Corrosive substances

    1. Substances that may seriously damage living organisms through chemical reactions when they leak and make contact with living tissue or that may damage the other cargo or transport means.

 

  1. Examples: Corrosive cleaning liquids, corrosive rust removers and corrosion inhibitors, corrosive paint and vanish removers, nitric acid, battery liquids, and sulfuric acid

Explosives

  1. Explosive substances.Excluding highly hazardous ones categorized in other groups
  2. Explosive articles. Excluding ones that that generate no jet, flame, heat, smoke, or loud noise to the outside through accidental ignition or explosion during transport, if they are limited in amount, or devices that contain such articles.
  3. Other articles and substances that are not applicable to (1) or (2) but are designed to generate actual explosive and/or combustion effects.
  4. Category
    • Articles and substances that may produce a strong explosion
    • Articles and substances that may generate a jet flame but do not produce a strong explosion.
    • Articles and substances that may burn and/or generate a weak blast or jet but do not produce a strong explosion.The materials under this category include:
      • Articles and substances that generate a large amount of radiant heat,
      • and articles and substances that generate weak blast and/or jet while burning.
    • Articles and substances that do not pose a significant danger (may pose only a non-serious danger) when they ignite or explode during transport.Possible danger must not damage anything but the packages, jet considerably large fragments or small fragments.Fire on the package must not induce an instant explosion of the contents.
    • Substances that may produce a strong explosion but have almost no possibility of explosion or burning that may lead to an explosion under normal transport conditions because they have very low reactivity.At minimum, they must not explode during fire tests.

Gases

  1. Gases with steam pressures exceeding 300 kilopascals (3.0 bars or 43.5 pounds per 1 square inch) at 50 degrees centigrade (122 degrees Fahrenheit)
  2. Materials that transform into gas at 20 degrees centigrade (68 degrees Fahrenheit) and at standard pressure 101.3 kilopascals (1.01 bars or 14.7 pounds per 1 square inch)
  3. Category

 

  • Substances that are completely in a gaseous state at 20 degrees centigrade (68 degrees Fahrenheit) and standard pressure of 101.3 kilopascals (1.01 bars or 14.7 pounds per 1 square inch)
    • Flammable when 13% air or less in volume is mixed.
    • Flammable range with at least 12% air even if the range is narrow.The flammability must be determined based on a test or calculation compliant with a method adopted by ISO (See ISO standard 10156: 1996).When sufficient data is unavailable for these method, an equivalent test should be conducted based on appropriate method, which is approved by national authority.
    • Examples: Flammable aerosols, acetylene, butane, and hydrogen

o Nonflammable and nontoxic gases

  • Gases that exhibit pressures not lower than 200 kilopascals at 20 degrees centigrade or that are transported in a state of deep cold liquid. Specifically, they are
    • Gases that normally thin or replace oxygen in blackdamp air
    • Oxidative gases that are generally more likely than air to cause or help other substances to burn when oxygen is supplied.
    • Materials not under the other categories
  • Examples: Fire extinguishers with neon, air, or a compressed gas; carbon dioxide; nitrogen dioxide; and helium

o Toxic gases

  • Gases that pose a danger to health because they have a toxic effect on the human body or they are corrosive.
  • Gases that are considered to have a toxic effect on the human body or to be corrosive because they exhibit an LC50 value not greater than 5000 milliliters (5000 ppm) when tested based on the criteria for inhalation toxicity.
  • Examples: Sulfuryl fluoride and toxic gas samples
  • Articles that have no possibility of a strong explosion and have very low reactivity.This category includes explosive substances with very low reactivity, which has no possibility of accidental explosions or propagation.
  • The danger of the articles under category F refers only to explosion of single articles.
  1. Examples: nitroglycerine, detonators, igniters, fuses, flares, ammunition, and pyrotechnics

