When we teach air courses using the IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations, we include a variety of exceptions to the regulations. Most often, exceptions allow shippers to save both time and money.
The honest truth is, for the longest time, I never saw the purpose of using ID8000 when you ship by air. To me, it was more confusing than just shipping the product as itself, rather than reclassifying it as something else.
For those not familiar with ID8000 Consumer Commodity, here is the short of it.
A shipper has 500 ml of Acetone, packaged as nail polish remover that is shipping to a retail operation like a big box store or drug store for sale to you and me, the consumer.
The shipper can send it as UN1090 Acetone, Class 3, PG II, fully regulated. By shipping it fully regulated, they have to package, mark, label, and document the shipment. The limited quantity exception by air is also an option. For Limited Quantity, each inner can be 500 ml, with a maximum of 1 liter per package.
Is ID8000 a good fit for this situation?
According to IATA:
Consumer commodities are materials that are packaged and distributed in a form intended or suitable for retail sale for purposes of personal care or household use. These include items administered or sold to patients by doctors or medical administrations.
Consumer commodities may only include substances of Class 2 (non-toxic aerosols only), Class 3 (Packing Group II or III), Division 6.1 (Packing Group III only), UN 3077, UN 3082, UN 3175, UN 3334, and UN 3335, provided such substances do not have a subsidiary hazard. Dangerous goods that are forbidden for transport aboard passenger aircraft must not be transported as consumer commodities.
If the shipper reclassifies the product from UN1090 to ID8000, Consumer Commodity, Class 9, they will use Packaging Instruction Y963. This instruction allows 500 ml for liquids, which is the same as our Limited Quantity option above, BUT there is no maximum per package, only a gross weight of 30 kg. This means you can put WAY MORE than 2 bottles in a box!
I finally had the right customer using this application for the light bulb to go on. It’s one of the things I love about the Dangerous Goods industry, even after years in the business, I learn something new all the time.
Questions about exemptions and special cases? Sign up for a training class or contact one of our Regulatory Experts with your question.
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