Can You Ship Aerosol Cans? USPS, UPS and FedEx Rules

Usually yes, within the U.S., if the can travels by ground and you follow your carrier's hazardous materials rules. The short version for each carrier:

• USPS: spray paint and other flammable aerosols go by ground only, as Limited Quantity, and only if the can fits the size limits below. Ground Advantage is the service USPS points you to.
• UPS: only if your account has a hazardous materials contract. The UPS Store won't take them over the counter.
• FedEx Ground: only after FedEx approves your account, by scheduled pickup, within the contiguous U.S. Limited Quantity can also go to Canada.

What decides it is what's in your can, which carrier you use, and how you pack and mark the box. For USPS, aerosol paint and other flammable aerosols can be mailed domestically only by surface transportation, and only when they qualify as Limited Quantity ground material and meet the quantity and packaging limits in Publication 52. The two things USPS rules out completely are mailing any gas, aerosols included, to another country, and sending a flammable aerosol by air.

Step 1: Find out what's in your can

Start with the safety data sheet (SDS), the hazard document that comes from your product's manufacturer. If you don't have it, ask them for it before you ship anything.

Read Section 2 (Hazard identification) and Section 14 (Transport information), which lists the UN number, proper shipping name and transport hazard class. OSHA treats Section 14 as non-mandatory in its SDS format, so it can be blank. If it is, ask the manufacturer for the transport classification.

Either way, confirm the product's actual transport class before you pick a carrier. If it's a gas, USPS defines Division 2.1 as flammable gases and Division 2.2 as nonflammable, nontoxic gases.

Two more terms come up with all three carriers below. Limited Quantity is a classification for materials that pose a limited hazard in transit because of their form, quantity and packaging, and it includes what used to be called ORM-D. A consumer commodity is a hazardous material packaged in a quantity and form meant for retail sale and for personal care or household use.

USPS makes the mailer responsible for knowing the correct DOT hazard class before mailing, so check the SDS yourself before you hand over the package.

Step 2: Pick a carrier that will take it

USPS

Ship a qualifying aerosol by a ground service. USPS calls Ground Advantage its primary option for hazardous materials that can only go by ground. Limited Quantity surface material is prohibited in Priority Mail and Priority Mail Express, so a faster service isn't an option.

USPS caps what each package can hold, under section 342 of Publication 52:

• A flammable aerosol is limited to 4 fl oz in a nonmetal container or 33.8 fl oz (1 liter) in a metal container per package.
• A nonflammable aerosol can come in containers of up to 4 fl oz (nonmetal) or 33.8 fl oz (metal), and several can share one strong outer box as long as it weighs no more than 25 pounds.
• A container with internal pressure above 180 psig at 130°F can't be mailed at all.

If another guide gives you different USPS container limits, go by the current Publication 52 text linked above.

Get the labeling right: commercial shipments that are labeled incorrectly may be charged a HAZMAT noncompliance fee.

UPS

UPS says it accepts hazardous materials "on a contract basis only," so ask UPS whether your account can ship Limited Quantity by ground before you print a label. Its hazardous materials service definition also rules out drop-off at The UPS Store, UPS Customer Centers, Authorized Shipping Outlets and internet shipping, though it says U.S. Ground shipments of Limited Quantity materials in the 48 contiguous states may be accepted at some locations.

Two more things to plan around: UPS time-in-transit guarantees don't apply to hazardous material parcels, and you must ship through a UPS-compliant shipping solution.

FedEx Ground

Before you ship hazardous materials by FedEx Ground, you have to complete an approval process through your FedEx account executive. FedEx Ground takes hazardous materials, Limited Quantity included, only within the contiguous U.S., not to, from or within Alaska or Hawaii. Limited Quantity can also go to Canada.

You can't drop these packages at a FedEx Office, Ship Center, Authorized ShipCenter or drop box. FedEx requires a scheduled pickup at your location. It may ask for your SDS, and shipments must be prepared under the U.S. hazmat rules in 49 CFR, not the IATA or ICAO air rules.

Step 3: Pack and mark the box

These are the USPS rules for a flammable aerosol. If you ship with UPS or FedEx, get their preparation requirements when you set up the contract or approval.

• Protect the valve. USPS Packaging Instruction 2A requires recessed valves, screw caps or another way to prevent accidental discharge.
• Surround each can with enough cushioning to absorb shock, inside a strong outer box.
• Several cans can share one box as long as the total flammable gas stays at or under 33.8 fl oz (1 liter) per package.
• Put the DOT Limited Quantity surface mark on the address side. The diamond needs sides of at least 100 mm, or no less than 50 mm on a small package.
• Add orientation arrows on two opposite sides when the package holds more than 4 ounces of liquid.

USPS doesn't require a shipping paper for surface shipments of mailable gases.

Can a 3PL ship aerosols for you?

It can if it's set up for hazmat. That means the carrier contract or approval described above, a team that packs and marks to those rules, and pickups for carriers that won't take hazmat at a counter.

Before you send inventory to any 3PL, including Simpl, share the SDS and ask which carrier and service they would use and who marks the boxes. Start with Simpl's hazmat fulfillment page. To ask about your product, get a quote, tell us it's an aerosol, and have the SDS ready so we can tell you what's possible.

For other regulated products, read our guide to shipping hazardous materials or browse the Support Center.

Common questions

Can you mail hairspray?

Aerosol hairspray follows the same rules. If its SDS shows a flammable gas, USPS takes it only by ground as Limited Quantity, at up to 4 fl oz in a nonmetal can or 33.8 fl oz in a metal can per package.

Can you ship spray paint with UPS?

Only if your UPS account is set up for hazardous materials, since UPS accepts them on a contract basis only, and not by dropping it off at The UPS Store.

Can you ship aerosol cans internationally?

Not by USPS, which prohibits all gases in international mail. FedEx Ground can carry Limited Quantity hazardous materials to Canada for approved hazmat shippers.

Can aerosol cans go by air?

Not flammable ones by USPS: Division 2.1 gases are prohibited on domestic air, and nonflammable Division 2.2 gases go by air only if they qualify as ID8000 material.

Are empty aerosol cans still hazmat?

USPS applies the same restrictions to empty, used containers as to full ones, because some of the hazardous material can remain inside.

Sources

• USPS Publication 52, section 342: gases (sections 342.11, 342.21, 342.22, 342.3 and 342.4)
• USPS Publication 52, section 336: Limited Quantity
• USPS Publication 52, section 333: consumer commodities
• USPS Publication 52, Packaging Instruction 2A
• USPS Publication 52, section 223: orientation arrows
• USPS Ground Advantage
• OSHA safety data sheet format, Appendix D to 1910.1200
• UPS hazardous materials service definition
• FedEx Ground hazardous materials: how to ship