How Do I Ship with Dry Ice?

Dry ice is a hazardous material for certain types of shipping, so shipping with dry ice needs to be done carefully. You also need to label any shipment that has dry ice in it.

Dry Ice Hazards

Dry ice can be dangerous because it off-gasses a large amount of carbon dioxide. This is perfectly fine for the food it’s shipped with, but if the gas can’t escape the package, it builds up pressure inside the package until it risks explosion.

In a confined area, a large amount of dry ice can cause a suffocation risk as more and more carbon dioxide fills the area.

It’s also dangerous to directly contact with your skin. Dry ice is cyrogenic in nature, which means brief contact with your skin can cause severe frostbite. For these reasons, never handle dry ice unless you’re following a set of safety guidelines for handling.
Labeling Requirements

Anything you ship with dry ice needs to be marked. You’ll need a Class 9 Miscellaneous hazard label, proper shipping name and a UNID number, along with the quantity of dry ice the package contains.

Label it as either “carbon dioxide, solid” or as “dry ice.” The UNID number is UN1845. The dry ice must be declared on an airbill or an equivalent.

When shipping with dry ice, especially if it’s multiple shipments, notify the shipping company with whom you’re working. If you intend to ship with dry ice across multiple shipments as a business, we can sometimes make extra accommodations, or perhaps even find extra refrigerated container space so you can keep some of your dry ice supply for later use. You never know until you ask, but these are things we can look into to help you save extra money.

If you have any questions about how to pack or ship with dry ice, you can feel free to contact us for a quote and to inquire about needs that must be met for your shipment.