- 49 CFR
- Title 49 of the US Code of Federal Regulations, which covers transportation. The Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR) are in 49 CFR Parts 171 to 180.
- Cargo Aircraft Only (CAO)
- A restriction and label for packages that may be carried on cargo aircraft but not on passenger aircraft.
- DG
- Dangerous goods. The term used in international air and ocean regulations for what US ground rules call hazardous materials.
- DGD
- Dangerous Goods Declaration (or Shipper's Declaration for Dangerous Goods). The document in which the shipper describes and certifies a dangerous goods shipment.
- DGR
- The IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations, the air transport rulebook used by airlines worldwide.
- DOT
- The US Department of Transportation.
- ERG
- The Emergency Response Guidebook, a first-responder guide to the hazards of dangerous goods and how to respond to incidents.
- Excepted quantity (EQ)
- Very small amounts of certain dangerous goods that are exempt from most requirements when packaged and marked as the regulations require.
- FAA
- The Federal Aviation Administration. Enforces hazardous materials rules for air transport in the US.
- GHS
- The Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals, the basis for Safety Data Sheet and hazard label formats.
- Hazmat
- Hazardous materials. The US term for substances regulated for transportation because they can pose a risk to health, safety or property.
- HMR
- The Hazardous Materials Regulations (49 CFR Parts 171 to 180), administered by PHMSA.
- IATA
- The International Air Transport Association, publisher of the DGR.
- ICAO
- The International Civil Aviation Organization. Its Technical Instructions are the legal basis for the air rules that IATA turns into the DGR.
- IMDG Code
- The International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code, the ocean transport rulebook published by the IMO.
- IMO
- The International Maritime Organization.
- Limited quantity (LQ)
- Small quantities of certain dangerous goods per inner packaging that qualify for reduced packaging, marking and documentation requirements.
- Overpack
- An enclosure used by a single shipper to hold one or more packages as one unit for handling and stowage. See the Overpack page for details.
- Packing group (PG)
- A designation of I, II or III that shows the degree of danger of a substance within a class: I is great danger, II medium, III minor.
- Packing instruction (PI)
- In air transport, the numbered instruction that spells out which packagings and limits are allowed for a given dangerous good.
- PHMSA
- The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, the DOT agency that writes and administers the HMR.
- Placard
- A diamond-shaped sign displayed on vehicles, rail cars and freight containers to show the hazard class of the cargo.
- Proper shipping name (PSN)
- The official name assigned to a dangerous good in the regulations. It must be used on shipping documents and package markings.
- SDS
- Safety Data Sheet. A 16-section document from a manufacturer or supplier describing a chemical product's hazards, handling and safety measures.
- Shipping paper
- The document that describes hazardous materials in a shipment. In the US, required for ground transport, and equivalent to the DGD for air and ocean.
- Special provision (SP)
- An extra requirement or exemption listed against a specific UN number in the regulations.
- UN 38.3
- Section 38.3 of the UN Manual of Tests and Criteria. The test series lithium batteries must pass before they can be transported.
- UN number
- A four-digit identification number (for example, UN1203) assigned to a dangerous good or group of goods and used worldwide.
- UN specification packaging
- Packaging that has been designed and tested to UN performance standards and carries the UN packaging mark.
General information only. This page is an educational overview, not legal advice, and it does not replace the current regulations or required training. Rules differ by mode of transport and are updated regularly. Always check the current edition of the regulations that apply to your shipment, or ask us.