Limited and excepted quantities in ADR, IMDG and air transport
Limited quantities and excepted quantities are two separate relaxations that DGAssistant applies under ADR, the IMDG Code and the IATA DGR: the first admits the quantity that the Dangerous Goods List sets for each entry, in packages of up to 30 kg gross, and the second is limited to 30 g or 30 ml per inner packaging and 1 kg or 1 L per outer packaging, in a tested package. The two regimes are not interchangeable: each has its own column, mark and document rule, and a package that is correct by road can be refused for a flight.
This guide is based on ADR 2025 and the IMDG Code, Amendment 42-24 (Chapters 3.4 and 3.5 of each), and on the ICAO Technical Instructions, 2025-2026 edition (Part 3, Chapters 4 and 5). Air operators work with the IATA DGR, which is based on those Instructions; the operator variations printed in the Instructions refer to its subsection 2.7 for limited quantities and to 2.6.8.2 for the air waybill of excepted quantities.
The three regulations side by side
| ADR 2025 | IMDG Code, Amendment 42-24 | ICAO Technical Instructions 2025-2026 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Limited quantities | Chapter 3.4 | Chapter 3.4 | Part 3, Chapter 4 |
| Where to look | Column (7a), Table A | Column 7a, Dangerous Goods List | Columns 10 and 11, Table 3-1 |
| The figure applies to | Inner packaging or article | Inner packaging or article | Whole package |
| Gross mass per package | 30 kg (20 kg on wrapped trays) | 30 kg (20 kg on wrapped trays) | 30 kg |
| Package mark | Diamond, or "Y" diamond | Diamond, or "Y" diamond | "Y" diamond |
| Hazard labels | No | No | Yes |
| Document | None; traceable notice of gross mass | Transport document, with mention | Complete transport document |
| Mark on the vehicle or container | 250 mm, above 12 t of maximum mass and 8 t of packages | 250 mm, no threshold | None in this chapter |
| Excepted quantities | Chapter 3.5 | Chapter 3.5 | Part 3, Chapter 5 |
| Where to look | Column (7b), Table A | Column 7b, Dangerous Goods List | Column 9, Table 3-1 |
| Package mark | Hatched square, label number | Hatched square, class or division | Hatched square, class or division |
| Document | Statement on any accompanying document | Transport document, with statement | Statement on any accompanying document |
| Maximum load | 1 000 packages per vehicle or container | 1 000 packages per cargo transport unit | No figure |
Where each limit is looked up
Road and sea share the same logic: column 7a gives a figure for each inner packaging or article, and the package as a whole is limited only by its gross mass. A 0 in that column closes the regime for the entry, and the code E0 in column 7b does the same for excepted quantities.
By air, the regime exists only when column 10 of Table 3-1 shows a limited quantity packing instruction, recognisable by the "Y" before its number. The figure beside it in column 11 is the net quantity of the whole package or, if followed by the letter for gross mass ("B" in the Spanish edition of the Instructions), its gross mass. The goods must be admitted on passenger aircraft, which leaves out, among others, goods for cargo aircraft only, packing group I, Classes 1 and 7, Divisions 2.3, 4.2 and 6.2 and most of Division 2.1. Single packagings are not accepted. In the IATA DGR, the equivalent list is table 4.2.
The same goods show how far the figures can diverge:
| Entry and packing group | ADR and IMDG, column 7a, per inner packaging or article | ADR and IMDG, column 7b | Air, columns 10 and 11, per package |
|---|---|---|---|
| UN 1263 Paint, I | 500 ml | E3 | No "Y" instruction |
| UN 1263 Paint, II | 5 L | E2 | Y341: 1 L net |
| UN 1263 Paint, III | 5 L | E1 | Y344: 10 L net |
| UN 3082 Environmentally hazardous substance, liquid, n.o.s., III | 5 L | E1 | Y964: 30 kg gross |
| UN 1950 Aerosols, flammable | 1 L | E0 | Y203: 30 kg gross |
Worked example. A fibreboard box holds twelve 1 L tins of UN 1263 paint, packing group III, and weighs 16 kg gross. By road and by sea it qualifies: each tin is below 5 L and the package is below 30 kg. By air it does not, because the box holds 12 L net and Y344 admits 10 L. It must come down to ten tins at most, subject to the inner packaging conditions of Y344, or leave the regime and travel under packing instruction 355, which admits 60 L per package.