Flammable liquids

  1. Liquids, liquid mixtures, and solutions or suspensions that include solid matter (which refers to paint, varnish, lacquer, and other materials,) that produce flammable vapor at temperatures not higher than 60.5 degrees centigrade (141 degrees Fahrenheit) for the airtight container test, and 65.6 degrees centigrade (150 degrees Fahrenheit) for the open container test.Provided, however, flammable liquids which are categorized into other hazarous materials by its hazarous nature shall not be included. The above temperature is generally called “flash point”.
  2. Among the liquids mentioned in (1), ones with flashpoints that exceed 35 degrees centigrade (95 degrees Fahrenheit) need not be considered flammable liquids, provided that
    • They do not burn even if the method to test the flammability of the substances mentioned in 3 is used;
    • They have combustion points that exceed 100 degrees centigrade (212 degrees Fahrenheit) based on ISO 2592; or
    • They are miscible solutions that include water content exceeding 90% in weight.
  3. All liquids must be considered flammable liquids if they are to be transported at temperatures equal or higher than their flashpoints.
  4. Substances that are transported at elevated temperatures and produce flammable vapor at the possible highest temperatures (to which they will be probably exposed during transport) or even lower temperature must be also considered flammable liquids
  5. Examples: benzene, gasoline, alcohol, flammable solvents and synthetic cleaners, flammable paint, flammable varnish, stripping agents, and thinner

Flammable solids, pyrophoric materials, materials that generate flammable gas upon contact with water

  1. Flammable solid materials, autoreactive substances and similar materials, and stabilized explosive materials
    • Flammable solid materials are substances that may easily burn, or may easily burn or produce flames through friction depending on the transport conditions.Easy-to-burn solid materials are powdery/particulate substances or pastes that easily ignite or rapidly spread flame when they are contacted with ignition source such as a match for short time.Other than causing fire, thre is another risk to be caused by burning toxic materials.Metallic powder is especially hazarous since the normal extinguishants such as carbon dioxide and water may increase the risk, and the fire is hard to be extinguished.
      • Autoreactive substances and similar materials that are unstable in temperature and likely to induce a decomposition reaction, even without oxygen (air), attended with strong heat.The following substances are not regarded as autoreactive substances defined of 4(1):
        • Explosive substances pursuant to the requirements in 1
        • Oxidative substances pursuant to the specified procedure for oxidative solid materials
        • Organic peroxidic substances pursuant to the requirements in 5 (2)
        • Substances with decomposition heat less than 300 joules per gram
        • Substances with auto-accelerative decomposition heat that exceeds 75 degrees centigrade per 50-kilogram packet
      • Any substance with autoreactivity must be categorized in the above group, pursuant to the requirements for categorizing spontaneous heat generating substances, even if the test shows a result applicable to 4 (2).
      • Similar materials are distinguished from autoreactive substances in that they exhibit auto-accelerative decomposition temperatures more than 75 degrees centigrade.The similar materials are likely to decompose attended with strong heat generation as autoreactive substances.Also under the certain packaging condition, it is easy to meet the standard of 1.
      • Stabilized explosive materials: substances moistened with water or alcohol or thinned with a different substance in order to suppress the explosiveness
      • Examples: safety matches, nitrocellulose films and other products, metal magnesium and magnesium alloys, celluloid, and borneol
      1. Pyrophoric materials
        • Substances that are likely to spontaneously ignite under normal transport conditions or generate heat and ignite when in contact with air
        • Examples: dry titanium powders, dry zirconium, anhydrous sodium sulfide
      2. Materials that generate flammable gas upon contact with water
        • Substances that generate flammable gas when in contact with water (substances that are dangerous when wet).Substances that are likely to spontaneously ignite or generate a dangerous amount of flammable gas through the interaction with water.
        • These substances are referred to as substances that react with water.
        • Examples: zinc ashes, sodium hydroxide, sodium, rubidium, potassium, stabilized maneb, and lithium

