Hazardous Materials Regulations (49 CFR)

Issued by PHMSA under the Hazardous Materials Transportation Act, with roots in the 1908 Explosives Act and a 1990 rewrite based on UN standards, the HMR apply to anyone who offers or transports hazmat, including e-commerce shippers. They require classification, specification or limited quantity packaging, marks and labels, shipping papers with emergency response information, and training for hazmat employees at least every three years. Civil penalties reach $102,348 per violation, or $238,809 if a violation causes death or serious injury.

The HMR are the rules most likely to catch US fulfillment operators by surprise, because many ordinary consumer products are regulated hazmat. Perfume, nail polish, aerosols, lithium batteries and some cleaning products need classification and compliant packaging, even as limited quantities. For example, a 3PL shipping hand sanitizer by ground must use limited quantity packaging and the limited quantity mark, while air shipments face stricter rules. USPS adds its own hazmat rules in Publication 52. Untrained packers expose the 3PL to per-violation penalties.

• Hazmat StorageStoring hazardous goods to code
• Hazardous Materials ShippinghazmatRegulated shipping of dangerous goods
• Lithium Battery ShippingShipping batteries under dangerous goods rules

• Hazardous Materials Transportation Act1975 · US law authorizing federal hazmat transport rules
• UN Model Regulations on the Transport of Dangerous Goods1956, 24th revised edition 2025 · UN template for dangerous goods rules in all modes
• IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations (DGR)1956, 67th edition 2026 · Airline manual for shipping dangerous goods by air

1. 49 CFR Subchapter C, Hazardous Materials Regulations, eCFR ecfr.gov
2. Revisions to Civil Penalty Amounts, 2025, PHMSA phmsa.dot.gov
3. HM-181 final rule, 55 FR 52402, PHMSA phmsa.dot.gov