When different goods share an outer packaging by air, the check is the Q value: each net quantity is divided by the maximum for its entry, and the sum cannot exceed 1. A box with 0.5 L of paint of packing group II (maximum 1 L) and 4 L of packing group III (maximum 10 L) gives 0.5/1 + 4/10 = 0.9, which is admissible. Most goods of Classes 2 and 9 are checked by gross mass instead.
Limited quantities: packages and marks
In all three regulations the package consists of inner packagings in a suitable outer packaging, without the UN performance tests or the UN packaging mark. By air, however, the package must withstand a 1.2 m drop and, for 24 hours, a load equivalent to identical packages stacked to 3 m.
The diamond has black top and bottom corners and a black border around a white or contrasting centre. It measures at least 100 mm × 100 mm with a 2 mm border, or 50 mm × 50 mm and 1 mm if the package is too small. By road and sea it takes the place of the hazard labels and the UN number marking, which are not among the provisions that remain in force (ADR 3.4.1, IMDG 3.4.1.2). Orientation arrows are among them, so a combination packaging with liquids normally keeps its arrows (ADR 5.2.1.10, IMDG 5.2.1.7).
Air uses the same diamond with a "Y" in the centre, and it is mandatory. The recognition runs one way: the "Y" diamond is accepted by road and at sea without the plain one (ADR 3.4.9, IMDG 3.4.5.3.1), but the plain diamond alone does not satisfy Part 3, Chapter 4. The air package also keeps the marks of Part 5, Chapter 2 (proper shipping name, UN number, name and address of the shipper and the consignee), except the packaging specification mark, and the hazard labels of Part 5, Chapter 3.
An overpack that hides these marks repeats them and bears the word OVERPACK in letters of at least 12 mm; by air it repeats the labels too.
By road, a transport unit above 12 tonnes of maximum mass displays the diamond at 250 mm × 250 mm, front and rear, once limited quantity packages exceed 8 tonnes gross on board; orange-coloured plates required for other goods can replace it. Containers on such a unit are marked on all four sides. The mark is removed or covered when no such goods remain, and a unit that must display it is subject to the restriction for tunnels of category E (ADR 8.6.4).
At sea there is no threshold: a cargo transport unit holding only limited quantities bears the 250 mm diamond in the positions used for placards, identifiable after at least three months in the sea. If it also holds other dangerous goods, their placards and marks prevail, and the diamond appears only when those goods require none.
Excepted quantities: codes, packages and marks
The codes and values are common to the three regulations (ADR and IMDG 3.5.1.2; Table 3-3 of the Instructions):
| Code | Per inner packaging (g or ml) | Per outer packaging (g or ml) |
|---|---|---|
| E0 | Not permitted | Not permitted |
| E1 | 30 | 1 000 |
| E2 | 30 | 500 |
| E3 | 30 | 300 |
| E4 | 1 | 500 |
| E5 | 1 | 300 |
For gases, the volumes refer to water capacity. If goods with different codes share an outer packaging, the most restrictive code prevails: E1 with E2 is limited to 500 g or ml. The regime covers substances only, not articles.
Worked example. Twenty 30 ml sample bottles of UN 1263 paint, packing group III, code E1, total 600 ml and stay below the limit of 1 000 ml. With paint of packing group II, code E2 by road and sea, the same box exceeds 500 ml and can hold sixteen bottles at most (480 ml).
Working from the outside in, the package has a strong, rigid outer packaging, an intermediate packaging with cushioning material and inner packagings of plastic, glass, porcelain, stoneware, earthenware or metal; liquids also need enough absorbent material for the whole contents. The complete package, filled to at least 95 % for solids or 98 % for liquids, must pass documented tests: drops from 1.8 m and, for 24 hours, a load equivalent to a stack of 3 m.
The mark is a hatched square of at least 100 mm × 100 mm, with hatching and symbol both black or both red over a white or contrasting background; no smaller version is provided. Inside goes the first or only label number of column (5) of Table A by road, or the class or division at sea and by air, and the name of the consignor or consignee if it does not appear elsewhere on the package.
