One-line definition: Dangerous goods are substances or articles that pose a risk to health, safety, property, or the environment during transport; ADR is the European agreement that regulates how dangerous goods are transported by road.
What they mean
Dangerous goods Dangerous goods also called hazardous materials or hazmat — are items that carry a risk during transport due to their physical, chemical, or biological properties. This includes obvious examples like explosives and flammable liquids, but also products that appear ordinary to consumers: perfume, nail varnish, aerosol spray cans, paint, hand sanitizer, lithium batteries, and certain cleaning products. The classification is based on the nature of the substance, not whether the product is sold in a consumer context.
International and national transport regulations govern how dangerous goods must be classified, packaged, labelled, documented, and declared. These rules exist because improperly handled dangerous goods can cause fires, explosions, toxic exposures, or environmental damage in the transport network — events that have caused serious accidents in aviation and freight history.
ADR ADR stands for the European Agreement concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Road — the regulatory framework that governs dangerous goods transport by road across Europe. It is updated every two years and sets out the classification system, packaging requirements, labelling standards, documentation requirements, and vehicle restrictions for road transport of dangerous goods.
ADR is directly relevant to any merchant in Europe shipping products that fall into dangerous goods categories — either by road freight or via carriers whose collection and line-haul operations use road transport, which covers most parcel services.
Why it matters for e-commerce merchants
The dangerous goods framework is one of the most consequential areas of shipping compliance for merchants in specific product categories. Unlike customs documentation or VAT handling — where errors cause delays and financial consequences — dangerous goods compliance failures can result in shipments being refused by carriers, confiscated, destroyed, or in serious cases investigated by transport safety authorities.
Many products that appear ordinary in retail are classified as dangerous goods for transport. Merchants selling any of the following categories need to understand how dangerous goods rules apply to their shipments:
- Cosmetics and personal care: perfume, cologne, nail varnish remover, hair dye, aerosol products (dry shampoo, deodorant spray, hairspray)
- Electronics: products containing lithium batteries — phones, laptops, power banks, smart devices, vaping devices
- Household goods: paint, varnish, adhesives, cleaning products, bleach, pool chemicals
- Health and wellness: hand sanitizer (alcohol-based), certain medical devices, thermometers (mercury)
- Automotive: car batteries, engine oil, brake fluid, fuel additives
- Craft and hobby: solvent-based paints, model adhesives, certain resin products
For merchants in these categories, being unaware of the dangerous goods classification of their products is not a defence — carriers who discover undeclared dangerous goods in their network may refuse future shipments from the sender and report the incident to regulatory authorities.
The dangerous goods classification system
Dangerous goods are classified into nine UN hazard classes, each with sub-divisions for specific types of hazard:
| Class | Hazard type | Common e-commerce examples |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Explosives | Fireworks, airbag inflators |
| 2 | Gases | Aerosols, compressed gas cylinders, butane lighters |
| 3 | Flammable liquids | Perfume, nail varnish, hand sanitizer, paint, ethanol |
| 4 | Flammable solids | Matches, some adhesives |
| 5 | Oxidising substances and organic peroxides | Bleach, hydrogen peroxide |
| 6 | Toxic and infectious substances | Certain laboratory samples |
| 7 | Radioactive material | Medical isotopes (very rare in e-commerce) |
| 8 | Corrosives | Battery acid, certain cleaning agents |
| 9 | Miscellaneous dangerous goods | Lithium batteries, dry ice, magnetized materials |
Class 9 — miscellaneous dangerous goods — is the most commonly encountered category in e-commerce, primarily because of lithium batteries. Almost every consumer electronics product contains a lithium battery, and lithium batteries are regulated under Class 9 for transport.
Lithium batteries — the most common dangerous goods issue in e-commerce
Lithium batteries deserve specific attention because they are present in a large proportion of consumer electronics products and are consistently the most common dangerous goods compliance issue in e-commerce shipping.
The regulations distinguish between:
Lithium ion batteries — rechargeable batteries used in phones, laptops, tablets, power banks, and most modern consumer electronics.
Lithium metal batteries — non-rechargeable batteries used in some cameras, hearing aids, and specialized devices.
Each type has specific regulations governing how they can be shipped, particularly by air. The key variables are watt-hour (Wh) rating for lithium ion, or lithium content (g) for lithium metal, and whether the battery is:
- Contained in equipment (inside the device) — generally the least restricted
- Packed with equipment (in the box alongside the device) — moderately restricted
- Shipped standalone (battery alone, no device) — most restricted
For standard consumer devices shipped by road (the primary transport mode for European parcel carriers), the restrictions are more permissive than for air. Many standard consumer electronics can be shipped by road under the ADR consumer commodity exemption, which allows small quantities of properly packaged dangerous goods to be shipped without full dangerous goods documentation — but the products must still be correctly declared and packaged.