Oxidizers and Organic Peroxide

  1. Oxidizers
    • Substances that are not necessarily flammable themselves but cause combustion of normal materials or can help other materials burn if oxygen is added.
    • Examples: bromate, chlorate, nitrate, perchlorate, permanganate, and certain oxidative substances
  2. Organic Peroxide
    • Substances that have the divalent structure -O-O- and can be regarded a derivative of hydrogen peroxide with one or both of the hydrogen atoms substituted by organic radicals
    • Organic peroxidic substances are ones unstable in temperature, which can auto-accelerate decomposition while generating heat.Also they can have one or more of the following characteristics:
      • Likely to induce explosive decomposition
      • Burn rapidly
      • Sensitive to impacts or friction
      • Induce dangerous reactions with other substances
      • Jeopardize the eye
    • Example: benzoyl peroxide

Poisonous or Contagious Substances

  1. Poisonous
    • Substances that cause death or injury if swallowed, inhaled, or contacted by skin, or that are likely to jeopardize health
    • Examples: arsenic, anti-knock mixed driving fuels, solid bactericides, mercury compounds, and rodenticides
  2. Contagious Substances
    • Substances that are proven or reasonably considered to contain pathogens. Pathogens are microbes (including bacteria, viruses, rickettsiae, parasitic worms, and fungus) that are proven or reasonably considered to cause infectious diseases in humans or animails, or genetically-altered microbes (hybrid or mutant species).Contagious Substances, which does not cause infectious diseases in humans or animals, are not subject to provisions specified in this page. However, those have potential to spread diseases when being touched by human or animals are subject to the provisions here.
    • Exception: Infectious substances may be airmailed, provided that they comply with the requirements set by the postal service authority of the country concerned and the appropriate part of the IATA rules on dangerous materials and that the packages are lab.Solid carbon dioxide, which is used as a coolant for infectious substances, may be airmailed when the shipping method meets the appropriate part of the IATA rules on dangerous materials.
    • Examples: HIV, hepatitis, salmonella, Lassa fever virus, rubella virus, and Bacillus anthracis

Radioactive substances

  1. Exception: Radioactive materials may be airmailed, provided that they comply with the requirements set by the postal service authority of the country concerned and the appropriate part of the IATA rules on dangerous materials, and that the amount of radioactivity does not exceed one-tenth of those specified in Table 10.3.D : Radioactivity Limit for exemption package in IATA rules on dangerous materials.Document provisions for radioactive substances is not applied to such a shipment.
  2. Examples: plutonium, radium, uranium, and cesium

Other harmful substances and goods that contain environmental toxins

  1. Substances and articles that may pose a danger during air transport that are not applicable to the other categories. The materials under this category include the other prohibited substances, magnetized substances, and the other articles and substances.
  2. Other prohibited materials: Liquid or solid materials that remarkably irritate or annoy passengers and flight attendants or have an anesthetizing or deleterious effect on the human body or similar nature.
  3. Magnetized materials that have a magnetic field of more than 0.418 amperes (0.002 gauss) per square meter at a distance of 2.1 meters away from the surface of the consolidated packaging that contains such materials packaged for air transport (see also guidelines on packaging by IATA (953) that include instructions on measuring magnetic field strength).
  4. High-temperature materials: Substances that are transported or handed over for transport in a liquid state at a temperature greater than 100 degrees centigrade (or 212 degrees Fahrenheit) and lower than the flashpoint or in a solid state at temperatures greater than 240 degrees centigrade (or 464 degrees Fahrenheit).These materials can be transported only when permitted as exceptions by the government.
  5. Examples of materials under this category
    • Asbestos
    • Solid carbon dioxide (dry ice)
    • Environmentally hazardous substances
    • Lifesaving devices
    • Internal-combustion engines
    • Polymerized beads
    • Battery operated devices or vehicles
    • Zinc dithionite
    • Genetically modified living organisms or microbes that are not regarded as infectious substances
  6. Examples: Hydro zinc sulfate, white asbestos, air bag modules, initiators, seatbelt pretensioners, PCB, magnet, lithium batteries (excluding lithium batteries embedded into devices), survival equipment, dry ice.

（※） Devices containing lithium batteries that meet the requirements set forth in Article 16 of the International Mailing Regulations can be shipped. Please note that this exception only applies to some countries and territories. Button type lithium batteries, if contained in devices, can be shipped by both Sea Mail and Airmail