How to Ship Aerosols by Road, Courier and Air
An aerosol travels as dangerous goods under UN 1950, ADR class 2, even if it is an air freshener. By road, the practical route for small batches is limited quantities: inner packagings of up to 1 litre, packages of up to 30 kg and a diamond mark on the box. Post is not the route unless the operator accepts class 2 dangerous goods, and IATA rules govern air transport.
How do you find your aerosol's UN number and code?
UN 1950 is the UN number that the ADR 2025, as published in Spain's official gazette (BOE), assigns to every aerosol. Within that number, the classification code separates aerosols by hazard, and it sets the label and the quantity each packaging may hold.
Yours are in section 14 of the safety data sheet, the transport section: it gives the UN number, the class and the code. If the sheet does not give the code, ask the manufacturer, who works it out from the hazards of the contents. With it, find your row:
| Aerosol | Code | Label | Limited quantity per packaging |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flammable | 5F | 2.1 | 1 litre |
| Asphyxiant | 5A | 2.2 | 1 litre |
| Corrosive | 5C | 2.2 + 8 | 1 litre |
| Toxic | 5T | 2.2 + 6.1 | 120 ml |
ADR special provision 190 adds two rules. The aerosol must have a cap or other protection against accidental discharge, and those of 50 ml or less containing only non-toxic ingredients fall outside the agreement. The excepted quantities column reads E0 for all of them: an aerosol cannot use that exemption.
What Are ADR Limited Quantities?
They are the regime in ADR chapter 3.4 for dangerous goods in small packagings: a shipment that meets it is freed from almost all the rest of the agreement. For a flammable aerosol the limit is 1 litre per packaging, so the 50 to 750 ml cans we make fall within it.
- Packaging
- up to 1 litre (120 ml if toxic)
- Boxed package
- up to 30 kg gross
- Shrink-wrapped tray
- up to 20 kg gross
- Package mark
- diamond, 100 × 100 mm
- Truck mark
- over 8 t, on trucks above 12 t
- Notice to the carrier
- total gross mass, in writing
The diamond has black top and bottom points and a white centre, and it may shrink to 50 × 50 mm on a small box. Before loading, the consignor tells the carrier the total gross mass of the shipment in a traceable form. With that, no transport document, orange plates or ADR-certified driver are needed.
Can You Send Aerosols by Courier?
Not by post, unless the postal operator confirms in writing that it accepts class 2 dangerous goods: check its list of refused goods before you send a single sample.
With a private courier, yes, when its contract accepts dangerous goods in limited quantities and the package is prepared under chapter 3.4: protected actuators, a sturdy box of up to 30 kg, a visible diamond and the gross mass notified. The ADR makes no distinction between a box of samples and a pallet, because a flammable aerosol is UN 1950 in both cases.
💡 Manufacturer's tip: ask your courier to confirm in writing that it accepts ADR limited quantity packages before the first shipment, and keep that confirmation with the gross mass you notify on every dispatch.
How do you ship an aerosol by air?
For a brand, what matters is not what a passenger may pack, but how a batch or a set of samples travels as cargo.
As air cargo, a flammable aerosol is Division 2.1 dangerous goods and travels under the ICAO Technical Instructions and the IATA regulations, which set its packaging and documentation. For limited quantities by air the diamond carries a "Y" in the centre, and the ADR also accepts that box by road.
The shipment is prepared in three steps:
- Book a freight forwarder or an airline that accepts class 2 dangerous goods, and ask for its conditions for aerosols in writing.
- Pack the box with the "Y" mark if it travels as an air limited quantity, or in the packaging the forwarder specifies if not.
- Hand over the shipper's declaration for dangerous goods that IATA requires, signed by staff trained in dangerous goods, or have the forwarder prepare it.
When Full ADR Applies
Above limited quantities, the ADR offers a load-based exemption. Flammable aerosols are in transport category 2: up to 333 kg per vehicle, counting the mass of the aerosols without packaging, travel without orange plates or an ADR-certified driver. Asphyxiant aerosols, in category 3, reach 1,000 kg.
In return, the shipment carries a transport document and the vehicle a dry powder extinguisher of at least 2 kg. Beyond that limit full ADR applies, with a placarded vehicle, a certified driver and instructions in writing on board.
When we manufacture your aerosol, it leaves Lleida grouped and palletised to your logistics specifications, ex works or with logistics coordinated to destination. Our shipping cases are printed to state that the product travels as a limited quantity (LQ), so it does not need the full ADR regime. State the destination and delivery terms when you send the brief for your aerosol contract manufacturing, and the shipment is planned with the order.
