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 instructor kept the class engaged and made learning fun. There was a lot of information to cover but time flew by. I will definitely use Lion in the future!

Chelsea Minguela

Hazmat Shipping Professional

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

Henry Watkins

Hazardous Waste Technician

The instructor created a great learning environment.

Avinash Thummadi

CAD & Environmental Manager

As always, Lion never disappoints

Paul Resley

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

Lion's course was superior to others I have taken in the past. Very clear in the presentation and the examples helped to explain the content presented.

George Bersik

Hazardous Waste Professional

The course was very well structured and covered the material in a clear, concise manner.

Ian Martinez

Hazmat Shipping Professional

Lion courses are the standard to which all other workshops should strive for!

Brody Saleen

Registered Environmental Health Specialist

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

Lion is at the top of the industry in compliance training. Course content and structure are updated frequently to make annual re-training enjoyable. I like that Lion has experts that I can contact for 1 year after the training.

Caroline Froning

Plant Chemist

Download Our Latest Whitepaper

Explore ten hazardous waste management errors that caused generators in California the most trouble last year.

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.