Dangerous Goods Air Freight from China: Complete Guide

Dangerous Goods Air Freight · Complete guide · Reviewed November 15, 2026 · 8 minute read

Cargo aircraft on a tarmac with sealed labelled cartons being loaded — Illustrative AI-generated image.

Dangerous goods move by air only when the carrier accepts them. Acceptance depends on the cargo data, the documents and the packing — not on the booking request. This guide explains air acceptance for lithium batteries, aerosols and lighters from China, and what to prepare before review.

1. Air acceptance comes first — classification decides the route

Air freight is the strictest mode for dangerous goods, because the cargo travels in a pressurised cabin with limited access during the flight. A product that sails without a problem may still be refused by an airline, and a product that one carrier accepts may be refused by another on the same route. The booking request does not decide acceptance: the carrier’s dangerous goods team reviews the cargo data, the documents and the packing, and it can ask for more evidence, a different packing method or a different mode.

Classification is the first step, and it must describe the actual product, not the product family. A lithium battery on its own, a lithium battery packed with equipment and a lithium battery installed in equipment are three different shipping cases, with different UN numbers, packing instructions and quantity limits. Aerosols, vape products with batteries and e-liquid, and electric arc lighters each carry their own classification too, and the classification must match the safety data sheet, the test summary and the label on the carton. When any of those documents describe a different product, the review stops until the mismatch is resolved.

2. The document set the carrier reviews

Four documents carry most air freight reviews for dangerous goods. The UN 38.3 test summary proves the battery type passed the transport tests. The safety data sheet (SDS) describes the hazards, the composition and the emergency measures. The shipper’s declaration for dangerous goods states the classification, the quantity and the packing instruction, and it is signed by the shipper. The air waybill and the packing list tie the declared goods to the cartons that are actually loaded. A missing document, an unsigned declaration or a test summary for a different battery model will hold the booking.

Consistency across the set matters more than any single document. The watt-hour rating on the battery label, the watt-hour rating in the datasheet and the watt-hour rating in the quote must all agree, because the carrier checks the label against the documents at acceptance. The product name on the commercial invoice, the product name on the SDS and the product name on the shipper’s declaration must describe the same goods. Before the forwarder submits the file, compare every document against the product itself — the model number, the battery type, the watt-hour rating and the quantity — and ask the supplier to correct any line that does not match.

3. Packaging, marks and labels

Dangerous goods packaging is built to survive handling and to contain the goods if something goes wrong. Lithium batteries travel in inner packaging that prevents short circuits, inside outer packaging that passes the required drop and stacking tests for the packing instruction. Aerosol cans need valve protection so the valve cannot be pressed during transit, and vape products need the battery protected and the e-liquid sealed so it cannot leak onto the battery or the carton. The packing method must follow the packing instruction for the classification, not the method that is cheapest or most convenient.

Marks and labels tell the handler what is inside without opening the carton. The lithium battery mark, the cargo aircraft only label where it applies, the orientation arrows and the shipper and consignee marks must be present, legible and placed where they can be seen. A label that is smudged, placed on the wrong face or missing from a carton can be refused at acceptance, even when the goods inside are packed correctly. Photograph a finished carton before dispatch and keep the photo with the shipment file, so the packing method and the labels can be checked against the documents while the goods are still at the supplier.

4. Pre-booking review and fixing rejected documents

A pre-booking review sends the cargo data and the documents to the carrier before the booking is confirmed, and it is the cheapest point at which to find a problem. The review checks the classification, the test summary, the SDS, the declaration and the packing instruction against the carrier’s acceptance rules. If the review finds a gap — a test summary that covers a different battery model, an SDS that lists a different composition, a declaration signed by the wrong party — the booking is not confirmed, and the shipper corrects the file and resubmits it. Treat a review finding as useful information, not as a rejection of the shipment.

Rejected documents usually fail on a small number of points. The most common are a test summary that does not match the battery model, a watt-hour rating that differs between the label and the datasheet, a product description that is too vague for the carrier to classify, and a shipper’s declaration that omits a required entry. Fix the source document rather than the copy: ask the battery maker for the correct test summary, ask the supplier for the correct label data, and rebuild the declaration from the corrected documents. Keep a record of each review round — what was submitted, what the carrier asked for and what changed — so a later booking for the same product starts from a file that is already known to pass review.

5. Batteries: standalone, in equipment and button cells

Standalone lithium batteries face the strictest air rules, because there is no equipment around them to protect the terminals or absorb an impact. They travel under their own UN number, with quantity limits per package and per consignment, and the carrier checks the watt-hour rating, the test summary and the state of charge before acceptance. Batteries packed with equipment and batteries installed in equipment are reviewed differently: the equipment changes the risk, the packing instruction and the quantity that can travel in one package, so the declaration must state which case applies and the documents must match it.

