or for future regulatory amendments that may affect any of the information provided herein or any damages resulting from the use or misuse of this information.

IATA Variations

For certain types of dangerous goods, our packaging and shipping requirements go beyond those applied by IATA. Check the list of FedEx IATA Variations for more information.

FedEx IATA Variations, effective Jan. 1, 2024

Additional regulatory information

Hazardous Materials Certificate of Registration

View our FedEx Hazardous Materials Certificate of Registration (4.83 Kb PDF), which lists our registration number and the date it was issued.

Infectious Substances (Category A), Biological Substance (Category B) and clinical specimens

Category A infectious substances affecting humans (UN 2814) and infectious substances affecting animals (UN 2900) are considered dangerous goods that can cause permanent disability and life-threatening or fatal disease in otherwise healthy humans or animals. These infectious substances must not be shipped in the FedEx^® Clinical Pak or FedEx^® Clinical Box. IATA regulations apply. Noninfectious blood and urine must meet FedEx standards.

Biological Substance, Category B (UN 3373) are infectious substances that are not Category A infectious substances. These substances must meet the requirements in IATA Packing Instruction 650. A FedEx^® UN 3373 Pak and FedEx Clinical Box are available for shipping these substances.

Clinical specimens for which there is minimal likelihood that pathogens are present should be marked with the words “Exempt human specimen” or “Exempt animal specimen” as appropriate. See IATA section 3.6.2.2.3.6 for additional information. A FedEx Clinical Pak is available for shipping clinical specimens.

Shippers must also comply with all applicable local, state and federal laws governing packing, marking and labeling of shipments of blood and blood products.

For more information on how to prepare clinical sample and Biological Substance, Category B shipments, download these helpful brochures:

Packaging Guidelines for Clinical Samples (327 Kb PDF)
Packaging Guidelines for UN 3373 Shipments (346 Kb PDF)

Regulatory compliance letter

FedEx complies with all federal and state laws and regulations that apply to the services we offer. For more information, read our dangerous goods and hazardous materials regulatory compliance letter (345 Kb PDF).

IATA DG Regulations changes - Shipper’s Declaration formatting, effective 01/01/2025

As listed in IATA DGR provision 8.1.1.1, Shipper’s Declaration for Dangerous Goods forms conforming to the examples shown in the 59th edition of the IATA DGR may only be used until December 31, 2024. Beginning January 1, 2025:

The formatting layout used to produce a Shipper’s Declaration should conform to the figures specified in IATA DGR Section 8 for computerized completion or manual completion (where manual completion is applicable).
The title of the person signing the declaration and place for the shipment in the Signatory Area should no longer be included as elements displayed on computerized or manually completed Shipper’s Declaration forms.
FedEx automated systems will be updated to reflect these changes as new versions of the applicable software are released.

Shippers using a manual form or a computerized system that still displays the title and place fields must correct the Shipper’s Declaration by crossing out the words “Title” and “Place” in compliance with the requirements in IATA 8.1.2.6 for alterations and amendments.