Shipping the fluid

The 30 mL limit

Updated October 2026

On this page8

What the section does The quantity limit The receptacle itself The closure has to be restrained Absorbent that can take the whole lot Then a strong outer packaging, prototype tested Our smallest jar is 55 mL References

The exception is generous and the number is smaller than any jar we sell.

What the section does

When transported domestically by highway or rail in conformance with the section, quantities of Class 3 and several other classes of material "are not subject to any other requirements". That is a complete exception, not a relaxation.

The quantity limit

Thirty milliliters, one ounce, per inner receptacle for authorized liquids. Thirty grams for authorized solids. One gram or one milliliter for the most toxic categories. The limit is per receptacle, not per package.

The receptacle itself

Each inner receptacle must not be liquid-full at 55 C, which is 131 F, and must be constructed of plastic at least 0.2 mm thick, or earthenware, glass, or metal. Glass is named, which is the material this whole shelf is made of.

The closure has to be restrained

Each inner receptacle with a removable closure has its closure held securely in place with wire, tape, or other positive means. A torqued cap is not enough on its own, and that is a sentence worth reading twice.

Absorbent that can take the whole lot

Cushioning and absorbent material that will not react chemically with the material and is capable of absorbing the entire contents of the receptacle if it is a liquid, surrounding the inside packaging or packed with it.

Then a strong outer packaging, prototype tested

The inside packaging goes into a strong outer packaging, and the completed package has to be demonstrated by prototype testing. So the thing that qualifies is the assembly, and the jar is one component of it.

Our smallest jar is 55 mL

Which is most of twice the limit. We say so rather than leaving it to be found: if your route is 173.4, the inner receptacle has to come from somewhere else, and this shelf is for the collection rather than for the shipment.

References

49 CFR 173.4, Small quantities for highway and rail. Class 3 and other listed materials are not subject to other requirements where the inner receptacle holds no more than 30 mL of liquid, is not liquid-full at 55 C, is glass, earthenware, metal or plastic of at least 0.2 mm, has any removable closure held securely with wire, tape or other positive means, and is packed with non-reactive absorbent able to take the entire contents inside a strong outer packaging, the whole demonstrated by prototype testing. law.cornell.edu

49 CFR 173.4b, De minimis exceptions, which take listed Packing Group II and III materials out of the definition of a hazardous material at 1 mL per inner receptacle for liquids, subject to five specified 1.8 m drops and a compressive load. law.cornell.edu

Written from federal statute and regulation, not from a collection room. Wildlife law is federal, state and sometimes tribal at once, and the Lacey Act makes a state or foreign violation a federal matter. Nothing here is advice on a particular specimen, and the permit questions belong to the Fish and Wildlife Service.