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Dangerous Goods

Some carriers allow you to ship dangerous goods that would normally be restricted from mail, such as Lithium Ion Batteries. For any carrier that requires your shipping label to indicate that it contains hazardous materials, ShipEngine's Dangerous Goods object can help you!

Not all carriers will require or support all of the properties ShipEngine defines in our Dangerous Goods object. In general, we do advise that your integration allows entry of any field we have defined, since carrier support may vary. By sending full information, you ensure that your integration can ship Dangerous Goods with any carrier supported by ShipEngine.

ShipEngine supports many carriers, and we are adding new ones all the time. Some of our most popular carriers that support marking the shipment as Dangerous Goods include (but are not limited to) USPS and DHL eCommerce - US. To see if a specific carrier supports shipping Dangerous Goods, make a List Carrier Advanced Options call to learn at any point what advanced options that carrier supports. The Advanced Options page lists and describes what options you may see in the response to your call. You can also check the specific carrier guide.

Dangerous Goods Object

The following table lists all of the data points that describe the dangerous goods properties for the puposes of shipping.

PropertyTypeRequired or OptionalDescriptionExample
id_numberstringOptionalStandard 4-digit ID to identify the dangerous goodsUN1950
shipping_namestringOptionalTrade description of the goodsLithium metal batteries
technical_namestringOptionalA widely recognized chemical or technical name.Cyclotrimethylenetrinitramine, desensitized
product_classstringOptional"Substances (including mixtures and solutions) and articles are assigned to one of nine classes according to either the hazard, or the most prominent of the hazards, they present. Some of these classes are subdivided into divisions."4.1
product_class_subsidiarystringOptionalA secondary product class for substances presenting more than one particular hazard2.2
packaging_groupenumOptionalFrom the three packing groups that can be assigned to the substance, the one that indicates the degree of danger it presentsi, ii, …
dangerous_amountnumber + string for unit of measureOptionalThe amount of the Dangerous material0.2 kg
quantitynumberOptionalMathematical representation of the copies/pieces/volumes of the material being transported.1
package_instructionsstringOptionalThe specific standardized packaging instructions from the relevant regulatory agency that have been applied to the parcel/container.P905 (UN recommendation used by ADR)
967 (IATA regulation)
package_instruction_sectionenumOptionalComplementary information to specify the exact 'Section of Packaging' Instructions (a mandatory piece of data for processing lithium batteries shipments)I
package_typestringOptionalThe type of exterior package used to contain the regulated goodFiberboard Box
1A1 (ADR)
transport_meanenumOptionalThe most critical leg of the journey required to deliver the goods
transport_categorystringOptionalCategory assigned to goods for the transport purpose3
regulation_authoritystringOptionalRegulatory agency whose standards are being followed for the shipment, e.g. "ADR", "CFR", "IATA", "TDG".IATA
regulation_levelenumOptionalReference to the amount of the substance being transported, used to trigger different levels of controls/restrictionsFully Regulated
lightly_regulated
radioactiveboolOptionalAn indication if the substance is radioactiveTRUE
reportable_quantityboolOptionalA flag to indicate whether or not the quantity of a hazardous substance from Title 40, Code of Federal Regulations (40 CFR) is sufficient to trigger a report under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA)TRUE
tunnel_codestringOptionalDefines which types of tunnels the shipment is not allowed to go throughD

