Amazon FBA dangerous goods (hazmat) review

Two separate sets of rules

When a product contains something flammable, pressurized, corrosive or a lithium battery, two different systems decide what happens to it:

• Amazon's dangerous goods review decides whether the product can be stored and sold through FBA, and on what terms. It is an Amazon policy, run by Amazon's dangerous goods team.
• Transport law decides whether and how the goods can travel: the IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations for air, the IMDG Code for ocean, and the U.S. Hazardous Materials Regulations (49 CFR Parts 171 to 180) for transport in the U.S.

Passing one does not mean passing the other. An ASIN that Amazon has cleared for FBA can still be refused by an airline, and a product that ships legally by sea can still sit blocked in Seller Central. Plan for both before you produce the first carton.

Abanro can coordinate hazardous materials and dangerous goods shipments, subject to the applicable regulations, correct product classification, complete documentation and suitable transport, handling and storage arrangements. Not every product is eligible: it depends on the product and the rules that apply to it. Send your safety data sheet with your quote request and we will confirm the options.

What Amazon treats as dangerous goods

Amazon describes dangerous goods (also called hazardous materials or hazmat) as products that could pose a risk if not stored, shipped or handled properly, because they contain substances that are flammable, pressurized, corrosive or otherwise harmful. Its own examples, from the Sell on Amazon guide to dangerous goods, are useful because many of them are everyday consumer products:

Amazon's documentation also says the review covers products regulated as dangerous goods for transportation, storage or waste, and products classified as dangerous under the GHS and CLP chemical classification systems, which you can usually spot by the hazard pictograms on the label.

The transport rules group dangerous goods into nine UN classes, which you will see on a safety data sheet and on shipping documents: explosives; gases; flammable liquids; flammable solids; oxidizers and organic peroxides; toxic and infectious substances; radioactive material; corrosives; and miscellaneous dangerous goods, which includes lithium batteries and environmentally hazardous substances (IATA).

Some items cannot be sold or shipped at all. Amazon notes that products such as explosives, radioactive materials and certain highly flammable fuels may not be legally transported or sold, and points sellers to its prohibited products rules.

SDS or exemption sheet: which document Amazon wants

After you create a listing or convert one to FBA, Amazon may ask for one of two documents (Amazon Seller Central). You upload it with the Manage dangerous goods classification tool in Seller Central (Sell on Amazon).

Safety data sheet (SDS)

An SDS is the standard document a manufacturer issues for a chemical product. It describes the hazards, composition, handling, storage and transport classification. You get it from the manufacturer. Amazon's documentation says an SDS is needed for an existing listing when none was uploaded, when the uploaded one is not valid, or when its information contradicts the listing.

Before you upload it, check that:

• the product name on the SDS matches the product you list, not a sister product or a single ingredient;
• it is complete and legible, in English, and current for the formula you are actually selling;
• its transport section matches what your listing says (for example, a liquid volume or a battery type).

Exemption sheet

An exemption sheet is the alternative when a product is not dangerous goods. Amazon's documentation describes two uses: for batteries and battery-powered products when the dangerous goods information in the listing is incomplete, and for products that do not contain harmful chemicals (it gives alcohol, acid and sodium as examples) when no SDS can be obtained.

An exemption sheet is a statement that the product is not dangerous. If the product's formula or battery says otherwise, the sheet will not hold up, and it is your account that carries the risk.

Information Amazon asks for in the listing

• Batteries: whether the battery is standalone, packed with a device or contained in it, and for lithium-ion and lithium-metal batteries, the watt-hour rating or lithium content.
• Gases and liquids: the volume.
• Hazard information: any GHS pictograms and hazard classification that appear on the product or its SDS.

How the Amazon hazmat review works

Amazon's guide describes the process in a fixed order: confirm whether the product is dangerous goods, provide the dangerous goods information when you create or convert the listing, upload any documents requested, wait for the review, and then follow the packaging standards and quantity limits for each inventory shipment. Some products also require enrollment in the FBA dangerous goods program, and certain types must be packed in limited quantities.

1. 1 You and the manufacturer Check the product Batteries, liquids, aerosols, chemicals, GHS pictograms
2. 2 You Complete the listing Battery, volume and hazard information
3. 3 You Upload a document SDS or exemption sheet, if Amazon asks
4. 4 Amazon Review Amazon's dangerous goods team classifies the ASIN
5. 5 You and your carriers Ship to the rules Packaging and quantity limits for the classification

Timing, as Amazon states it

An Amazon seller help document on dangerous goods information and documentation gives these timings. The document is undated and does not name a marketplace, so treat them as a guide and confirm the current timing for the U.S. store in Seller Central:

• A new or converted listing with complete and correct information is reviewed within two business days (Monday to Friday, excluding public holidays).
• If Amazon asks for documents on inventory that is already in a fulfillment center, you have 14 business days from Amazon's email notice to provide them. If you do not, the inventory is disposed of at your expense.
• Missing information or documents can lead to delayed shipments and cancelled customer deliveries.

The current timing for your account is shown on the dangerous goods review page in Seller Central. Amazon's guide makes the same point in plainer terms: complete and accurate information gives the fastest review.

What the outcome means

The review ends with a classification of the ASIN. If it is classified as not dangerous goods, it moves through FBA like any other product. If it is classified as dangerous goods, it can only be sold through FBA under Amazon's dangerous goods rules, which may include program enrollment, packaging standards and quantity limits. Some products cannot be sold through FBA at all. Do not send inventory for an ASIN that has not been classified yet: Amazon warns that missing information and documents lead to delayed shipments.