For air shipments — including express courier services that use air transport on international legs — IATA DGR (International Air Transport Association Dangerous Goods Regulations) apply in addition to or instead of ADR. IATA DGR restrictions on lithium batteries are stricter than road ADR.
What merchants need to do in practice
Know your products' classification. For each product you sell that may contain dangerous goods — cosmetics, electronics, anything with a battery — identify its UN number, hazard class, and packing group. The UN number is a four-digit code (e.g. UN3480 for standalone lithium ion batteries) that carriers and customs use to identify the substance.
Declare dangerous goods to your carrier. Most carriers require prior notification and agreement before accepting dangerous goods shipments. Some carriers have specific dangerous goods acceptance programmes with their own requirements. Simply booking a standard parcel label for a dangerous goods product without declaring it is a breach of your carrier contract and of transport regulations.
Use correct packaging. Dangerous goods packaging requirements are specific to the hazard class and UN number. For lithium batteries, this typically means inner packaging that prevents short circuits, outer packaging that meets UN-certified performance standards, and correct orientation marks if applicable.
Apply required labels and markings. Dangerous goods shipments require specific hazard labels (the diamond-shaped class labels), UN number markings, and in some cases handling labels. The exact requirements depend on the class, quantity, and transport mode.
Complete the required documentation. For full dangerous goods shipments, a Dangerous Goods Declaration (Shipper's Declaration) is required. For consumer commodity exemptions, the documentation requirements are reduced but not eliminated — the product still needs to be identified on the carrier's booking as a limited quantity or consumer commodity dangerous good.
Common misconceptions and mistakes
"My product is a consumer item so it's not dangerous goods." Consumer context is irrelevant to the classification. A bottle of perfume is a Class 3 flammable liquid regardless of whether it is sold in a pharmacy or a luxury boutique. Classification is based on chemical properties, not retail positioning.
"If the carrier accepts the booking, the product must be fine." Carriers rely on merchants to declare dangerous goods correctly — their booking systems do not automatically detect undeclared hazardous content. Accepting a booking does not mean the carrier has verified the product is compliant. The legal and operational responsibility for correct declaration lies with the sender.
"Limited quantities mean no dangerous goods rules apply." Limited quantity exemptions reduce but do not eliminate requirements. Limited quantity shipments still require the UN number and limited quantity mark on the outer packaging and must be shipped within quantity limits per package. They are not exempt from dangerous goods classification — they are a simplified compliance pathway for small quantities.
"I only sell to consumers, so ADR doesn't apply to me." ADR applies to the transport of dangerous goods by road regardless of whether the shipper is a business or an individual. The carrier's obligation to comply with ADR applies to every parcel in their network — undeclared dangerous goods in the network put the carrier's compliance at risk, which is why carriers take undeclared dangerous goods seriously.
Frequently asked questions
How do I find out if my product is classified as dangerous goods? The most reliable approaches: check the product's Safety Data Sheet (SDS) — manufacturers of chemical products are required to provide these, and they include the UN number and hazard classification. For electronics, check the battery specifications against the lithium battery transport thresholds. Your carrier's dangerous goods team can also advise on specific products. Carriers like DHL, FedEx, and UPS have dangerous goods acceptance desks specifically for this purpose.
Can I ship perfume internationally from the EU? Yes, but with declaration and packaging requirements depending on the carrier and transport mode. Perfume is a Class 3 flammable liquid. By road (standard parcel carriers within Europe), small quantities of perfume can typically be shipped as limited quantities or consumer commodities with the correct UN marking and packaging. By air (express international services with an air transport leg), stricter IATA DGR restrictions apply. Always check with your specific carrier before shipping perfume internationally.
What is a Safety Data Sheet (SDS)? An SDS (formerly called MSDS — Material Safety Data Sheet) is a standardized document that provides information about a chemical product's hazards, safe handling, storage requirements, and emergency response. Manufacturers and suppliers are legally required to provide SDS documents for substances that meet hazard criteria. For merchants shipping chemical products, the SDS is the primary reference for identifying whether a product is dangerous goods and what its UN classification is.
What are the consequences of shipping undeclared dangerous goods? Consequences range from the shipment being refused or removed from the carrier network, to formal warnings and suspension of carrier account, to regulatory investigation and fines by transport safety authorities. For air shipments, the consequences are most serious — aviation safety regulations treat undeclared dangerous goods on aircraft as a significant safety violation. Most carriers publish their policies on undeclared dangerous goods enforcement, and repeat violations typically result in permanent account suspension.
Do dangerous goods restrictions apply to samples and testers sent for marketing purposes? Yes. The classification is based on the substance, not the commercial purpose. A perfume sample sent to an influencer as a gift is subject to the same dangerous goods classification as a perfume bottle sent to a paying customer. Packrooster supports customs declaration for free or sample items separately from commercial goods, but dangerous goods requirements are independent of whether the shipment has monetary value.
