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Passenger & cargo aircraft requirements for
Passenger aircraft carry paying passengers, with cargo in the lower hold. Cargo aircraft (freighters) carry freight only, with no passengers on board. Choosing which aircraft type a shipment of UN 1312 can use is one of the first important decisions in the process.
Passenger aircraft offer more routes, more frequent flights, and generally lower costs, but they allow smaller quantities per package. Cargo-only aircraft allow larger quantities, but they have fewer flights, longer transit times, and higher costs.
Some dangerous goods are restricted to either passenger aircraft or cargo-only aircraft, but UN 1312 is not. UN 1312 can be transported on both types of aircraft.
“Permitted” does not mean the substance can be carried by air without restriction. It is still a dangerous good and must comply with strict packing, packaging, marking, labelling, documentation and quantity rules imposed by IATA/ICAO, as well as by individual countries and airline operators.
excepted & limited quantity provisions for
Exemptions allow you to ship smaller quantities under simplified rules, with reduced packaging, marking, and documentation compared to a full shipment. They don’t remove the hazard classification—only the amount of compliance work required.
LIMITED QUANTITIES
max net
quantity
10 Kg / Package
packing
instruction
PI Y443
EXCEPTED QUANTITIES
max net
quantity
1 Kg / Package
packing
instruction
—
permitted packaging for
PI 446 and PI 449 permit multiple outer packaging types for UN 1312, provided each is tested and certified to UN Packing Group III performance standards.
Each packaging type is identified by a code that can be provided to the packaging manufacturer:
Fibreboard box — 4G
Steel drum — 1A2
Plastic drum — 1H2
Plastic jerrican — 3H2
marks & labels for
Labels and marks communicate hazards and shipping methods to ground handlers, airline crew, and emergency responders at a glance—without anyone needing to open the package or check the paperwork first.
special provisions for
The ICAO/IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations include several hundred special provisions —additional requirements assigned to specific UN numbers, beyond the standard packing instructions.
When a special provision applies, it overrides the packing instruction and quantity rules shown above.
It may add packaging conditions, restrict a shipping method that would otherwise be allowed, require extra documentation, or impose limits not mentioned in the general rules.
The packing instruction alone is never the full picture. It must cross-reference with the special provisions that apply to a specific UN/ID number.
State variations for
Some countries impose dangerous goods requirements that are stricter than the ICAO/IATA regulations for goods entering, leaving, or transiting their territory.
When country restrictions apply to a specific UN/ID number, it overrides the standard rules shown above — a country may limit quantities, require additional approval, or prohibit a shipping method that ICAO/IATA would otherwise permit.
operator variations for
Individual airline operators may impose dangerous goods requirements that are stricter than ICAO/IATA regulations.
An airline operator may refuse carriage entirely, reduce the allowable quantity below the standard limits, or impose additional handling requirements.
Where an airline operator restriction applies, it overrides the general rules shown above for that specific carrier.
Why is dangerous on an aircraft?
UN 1312 (Borneol) is classified as a flammable solid because it can ignite through friction, heat, sparks, or contact with an open flame, and once burning, it sustains combustion in a way that's difficult to extinguish.
That matters more in the air than on the ground: aircraft fire suppression is designed for confined spaces with limited access, smoke and fumes can spread quickly through a pressurized cabin or cargo hold, and there's no way to divert and get help as fast as an emergency on the ground would allow.
Packing group III means Borneol sits at the lower end of danger within Class 4.1 — but it's still a dangerous good and presents a risk. Limiting the quantities permitted on passenger and cargo aircraft is the way to mitigate the risk.