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What are dangerous goods?

Dangerous goods are articles or substances that are capable of posing a risk to health, safety, property or the environment.

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Shipping boxes

How to ship dangerous goods

Dangerous goods may only be tendered to a Purolator Shipping Centre or driver by account customers, and not at a Purolator Drop Box or to a Purolator Authorized Shipping Agent.

A shipment containing dangerous goods is only accepted once a Purolator Dangerous Goods Specialist has verified the shipment at a Purolator facility.

Adult Signature Required (ASR) service can be selected for Dangerous Goods (DG) shipments using E-Ship® Online (ESO) and E-Ship® Web Service (EWS). You now have an option to ensure that DG shipments will only be received by adults, as you can select both DG and ASR (for a single shipment).*

See ID Requirements

It is your responsibility to make sure the shipment is prepared in accordance with the Transportation of Dangerous Goods (TDG) Regulations for ground shipments and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Technical Instructions for air shipments, and other international and governmental regulations.

If you are unsure whether your item is regulated by the TDG or ICAO, please check the Safety Data Sheet (SDS) for further information.

Shipping Options

You can select from the following five options for tendering dangerous goods shipments through our automated shipping systems. As the shipper, you are responsible for selecting the appropriate category for each shipment.

  1. Limited Quantity (Ground only)

  2. UN3373: Biological Substance Category B (Air and Ground)

  3. UN1845: Dry Ice/Solid Carbon Dioxide (Air only)

  4. 500 kg Exemption (Ground only)

  5. Fully Regulated (Air and Ground)

For a full list of acceptable dangerous goods for shipping and how to tender dangerous goods shipments, see Purolator Terms and Conditions of Service.

This table summarizes the shipping options available for Air, Ground (Courier) and Ground (Freight) shipments

Shipping Option Air Ground - Courier Ground - Freight
Limited Quantity
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UN 3373 Biological Substance
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Check Icon
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UN 1845 Dry Ice
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Check Icon
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500 kg Exemption
Cross Icon
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Cross Icon
Fully Regulated
Check Icon
Check Icon
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Services

For details on service availability, please refer to Purolator Terms and Conditions of Service.

Canadian Courier Destinations Availability  
Purolator Express®
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Shipments must be compliant with the TDG Regulations or ICAO Technical Instructions and have been accepted by a Purolator Dangerous Goods Specialist.
Purolator Express® 9AM
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Shipments must be compliant with the TDG Regulations or ICAO Technical Instructions and have been accepted by a Purolator Dangerous Goods Specialist.
Purolator Express® 10:30AM
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Shipments must be compliant with the TDG Regulations or ICAO Technical Instructions and have been accepted by a Purolator Dangerous Goods Specialist.
Purolator Ground®
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Shipments must be compliant with the TDG Regulations or ICAO Technical Instructions and have been accepted by a Purolator Dangerous Goods Specialist.
Purolator Ground® 9AM
Check Icon
Shipments must be compliant with the TDG Regulations or ICAO Technical Instructions and have been accepted by a Purolator Dangerous Goods Specialist.
Purolator Ground® 10:30AM
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Shipments must be compliant with the TDG Regulations or ICAO Technical Instructions and have been accepted by a Purolator Dangerous Goods Specialist.
Canadian Freight
Destinations
Availability  
Purolator ExpeditedTM LTL
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Shipments must be compliant with the TDG Regulations or ICAO Technical Instructions and have been accepted by a Purolator Dangerous Goods Specialist.
Purolator StandardTM LTL
Cross Icon
Shipments must be compliant with the TDG Regulations or ICAO Technical Instructions and have been accepted by a Purolator Dangerous Goods Specialist.
Other Services Availability  
Saturday Service
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Saturday Service shipments that contain dangerous goods are accepted with Friday pickup/Saturday delivery only. Pickup on Saturday for Monday delivery is not available.
Hold For Pick Up
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Dangerous goods shipments can be sent HFPU from any Purolator Shipping Centre but cannot be sent HFPU from a Purolator Authorized Shipping Agent.
U.S. Destinations
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Regulated dangerous goods to the United States must be prepared for carriage by air in compliance with the ICAO Technical Instructions. See Acceptable, Restricted and Not Acceptable Guidelines.
International Destinations
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Declared Value
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Dangerous goods shipments can have a declared value for carriage as long as they are not prohibited articles or shipper’s risk shipments.
Beyond Points
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Agent Drop-Off
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Available for only Limited Quantity ground shipments.
Signature Not Required/Origin
Signature Not Required
(SNR, OSNR)
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Available for only Limited Quantity ground shipments.
Adult Signature Required (ASR)
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Available only for ESO and EWS E-Ship® Online (ESO) and E-Ship® Web Service (EWS).
Shipping Prohibited Goods

As the shipper, you are responsible for obtaining prior written approval from Purolator before shipping items considered as prohibited goods and ensuring the goods are not prohibited by law. Prohibited goods may include items such as animals, currency, firearms, drugs and more. See Purolator’s Terms and Conditions of Service for the full list.

Prohibited box


Information is provided for guidance purposes only. Please refer to applicable dangerous goods laws and regulations to ensure compliance prior to shipping.

*Customers shipping DG with ASR will be billed for both a DG shipment (per price of the shipment DG category) and the ASR service ($6.75 per shipment). The standard processes for DG and ASR services will remain in place.

Opting for ASR with your DG shipment will override SNR, OSNR selections made earlier.