Is DGR the same rulebook as dangerous goods trucking or rail regulations?

No. They share the same underlying UN classification system, but each transport mode runs its own technical rulebook. In Canada, the Transportation of Dangerous Goods framework covers all modes, but for air shipments it incorporates the ICAO Technical Instructions (in effect, the IATA DGR) by reference rather than restating separate air-specific numbers.

How do I know if my commodity needs DG handling?

By whether it meets a UN-numbered hazard classification under one of the 9 classes — not by its weight, value, or how sensitive it sounds. Garments and most electronics without installed batteries aren't DG. Dry ice refrigerant, lithium batteries, and many chemicals and gases are, regardless of shipment size.

Who is legally allowed to sign a Shipper's Declaration for Dangerous Goods?

The shipper, or someone acting on the shipper's behalf — a consolidator, freight forwarder, or cargo agent — but only if they've completed IATA-recognized dangerous goods training, renewed at minimum every 24 months. See our full walkthrough of the declaration process for the details.

What happens if a DG shipment isn't declared correctly?

At minimum, the carrier can refuse it at acceptance, which usually means a missed flight while it's corrected and re-tendered. Repeated or knowing misdeclaration carries regulatory exposure on top of that commercial cost — see our Shipper's Declaration guide for the full breakdown.

Dangerous Goods & Compliance

Dangerous Goods in Air Freight: A Shipper's Overview

What IATA's Dangerous Goods Regulations actually require, why air cargo enforces them more strictly than road or rail, and how to tell whether your shipment needs DG handling.

Get a Rate

IATA hazard classes

67th Ed.

Current IATA DGR edition (2026)

24 months

Max. recurrent DGR training cycle

Substitutes for a certified DGR filing

Why air cargo treats dangerous goods differently

"DGR" stands for IATA's Dangerous Goods Regulations — the industry's implementation of the ICAO Technical Instructions for the Safe Transport of Dangerous Goods by Air. IATA republishes it annually; the current edition is the 67th, effective 1 January 2026. Every specific figure on this site's DGR pages is checked against that edition or corroborated against it where a primary-source document wasn't directly accessible.

DGR in air cargo is a distinct rulebook from dangerous goods regulation in trucking or rail, even though the same underlying UN classification system runs through all of them. In Canada, Transport Canada's Transportation of Dangerous Goods framework covers every mode — but for air shipments specifically, it incorporates the ICAO Technical Instructions by reference (Part 12 of the TDG Regulations) rather than running a separate domestic air rulebook. In practice that means an international air shipment is governed by the same global IATA/ICAO framework everywhere in the world, while the truck that carries it to the airport is governed by Canada's own domestic TDG rules for that leg.

Whether a commodity needs DG handling comes down to one question: does it meet a UN-numbered hazard classification under one of the 9 classes below — not its weight, value, or how sensitive it sounds. Garments, most electronics without installed batteries, and most food don't. Dry ice used as a refrigerant, lithium batteries, and a long list of chemicals and gases do, regardless of the shipment's size.

The 9 IATA hazard classes

Every dangerous good shipped by air falls into one of these 9 classes — this is the classification system the rest of the DGR is built on.

Class 1 — Explosives6 DIVISIONS

6 divisions (1.1–1.6), from mass-explosion hazard through extremely insensitive articles. Uses compatibility group letters rather than packing groups.

Class 2 — Gases

Flammable (e.g. propane), non-flammable/non-toxic (e.g. nitrogen), toxic (e.g. sulfur dioxide), and oxidizing gases.

Class 3 — Flammable liquids

A liquid with a flash point ≤60°C using the closed-cup test method. Includes perfumes, colognes, high-alcohol cosmetics, and nail polish/remover.

Class 4 — Flammable solids

Readily combustible solids, substances liable to spontaneous combustion, and water-reactive substances that emit flammable gas.

Class 5 — Oxidizers and organic peroxides

Materials that yield oxygen and support combustion, plus thermally unstable organic peroxides.

Class 6 — Toxic and infectious substances

Toxic solids/liquids (e.g. phenol) and infectious substances, including Category A and Category B biological substances.

Class 7 — Radioactive materials

Defined by packaging category and surface radiation level, plus separate provisions for fissile material.

Class 8 — Corrosives

A substance that destroys skin or corrodes steel. Packing groups are assigned by contact time — minutes for Group I, up to 4 hours for Group III.

Class 9 — MiscellaneousMOST COMMON FOR UAL SHIPMENTS

Everything not covered by Classes 1–8: dry ice, lithium batteries, magnetized materials, marine pollutants, and elevated-temperature goods.

Training Requirement

Only personnel with current IATA DGR training may accept, prepare, or sign off dangerous goods shipments

IATA's dangerous goods training requirements apply to anyone who classifies, packs, marks, labels, or documents a DG shipment — not only whoever signs the Shipper's Declaration. Recurrent training must be renewed at least every 24 months to stay current.

See what UAL handles today on our dangerous goods commodity page →

Source: IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations training provisions (Section 1.5); the 24-month recurrency period is corroborated across IATA's own DGR training course materials, July 2026.

Worked example

Is this shipment actually DG? A quick gut-check

Not every commodity that sounds hazardous needs DG handling, and not every commodity that needs it sounds hazardous. Two shipments moving through the same consolidation make the contrast clear — a real cotton garment shipment and a real cold-chain pharmaceutical shipment moving on dry ice.

300kg of cotton t-shirts carries no UN hazard classification at all, regardless of value or weight — it's not DG because nothing in the shipment meets any of the 9 classes above. No Shipper's Declaration, no PI number, no special packaging.

40kg of insulin packed on dry ice for a 2–8°C cold chain is different — not because the insulin itself is dangerous goods, but because the dry ice refrigerant is: UN 1845, Class 9, governed by Packing Instruction 954. The drug is a normal pharmaceutical shipment; the refrigerant is what triggers DG handling.

The same logic applies to lithium batteries in electronics — the device itself isn't the hazard class, the battery inside it is, and which Packing Instruction applies depends on whether the battery is shipped alone, packed with the equipment, or installed in it.

What UAL handles for you

UAL is IATA DGR certified. Every DG-adjacent shipment on this site is checked against the current DGR edition and handled directly by our own trained personnel, not routed to an outside partner.

IATA DGR Certified

Every DG claim checked against the current DGR edition

Classification and declaration handled in-house

Frequently asked questions

DGR is IATA's Dangerous Goods Regulations — the air cargo industry's implementation of the ICAO Technical Instructions for the Safe Transport of Dangerous Goods by Air. It's republished annually; the current edition is the 67th, effective 1 January 2026.

GET A RATE ·Air Freight from ASEAN to Canada ·CONTACT UAL ·IATA Accredited Neutral Agent ·GET A RATE ·Air Freight from ASEAN to Canada ·CONTACT UAL ·IATA Accredited Neutral Agent ·

Dry Ice Shipping Rules

Lithium Battery Air Shipping Rules

The Shipper's Declaration Process

Hazard class definitions: Transport Canada, Transportation of Dangerous Goods classification scheme (tc.canada.ca), corroborated against IATA's classification framework. Edition and training details: IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations, 67th Edition (effective 1 January 2026). Last verified: July 2026.