The lowest tier has fewer requirements still: with codes E1, E2, E4 or E5, at most 1 g or 1 ml per inner packaging and 100 g or 100 ml per outer packaging, only the packaging and test provisions remain (ADR 3.5.1.4, IMDG 3.5.1.4 and, for air cargo, the de minimis quantities of Part 3, Chapter 5).
What goes on the document
- Road, limited quantities. ADR 3.4.1 does not retain 5.4.1 or 5.4.3, so neither the transport document nor the instructions in writing are required. The consignor must tell the carrier the total gross mass before carriage, in a traceable form (3.4.12), which is the figure needed for the 8-tonne threshold. A container continuing by sea still needs the container/vehicle packing certificate of 5.4.2.
- Road, excepted quantities. No specific document is required. If any accompanies the goods, such as a CMR or CIM consignment note, a bill of lading or an air waybill, at least one states "Dangerous Goods in Excepted Quantities" and the number of packages (3.5.6).
- Sea, limited quantities. Chapter 5.4 remains in force, so a dangerous goods transport document is needed, such as the Multimodal Dangerous Goods Form. Next to the description go the words "limited quantity", in full or abbreviated (the Spanish edition gives «cantidad limitada» or «CANT. LTDA.»), for example: UN 1263, PAINT, 3, PG III, limited quantity. Goods packed together under 3.4.4.1.2 add a statement that the transport conforms to that paragraph.
- Sea, excepted quantities. Chapter 5.4 also remains. Next to the description, the document adds "dangerous goods in excepted quantities" and the number of packages (3.5.6.1).
- Air, limited quantities. The complete dangerous goods transport document of Part 5, Chapter 4 applies, which under the IATA DGR is the Shipper's Declaration for Dangerous Goods. After the description come the number and type of packages and the net quantity of each, for example: UN 1263, Paint, 3, PG III, 4 fibreboard boxes x 10 L. Where column 11 gives a gross mass, the gross mass of each package is stated instead. The goods also appear in the Notification to Captain (NOTOC).
- Air, excepted quantities. There is no dangerous goods transport document. A document that accompanies the goods, such as the air waybill, carries "dangerous goods in excepted quantities" and the number of packages (Part 3, Chapter 5). The goods need neither the NOTOC (Part 7, Table 7-9) nor the acceptance checklist of the operator (Part 7, Chapter 1).
Frequent errors
- Applying the column to the wrong reference. Column 7a limits each inner packaging; column 11 limits the whole package.
- Sending by air a package prepared for road. The plain diamond, the missing hazard labels and the missing declaration are three separate faults.
- Carrying the document rule from one mode to another. The lack of a transport document by road says nothing about the sea leg, and a statement on an air waybill does not replace the document of the IMDG Code.
- Adding these goods to the 1.1.3.6 calculation. ADR 1.1.3.6.5 leaves out goods exempted under 1.1.3.4, which covers both regimes.
- Forgetting the vehicle. The notice of gross mass is omitted, or the 250 mm diamond stays uncovered after unloading.
- Confusing excepted quantities with the excepted package of Class 7, which follows its own provisions (ADR 1.7.1.5, IMDG 1.5.1.5, Part 1, Chapter 6, of the Instructions).
- Treating the regimes as total exemptions. Classification and training remain in all three regulations.
- Assuming that every airline accepts them. The operator variations in the Instructions include airlines that refuse limited quantities, excepted quantities or both.
How DGAssistant handles it
DGAssistant supports both regimes in ADR, IMDG and IATA consignments. You can create a predefined mixed packing product configured for limited quantities or build the package on the fly while adding goods to the consignment, and the application applies the marking, packing instruction and documentation rules of each regime. The product catalogue rests on the official lists of the three regulations, with their limited and excepted quantities.
On road documents the application decides which mentions apply, limited and excepted quantities among them. In ADR and IMDG consignments, the package marking prints the limited quantity mark with the rest. By air, when different goods travel in the same outer packaging, it calculates the Q value, rejects the package if the value exceeds 1 and prints it on the declaration.
- Road: the ADR transport document, its free template and the video tutorial.
- Sea: the IMDG-IMO dangerous goods declaration, its free template and the video tutorial.
- Air: the IATA Shipper's Declaration, its free template and the video tutorial.
The steps in the application are described in the ADR section of the manual and in the questions on how the application works.