Where do dangerous goods labels need to go on the package?

Most marks and labels go on one side of the package. Where orientation ("this way up") labels are required — two of them — they go on opposite sides, not the same side.

What happens if a correctly classified shipment has a faded or peeling label?

It's non-compliant regardless of correct classification — Section 7 requires labels durable enough to withstand open weather exposure for the duration of transport, not just at the point of tender.

Do packaging requirements differ by hazard class?

The Packing Instruction (Section 5) is class- and UN-number-specific, but the underlying construction standard for the packaging itself (Section 6) and the general marking/labeling placement rules (Section 7) are the same cross-class baseline every shipment has to clear.

Dangerous Goods & Compliance

IATA DGR Packaging, Marking, and Labeling: The General Rules

Before any class-specific rule applies, every dangerous goods shipment has to clear the same baseline packaging, marking, and labeling requirements.

Get a Rate

Section 5

IATA DGR — Packing Instructions

Section 6

IATA DGR — Packaging Specifications

Section 7

IATA DGR — Marking and Labeling

1 side

Where most package marks/labels must appear

Three sections, one baseline every DG shipment has to clear

The IATA DGR structures packaging compliance across three sections that apply regardless of hazard class: Section 5 sets the Packing Instructions in class-number sequence — the specific combination of packaging, quantity limits, and aircraft eligibility for each UN-numbered good. Section 6 sets the Packaging Specifications — the UN-marked construction and performance-testing standards a packaging itself has to meet before it can even be selected under a Packing Instruction. Section 7 sets Marking and Labeling — the actual marks and hazard labels that have to appear on the outside of a compliant package.

A packaging chosen off a Packing Instruction still has to meet Section 6's construction and testing standard — a shipper can't substitute a non-UN-specification box or drum for one the Packing Instruction requires, even if it looks similar and is the right size. This is the step most commonly skipped by shippers unfamiliar with DGR: picking packaging based on what fits the product, rather than what the PI and Section 6 actually specify.

Section 7's marking and labeling rules apply on top of whatever the specific class requires: labels must meet Section 7's own size, colour, and design specifications, and must be durable enough to withstand open weather exposure — a label that fades or peels in transit doesn't satisfy the requirement even if it was correctly applied at origin. For most packages, marks and labels go on one side; where two orientation labels are required, they go on opposite sides, not the same side twice.

Cross-class packaging, marking, and labeling checklist

Apply this on top of the specific requirements for whichever hazard class the shipment falls under.

UN specification packaging

The packaging itself must meet Section 6's construction and performance-testing standard for the relevant packing group — not just be a similarly sized container.

Correct Packing Instruction selected

Section 5's PI for the specific UN number and packing scenario (e.g. alone, packed with equipment, contained in equipment for batteries) — the PI drives which packaging, quantity limit, and aircraft type apply.

Hazard label size, colour, and design

Must meet Section 7's exact specification — a close approximation isn't compliant.

Label durability

Labels must withstand open weather exposure for the duration of transport, not just look correct at the point of tender.

Placement — one side unless orientation labels required

Most marks/labels go on one side of the package. Where orientation labels are required, they must be applied to two opposite sides.

Net quantity and UN number marking

Exterior marking of the package must show the UN number, proper shipping name, and quantity as the specific Packing Instruction requires.

A Common, Avoidable Gap

Correct classification with non-conforming packaging is still a non-compliant shipment

Getting the UN number and Packing Instruction right doesn't finish the job — the actual packaging has to meet Section 6's construction standard, and the labels have to meet Section 7's size, colour, durability, and placement rules. Any one of those failing can get a shipment refused at acceptance just as surely as a wrong UN number would.

See the lithium battery packing instructions this applies to →

Source: IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations — Section 5 (Packing Instructions), Section 6 (Packaging Specifications), Section 7 (Marking and Labeling), current DGR structure per IATA's own published DGR training materials and the ICAO Technical Instructions for the Safe Transport of Dangerous Goods by Air, which the DGR implements.

Worked example

Where a shipment can still fail after correct classification

Take the lithium-ion laptop example from our lithium battery shipping guide — correctly classified under PI967, but packaged in a box that isn't UN-marked.

The shipper correctly identifies UN 3481, PI967 (batteries installed in equipment), and prepares the AWB dangerous goods statement and battery handling mark. But the outer packaging is a generic, non-UN-specification carton — it hasn't been constructed and performance-tested to Section 6's standard for the packing group involved. Classification was right; packaging wasn't.

Carrier acceptance staff check the packaging against the requirement, not just the paperwork — a non-conforming package gets refused at acceptance regardless of how correctly everything else was declared. The fix is packaging selection done alongside classification, from the same Packing Instruction, rather than treating "what UN number is this" and "what box does it go in" as two separate, disconnected steps.

What UAL handles for you

We verify packaging construction and label compliance against Section 6 and Section 7 requirements, not just the UN number and Packing Instruction — the full compliance chain, checked before tender. UAL is IATA DGR certified, so this is handled directly by our own trained team.

Packaging construction verified, not assumed

Label placement and durability checked

IATA DGR Certified

Frequently asked questions

No. The packaging has to meet Section 6's UN specification construction and performance-testing standard for the relevant packing group — size alone doesn't make a packaging compliant.

GET A RATE ·Air Freight from ASEAN to Canada ·CONTACT UAL ·IATA Accredited Neutral Agent ·GET A RATE ·Air Freight from ASEAN to Canada ·CONTACT UAL ·IATA Accredited Neutral Agent ·

Dangerous Goods in Air Freight

Lithium Battery Air Shipping Rules

IATA DGR Class 3: Flammable Liquids

Dry Ice Shipping Rules

The Shipper's Declaration Process

DGR Section 5/6/7 structure and general marking/labeling placement and durability rules: IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations current published structure, corroborated against ICAO Technical Instructions for the Safe Transport of Dangerous Goods by Air (which the DGR implements) and IATA's own public DGR training materials, 2026. Specific label dimensions and colour specifications for individual hazard classes should be checked against the current DGR edition's Section 7 figures directly before use in a specific filing. Last verified: August 2026.