Button cells and small batteries in consumer products — earbuds, smartwatches, prototype samples and retail kits with spare batteries — cause a surprising number of review problems, because the battery is easy to overlook. The freight file must include the cell data: the chemistry, the watt-hour rating or lithium content, the model number and the count per product and per carton. A retail kit with spare batteries needs the spare count stated separately from the batteries installed in the product, because the carrier counts them as separate items. Prototype and sample batteries need the same treatment: the test summary, the SDS and the declaration apply to samples as well as to production stock, and a sample without documents is reviewed as an unknown battery.

6. Aerosols, vape products and lighters by air

Aerosols travel by air only when the carrier accepts the specific product, and acceptance depends on the contents, the can size and the valve protection. The SDS must describe the propellant and the contents, the packing must protect the valve, and the quantity per package must stay within the limit for the packing instruction. Comparing air and ocean for aerosols is a useful planning step: ocean freight often accepts aerosols that air will not, so a product that fails air review may still move by sea, with a longer transit and different packing requirements.

Vape products combine two regulated items — a lithium battery and e-liquid — and the freight file must cover both. The battery data, the liquid volume, the packaging that keeps the liquid away from the battery and the carton plan all go into the review, and the carrier checks the liquid against its own acceptance rules as well as the battery against the battery rules. Electric arc lighters carry a lithium battery as their power source, so the battery information belongs in the quote and in the declaration, even though the lighter itself is the product being sold. For all three product types, the safest question to ask early is whether the carrier accepts the product at all, before spending time on packing and documents for a mode that will not take it.

Some products that look sensitive are not dangerous goods at all. Solar panels, LED lighting, candles and furniture are general cargo, and they travel by air under normal freight rules, with the usual packing and documentation. Hand sanitizer, paint, nail polish and essential oils are different: they are usually Class 3 flammable liquid, so they need a flammable-liquid review and the SDS must support the classification. Products with batteries that power a vehicle — e-bikes, e-scooters, forklifts, golf carts and wheelchairs — are classified as UN3171, battery-powered vehicles, and the carrier reviews them under the vehicle rules rather than the standalone battery rules. State the classification that fits the actual product, and ask the carrier to confirm it before the booking is submitted.

7. How to request a dangerous goods air freight review

A useful review request reads like a shipment file, not a question: the product and the battery data, the UN number and the packing instruction, the test summary and the SDS, the carton count and the packed dimensions, the origin, the destination and the ready time. With that data, a forwarder can check the classification, the documents and the carrier acceptance rules and confirm what is still missing — without it, any answer is only a general estimate.

Treat every reply the same way: confirm the scope in writing — which carrier reviews the goods, who prepares the declaration, who books the acceptance slot, which charges are separate, and what happens if the carrier asks for different packing or a different mode. An inquiry or estimate is not a booking, and a carrier review is not an acceptance until the carrier confirms it in writing. Keep the written confirmation with the shipment file and check it against the loading photos before the goods leave the supplier.

Dangerous goods air freight guides

Related guides

Official references

Note: This guide provides general logistics planning information. It is not legal, customs, tax, safety or carrier acceptance advice. Requirements, services and schedules depend on the actual goods, route, contract, provider and current rules. Verify shipment-specific questions with the responsible carrier, customs broker or authority before dispatch.

For a route-specific logistics review, provide the product, origin, destination, packed dimensions, weight and ready date.

Request a shipment review ↗

Frequently asked questions

Why would an airline refuse dangerous goods that already shipped by sea?

Air and ocean follow different acceptance rules, and an airline reviews the cargo against its own dangerous goods programme. A product that sails without a problem can still fail air review on its classification, its documents or its packing, and the airline can ask for different packing, more evidence or a different mode. The pre-booking review exists to find that answer before the booking is confirmed.

What documents does a lithium battery air shipment need?

The carrier usually reviews the UN 38.3 test summary for the battery model, the safety data sheet, the signed shipper’s declaration for dangerous goods and the packing list. The watt-hour rating, the model number and the quantity must agree across all four documents, and the test summary must cover the exact battery model being shipped, not a similar model from the same maker.

Can vape products and aerosols travel by air from China?

It depends on the carrier and the product. Vape products need the battery data and the e-liquid data reviewed together, and aerosols need the contents, the can size and the valve protection reviewed against the packing instruction. Ask the carrier whether it accepts the specific product before preparing the packing and the documents, because a product that fails air review may still move by sea.