Revised USPS Hazmat Packaging Standards for Mail

Posted on 1/28/2025 by Lion Technology Inc.

New Rules for Hazmat Mailers Take Immediate Effect

Effective January 27, 2025, the US Postal Service has revised its standards for mailing hazmat/dangerous goods to require "rigid" outer packaging of a certain strength for most regulated materials. USPS announced the changes to Publication 52, Hazardous, Restricted, and Perishable Mail, in a Final Rule.

Other revisions in the Final Rule include:

Revising the requirements for mailing lithium batteries.
Removing quantity restrictions for nonregulated toxic materials like pesticides and insecticides, provided that the new packaging requirements are followed.
Removing the requirement to include a phone number on the lithium battery mark.

The Postal Service cites a concerning increase in hazmat mail incidents between 2020 and 2022 as a key influence for new, more stringent mailability rules. A boom in eCommerce shipping, USPS believes, led to more incidents involving hazardous materials released during transportation and/or removed from the mail system.

Changes made in 2023, USPS says, already helped lower the incident rate by 20%.

New Packaging Strength Requirement (All Hazmat)

Moving forward, mailers of hazardous materials must use rigid outer packaging that meets minimum strength requirements based on “edge crush” and “burst test” performance. USPS defines “rigid” to mean:

“Unable to bend or be forced out of shape, not flexible. Rigid outer packaging is generally interpreted to mean a fiberboard (cardboard) box or outer packaging of equivalent strength, durability, and rigidity.”

Revised USPS Hazmat Packaging Standards for Mail

Revised Rules for Lithium Batteries by Mail

For shippers of lithium batteries contained-in-equipment by mail, the rule allows the use of padded or poly bags as outer packaging, provided the equipment containing the batteries is placed in a secondary container (i.e., the original manufacturer’s box) that can withstand a 1.2-meter drop test.

Read the USPS Final Rule in the January 27, 2025 Federal Register.

Tags: hazmat, hazmat shipping, USPS

Find a Post

Search for:

Compliance Topics

Compliance Archives

The online course was well thought out and organized, with good interaction between the student and the course.

Larry Ybarra

Material Release Agent

We have a very busy work schedule and using Lion enables us to take the course at our own time. It makes it easy for me to schedule my employees' training.

Timothy Mertes

Hazmat Shipping Professional

My experience with Lion classes has always been good. Lion Technology always covers the EPA requirements I must follow.

Steven Erlandson

Environmental Coordinator

This is a very informative training compared to others. It covers everything I expect to learn and even a lot of new things.

Quatama Jackson

Waste Management Professional

The training was impressive. I am not a fan of online training but this was put together very well. I would recommend Lion to others.

Donnie James

Quality Manager

Lion courses always set the bar for content, reference, and practical application. Membership and access to the experts is an added bonus.

John Brown, CSP

Director of Safety & Env Affairs

I have attended other training providers, but Lion is best. Lion is king of the hazmat jungle!!!

Henry Watkins

Hazardous Waste Technician

I had a positive experience utilizing this educational program. It was very informative, convenient, and rewarding from a career perspective.

John Gratacos

Logistics Manager

I really enjoy your workshops. Thank you for such a great program and all the help Lion has provided me over the years!

George Chatman

Hazardous Material Pharmacy Technician

I chose Lion's online webinar because it is simple, effective, and easily accessible.

Jeremy Bost

Environmental Health & Safety Technician

Download Our Latest Whitepaper

What to do before, during, and after a RCRA hazardous waste inspection to defend your site from rising State and Federal penalties.

Download

By submitting your phone number, you agree to receive recurring marketing and training text messages. Consent to receive text messages is not required for any purchases. Text STOP at any time to cancel. Message and data rates may apply. View our Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.