Does UPS ship hazmat?

Regulated dangerous goods require an approved UPS hazardous materials agreement before the first shipment; an account without one will have the parcel refused at the hub. Limited quantity ground shipments are generally accepted without a hazardous materials agreement, which is why so much consumer hazmat moves that way. Carrier positions encode each carrier's published default as of the ruleset date. Tariffs change more often than regulations, and a contracted shipper may hold different terms — confirm against the carrier's current guide before the first shipment of a new item.

Can I ship lithium batteries with UPS?

Standalone lithium batteries (UN3480 / UN3090): ground contract required, air contract required. Standalone lithium ion and lithium metal batteries need the hazmat agreement and full Section IA/IB compliance. Forbidden on passenger aircraft, so air moves as cargo-aircraft-only. Batteries contained in or packed with equipment (UN3481 / UN3091): ground accepted, air accepted. Batteries contained in or packed with equipment are accepted on ordinary terms when they meet Section II, which covers most consumer electronics.

Can I ship dry ice with UPS?

Ground accepted, air accepted. Dry ice is accepted; the net weight must be marked and the packaging must vent.

UPS hazmat rules

Governed by UPS Guide for Shipping Ground and Air Hazardous Materials. Services: UPS Ground and UPS Air (Next Day Air, 2nd Day Air, Worldwide).

Regulated dangerous goods require an approved UPS hazardous materials agreement before the first shipment; an account without one will have the parcel refused at the hub.
Limited quantity ground shipments are generally accepted without a hazardous materials agreement, which is why so much consumer hazmat moves that way.

By hazard class

Class	Ground	Air	Position
Class 1 — Explosives	prohibited	prohibited	Explosives are not accepted. Division 1.4S small-arms ammunition is handled only under a separate contracted programme.
Division 2.1 — Flammable gas	contract required	contract required	Flammable gases and flammable aerosols above limited quantity need the hazmat agreement. Aerosols of 1 L or less usually qualify as limited quantity by ground.
Division 2.2 — Non-flammable, non-toxic gas	contract required	contract required	Non-flammable compressed gases accepted under the hazmat agreement.
Division 2.3 — Toxic gas	prohibited	prohibited	Toxic gases are not accepted.
Class 3 — Flammable liquids	contract required	contract required	Flammable liquids accepted under the hazmat agreement. Limited quantity ground is the usual route for retail-packaged goods.
Division 4.1 — Flammable solids	contract required	contract required	Flammable solids accepted under the hazmat agreement.
Division 4.2 — Spontaneously combustible	contract required	prohibited	Spontaneously combustible material is not accepted by air.
Division 4.3 — Dangerous when wet	contract required	prohibited	Dangerous-when-wet material is not accepted by air.
Division 5.1 — Oxidizers	contract required	contract required	Oxidizers accepted under the hazmat agreement.
Division 5.2 — Organic peroxides	contract required	prohibited	Organic peroxides are not accepted by air; temperature-controlled peroxides are not accepted at all.
Division 6.1 — Toxic substances	contract required	contract required	Toxic substances accepted under the hazmat agreement; packing group I is restricted.
Division 6.2 — Infectious substances	review required	review required	No published class position — confirm with UPS before offering.
Class 7 — Radioactive material	review required	review required	Radioactive material only under a specific radioactive-materials agreement.
Class 8 — Corrosives	contract required	contract required	Corrosives accepted under the hazmat agreement; limited quantity ground is available for retail packs.
Class 9 — Miscellaneous	contract required	contract required	Miscellaneous dangerous goods accepted under the hazmat agreement.

The three cases that catch people out

All three are Class 9, and UPS treats them differently.

Carrier	Ground	Air	Position
UPS	contract required	contract required	Standalone lithium ion and lithium metal batteries need the hazmat agreement and full Section IA/IB compliance. Forbidden on passenger aircraft, so air moves as cargo-aircraft-only.
UPS	accepted	accepted	Batteries contained in or packed with equipment are accepted on ordinary terms when they meet Section II, which covers most consumer electronics.
UPS	accepted	accepted	Dry ice is accepted; the net weight must be marked and the packaging must vent.

Carrier positions encode each carrier's published default as of the ruleset date. Tariffs change more often than regulations, and a contracted shipper may hold different terms — confirm against the carrier's current guide before the first shipment of a new item.

Row 1: standalone lithium batteries (UN3480 and UN3090).
Row 2: batteries in or with equipment (UN3481 and UN3091).
Row 3: dry ice (UN1845).

Questions

Does UPS ship hazmat?: Regulated dangerous goods require an approved UPS hazardous materials agreement before the first shipment; an account without one will have the parcel refused at the hub. Limited quantity ground shipments are generally accepted without a hazardous materials agreement, which is why so much consumer hazmat moves that way. Carrier positions encode each carrier's published default as of the ruleset date. Tariffs change more often than regulations, and a contracted shipper may hold different terms — confirm against the carrier's current guide before the first shipment of a new item.
Can I ship lithium batteries with UPS?: Standalone lithium batteries (UN3480 / UN3090): ground contract required, air contract required. Standalone lithium ion and lithium metal batteries need the hazmat agreement and full Section IA/IB compliance. Forbidden on passenger aircraft, so air moves as cargo-aircraft-only. Batteries contained in or packed with equipment (UN3481 / UN3091): ground accepted, air accepted. Batteries contained in or packed with equipment are accepted on ordinary terms when they meet Section II, which covers most consumer electronics.
Can I ship dry ice with UPS?: Ground accepted, air accepted. Dry ice is accepted; the net weight must be marked and the packaging must vent.

Check a specific SKU against UPS

The class table above is the default. Send the product itself to the API and the response carries the UN-specific rule where one exists — which is the difference between a power bank and the same cell inside a laptop.

Classify a product