USPS Hazardous Material Compliance
Starting July 12, USPS will begin enforcing stricter compliance requirements for all shipments involving hazardous materials (HAZMAT). In order to comply with these changes our platform will allow you to identify any HAZMAT materials starting July 7 (by end of day).
Hazardous materials (HAZMAT) are products that may pose a risk to health, property, or the environment. This includes, but is not limited to:
- Lithium ion batteries (in devices or standalone)
- Flammable liquids (perfume, nail polish, paint)
- Non-spillable wet batteries
- Limited quantity chemicals (cleaning products)
What does this mean?
You will be required to declare whether your shipment contains HAZMAT-eligible products when creating postage.
The HAZMAT categories available on the Chit Chats platform include:
- Class 3: Flammable liquids: Liquids that can easily catch fire (i.e. perfume and nail polish remover).
- Class 8: Wet batteries: Batteries that contain liquid acid or alkali (i.e. automotive starter batteries, aviation emergency light batteries).
- Class 9: Marked lithium batteries: Lithium batteries that require a lithium battery mark on the package (i.e. laptop and smartphone batteries).
- Class 9: Unmarked lithium batteries: Smaller lithium batteries that qualify to be shipped without a lithium battery mark when they meet applicable requirements (i.e., some camera and watch batteries).
- Ground-only: This option should be selected if your product is not classified as hazardous material but is intended to ship via ground transportation only. This applies to products that do not fit a defined shipping category but are restricted to ground transport.
- Limited Quantity: This option is intended for qualifying hazardous products packaged in limited amounts that in accordance with transportation regulations, includes items such as perfumes, paints, nail gels, adhesives, and certain cosmetic aerosols.
Service impacts
For Chit Chats U.S. Select and U.S. Edge shipments, declaring HAZMAT will not result in additional charges.
However, for USPS Priority Mail, a HAZMAT handling surcharge of $7.50 USD will apply.
Once a shipment is declared as HAZMAT, it will no longer be eligible for:
- U.S. territories and military (APO/FPO/DPO) addresses
- Chit Chats U.S. Connect postage
Note: Non-compliance may result in delivery refusal, delays, or USPS-imposed fines.
If you do not declare HAZMAT for an item that is deemed as hazardous there will be a $50 non-compliance fee which will be applied to your account. Please note that this is typically done as a postage adjustment which will be applied after the package has shipped.
How do I declare HAZMAT?
You must accurately declare all applicable HAZMAT items when creating postage.
Depending on how you create postage on the Chit Chats platform, there are several ways to confirm that a shipment contains hazardous materials (HAZMAT).
- When creating postage manually, simply select the appropriate HAZMAT category from the dropdown menu during the shipping process.
- If you import orders from a connected store, we recommend using presets as this information is not able to be transferred to our platform. For an even more streamlined experience, you can enable preset automation to automatically apply the appropriate preset to eligible shipments as they are imported.
- If you import shipments via CSV import, use the item_hazmat_code column and enter the appropriate HAZMAT code for each applicable shipment, as shown below. Be sure to enter all codes in CAPITAL LETTERS.
Additional packaging and labeling requirements
USPS uses automated detection systems to identify hazardous materials. To remain compliant, you must ensure your shipments meet all applicable packaging and labeling requirements.
- You will be required to include marking stickers on any shipments that have any HAZMAT.
- Apply the required HAZMAT marking to the same side of the package as the postage label.
- Use packaging that meets USPS requirements for the hazardous material being shipped.
- Do not reuse boxes that display old shipping labels or outdated HAZMAT markings.
- Include the appropriate HAZMAT label based on the contents of your shipment.
| HAZMAT Category | Label Marking | Example |
| Flammable Liquids (Perfume, nail polish, etc) | DOT Limited Quantity Label |  |
| Nonspillable Batteries | A “NONSPILLABLE BATTERY” label |  |
| Larger Lithium Batteries (found in electronic devices such as laptops, smartphones, power tools, cameras, and rechargeable accessories) | DOT lithium battery mark label |  |
| Smaller Lithium Batteries (Button cell batteries (small round batteries commonly found in watches, key fobs, hearing aids, and calculators) | Not required | |
| Ground-only/limited quantity hazardous materials (Cleaning products) | DOT Limited Quantity Label | |
We’re here to help
We understand that these new requirements may be an adjustment, and we’re here to support you every step of the way.
If you’re unsure whether your products qualify as hazardous materials, need help setting up HAZMAT presets or automation, or have questions about USPS compliance, our team is happy to help.
If you’d like personalized guidance, you can schedule a one-on-one call with one of our specialists. They’ll walk you through the new requirements, answer your questions, and help ensure your shipping workflow is set up for success.
For additional guidance, including HAZMAT definitions, packaging requirements, and labeling instructions, please visit our support article.