Example Request

POST /v1/labels

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POST /v1/labels HTTP/1.1
Host: api.shipengine.com
API-Key: __YOUR_API_KEY_HERE__
Content-Type: application/json
{
"shipments": [
{
"validate_address": "no_validation",
"service_code": "usps_priority_mail",
"external_shipment_id": "1daa0c22-0519-46d0-8653-9f3dc62e7d2c",
"ship_to": {
"name": "Amanda Miller",
"phone": "555-555-5555",
"address_line1": "525 S Winchester Blvd",
"city_locality": "San Jose",
"state_province": "CA",
"postal_code": "95128",
"country_code": "US",
"address_residential_indicator": "yes"
},
"ship_from": {
"company_name": "Example Corp.",
"name": "John Doe",
"phone": "111-111-1111",
"address_line1": "4009 Marathon Blvd",
"address_line2": "Suite 300",
"city_locality": "Austin",
"state_province": "TX",
"postal_code": "78756",
"country_code": "US",
"address_residential_indicator": "no"
},
"confirmation": "none",
"advanced_options": {
"dangerous_goods_category": "06",
"dangerous_goods": "true"
"dangerous_goods_contact":
{
"name": Ula
"phone": +48111111111
}
},
"insurance_provider": "none",
"packages": [
{
"weight": {
"value": 1,
"unit": "ounce"
},
"products": [
{
"description": "laptop",
"quantity": 1,
"country_of_origin": "US",
"sku": "121101",
"dangerous_goods": [
{
"id_number": "UN3480",
"shipping_name": "lithium ion batteries",
"technical_name": "lithium iron phosphate",
"product_class": "4.2",
"packaging_group": "II",
"dangerous_amount": {
"value": 10,
"unit": "quart"
},
"quantity": 2,
"package_instructions": "903",
"package_instruction_section": "section_1B",
"package_type": "1A1",
"transport_mean": "ground",
"regulation_authority": "iata",
"regulation_level": "lightly_regulated",
"radioactive": false,
"reportable_quantity": false,
"tunnel_code": "D"
}
]
}
]
}
],
"total_weight": {
"value": 1,
"unit": "ounce"
}
}
]
}

Notice the advanced_options shown here as they appear in the request above:

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{
"advanced_options": {
"dangerous_goods_category": "06",
"dangerous_goods": "true",
"dangerous_goods_contact":
{
"name": "Ula",
"phone": "+48111111111"
}
},
}

Example Response

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{
"has_errors": false,
"shipments": [
{
"errors": null,
"address_validation": null,
"shipment_id": "se-202902255",
"carrier_id": "se-123890",
"service_code": "usps_priority_mail",
"external_shipment_id": "0bcb569d-1727-4ff9-ab49-b2fec0cee5ae",
"ship_date": "2018-02-12T00:00:00Z",
"created_at": "2018-02-13T00:53:52.0275877Z",
"modified_at": "2018-02-13T00:53:52.0275877Z",
"shipment_status": "pending",
"ship_to": {
"name": "Amanda Miller",
"phone": "555-555-5555",
"address_line1": "525 S Winchester Blvd",
"city_locality": "San Jose",
"state_province": "CA",
"postal_code": "95128",
"country_code": "US",
"address_residential_indicator": "yes"
},
"ship_from": {
"company_name": "Example Corp.",
"name": "John Doe",
"phone": "111-111-1111",
"address_line1": "4009 Marathon Blvd",
"address_line2": "Suite 300",
"city_locality": "Austin",
"state_province": "TX",
"postal_code": "78756",
"country_code": "US",
"address_residential_indicator": "no"
},
"warehouse_id": null,
"return_to": {
"company_name": "Example Corp.",
"name": "John Doe",
"phone": "111-111-1111",
"address_line1": "4009 Marathon Blvd",
"address_line2": "Suite 300",
"city_locality": "Austin",
"state_province": "TX",
"postal_code": "78756",
"country_code": "US",
"address_residential_indicator": "no"
},
"insurance_provider": "none",
"tags": [],
"packages": [
{
"weight": {
"value": 1,
"unit": "quart"
},
"products": [
{
"description": "laptop",
"quantity": 1,
"country_of_origin": "US",
"sku": "121101",
"dangerous_goods": [
{
"un_number": "3480",
"shipping_name": "lithium ion batteries",
"technical_name": "lithium iron phosphate",
"product_class": "miscellaneous",
"packaging_group": "II",
"dangerous_amount": {
"value": 10,
"unit": "ounce"
},
"quantity": 2,
"package_instructions": "903",
"package_instruction_section": "section_1B",
"package_type": "1A1",
"transport_mean": "ground",
"regulation_authority": "iata",
"regulation_level": "lightly_regulated",
"radioactive": false,
"reportable_quantity": false,
"tunnel_code": "D"
}
]
}
]
}
],
"total_weight": {
"value": 1,
"unit": "ounce"
}
}
]
}