Dangerous goods are not only acids and explosives. A very large share of the shipments stopped at cargo acceptance are ordinary consumer products whose shipper had no idea they were regulated: perfume, nail polish, hand sanitiser, aerosols, lithium batteries, magnets, dry ice, car parts with residual fuel.
The classification system is common to sea, air and road because they all descend from the UN Model Regulations. Sea uses the IMDG Code, air uses the IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations built on the ICAO Technical Instructions, and road in Europe uses ADR. Class numbers mean the same thing in all of them.
Two editions matter right now. IMDG Code Amendment 42-24 has been mandatory since 1 January 2026, and the IATA DGR 67th Edition took effect on the same date. If you are working from a 2024 manual, some of what it says is out of date.
Class 1: Explosives
Divided 1.1 to 1.6 by how they behave, and further split by compatibility group. Beyond the obvious: airbag inflators and seat belt pretensioners, fireworks, safety fuses, ammunition, and some flares.
Class 2: Gases
- 2.1 Flammable gas: butane lighters and refills, propane, most aerosols with a hydrocarbon propellant.
- 2.2 Non-flammable, non-toxic gas: nitrogen, helium, compressed air, fire extinguishers, and most non-flammable aerosols.
- 2.3 Toxic gas: chlorine, ammonia, many fumigants.
Aerosols are the classic surprise. A pallet of deodorant, dry shampoo or spray paint is Class 2 whatever the retail packaging looks like.
Class 3: Flammable liquids
Anything with a flash point at or below 60C. Perfume, aftershave, nail polish, nail polish remover, alcohol based hand sanitiser, most solvent based paints, adhesives, thinners, and many cleaning products. Spirits over about 24 percent alcohol by volume are regulated for air freight.
Class 4: Flammable solids and reactive substances
- 4.1 Flammable solids: matches, sulphur, some metal powders, celluloid.
- 4.2 Substances liable to spontaneous combustion: some fish meal, oily rags, white phosphorus, certain carbons.
- 4.3 Substances which emit flammable gases in contact with water: calcium carbide, sodium, magnesium powder.
Fish meal and seed cake are the ones that catch bulk shippers, because they are food ingredients that self heat.
Class 5: Oxidisers and organic peroxides
5.1 oxidising substances include hydrogen peroxide, ammonium nitrate fertiliser and pool chlorine. 5.2 organic peroxides are used in plastics and resins and often need temperature control in transit.
Class 6: Toxic and infectious substances
6.1 toxic substances covers pesticides, many laboratory chemicals, and nicotine. 6.2 infectious substances covers diagnostic specimens, cultures and medical waste, and has its own packaging and paperwork regime that is stricter than most shippers anticipate.
Class 7: Radioactive material
Narrower than the name suggests, but it is not only nuclear fuel. Medical isotopes, industrial gauges, some smoke detectors and certain oilfield tools fall here.
Class 8: Corrosives
Acids and alkalis, but also wet cell batteries, drain cleaner, some dyes, and mercury. Car batteries shipped as spares are Class 8 and are routinely mis-declared.
Class 9: Miscellaneous
The catch-all for things that are hazardous but do not fit elsewhere, and commercially the most important class of all because it contains:
- Lithium ion and lithium metal batteries (UN 3480, 3481, 3090, 3091), and now sodium ion batteries, added by IMDG Amendment 42-24.
- Dry ice (UN 1845), which is why a cold chain shipment can become a dangerous goods shipment.
- Magnetised material, which is an air freight problem specifically, because it interferes with aircraft instruments.
- Environmentally hazardous substances (UN 3077 and 3082) and marine pollutants.
- Asbestos, and vehicles or engines containing fuel or batteries.
What to do when your product is on this list
- Get the safety data sheet from the manufacturer. Section 14 gives the transport classification, the UN number and the proper shipping name. Do not guess from the product name.
- Tell the forwarder before you book, not when the truck arrives. Dangerous goods change the vessel, the stowage position, the cut-off and the price.
- Use a trained shipper. The declaration must be signed by someone with current dangerous goods training, and that training is a legal requirement, not a formality.
- Expect it to cost more and take longer. Some carriers will not take some classes at all, and air freight is stricter than sea on almost everything.
If you are shipping batteries, read the IMDG and IATA rules next, because the 2026 state of charge requirements changed for batteries packed with equipment.
General guidance. Classification is the shipper's legal responsibility and depends on the specific substance, its concentration and its packaging. Work from the safety data sheet and the current regulations, not from an article.