How to fix a blocked ASIN

Most blocked or stuck reviews come down to a mismatch between the listing, the document and the product. Work through it in this order:

1. Read the exact status. Check the ASIN with the Look up an ASIN tool in Seller Central, which shows the classification status (Amazon dangerous goods documentation), and note what Amazon is asking for: a document, missing battery or volume information, or a classification it could not complete.
2. Check the listing data. A listing that says "contains battery" or gives a liquid volume will be reviewed on that basis. Correct any attribute that is wrong before you upload anything.
3. Get the right document. Ask the manufacturer for an SDS that names your exact product. If the product is not dangerous goods, prepare an exemption sheet that matches the product's real formula or battery.
4. Make everything agree. The product name, listing attributes and document should describe the same thing. Contradictory information is one of the reasons Amazon gives for asking for a new SDS.
5. Upload once, then wait for the review. Uploading the same document several times does not usually change the result.
6. Escalate if it stays stuck. In a Seller Forums thread about an ASIN shown as “Not classified: Unable to classify”, an Amazon staff member resolved it by sending a ticket to the hazmat team through Selling Partner Support (Amazon Seller Forums). Open a case with the ASIN, the documents and what the status says.

If units of a blocked ASIN are already sitting in a fulfillment center, act on Amazon's deadline for documents first, or decide whether to remove them; our guide to Amazon FBA removals and returns covers the options. If a U.S.-bound shipment is held or refused before it reaches Amazon, see Shipment Recovery.

Getting dangerous goods to the U.S.: air, ocean and U.S. rules

Amazon's classification does not cover the trip. Moving dangerous goods from your factory to the U.S. falls under transport rules that apply to you as the shipper, whatever Amazon decides.

Air: IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations

Airlines, forwarders and shippers use the IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations (DGR) to classify, mark, pack, label and document dangerous goods for air. IATA publishes a new edition every year. According to IATA, the shipper must use permitted packaging, respect quantity limits per package, label each package and complete a Shipper's Declaration for Dangerous Goods with the air waybill. Shipments with incomplete or incorrect documents cannot be accepted. Anyone who prepares or offers dangerous goods for air needs training, renewed every two years.

Lithium batteries get extra attention. PHMSA's lithium battery guide notes that lithium-ion cells and batteries shipped on their own by cargo aircraft must be at a state of charge of no more than 30 percent, that standalone lithium batteries are forbidden on passenger aircraft in most cases, and that damaged, defective or recalled batteries may never travel by air.

Ocean: IMDG Code

The International Maritime Dangerous Goods (IMDG) Code sets the rules for packaged dangerous goods by sea: packing, container handling, stowage and keeping incompatible substances apart. It has been mandatory under the SOLAS convention since January 1, 2004 and is amended on a two-year cycle. Declare dangerous goods to the ocean carrier when you book, not at the port: carriers can add their own restrictions on top of the Code.

U.S. rules: DOT, PHMSA and 49 CFR

In the U.S., the Hazardous Materials Regulations (49 CFR Parts 171 to 180) are issued by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) of the U.S. Department of Transportation. Under 49 CFR 171.22, shipments may move under the ICAO Technical Instructions (for air) or the IMDG Code (for ocean), with conditions. Among them:

• the person importing hazardous materials into the U.S. must give the shipper and the forwarding agent at the port of entry timely, complete written information about the U.S. requirements for that shipment;
• shipping papers and package markings must be in English (dual-language markings are allowed);
• shipments in the U.S. must also meet U.S. emergency response, training, security, incident reporting and registration requirements, as applicable.

For lithium batteries, PHMSA adds that cells and batteries must have passed UN 38.3 testing, and that manufacturers and later distributors must make the test summary available. Fully regulated shipments bring the hazmat employee training requirements of 49 CFR 172.704. Getting it wrong can mean fines or criminal prosecution.

Parcel and courier networks often have tighter rules than the regulations, and some do not accept certain classes at all. Check the carrier's own dangerous goods policy before you book, including for the final leg to an Amazon fulfillment center.

Common mistakes with the Amazon hazmat review

• Listing first, asking for the SDS later. A factory or trading company can take weeks to send one. Ask for it when you place the order.
• Using an SDS for a similar product. The document has to describe the exact product you list.
• Filling in battery or liquid fields by guesswork. Wrong attributes start a review that the product would not otherwise need, or a classification that does not fit it.
• Shipping before classification. Stock that arrives before the review is finished can wait, and documents requested for stock already in a fulfillment center have a deadline.
• Treating Amazon approval as transport approval. The airline, ocean carrier and parcel carrier each apply their own rules.
• Mixing dangerous and ordinary goods in one carton without telling anyone. Undeclared dangerous goods can stop the whole shipment.
• Forgetting the prep rules. Since January 1, 2026, Amazon no longer preps or labels units for the U.S. FBA program. Read Amazon FBA prep requirements in 2026 and FNSKU labels vs. manufacturer barcodes for what units need on arrival.

A checklist before you list

1. Check every SKU for batteries, liquids, aerosols, alcohol, solvents, oils and hazard pictograms.
2. Ask the manufacturer for an SDS for each product that could be affected, naming the exact product.
3. Fill in the battery, volume and hazard fields in the listing from the SDS, not from memory.
4. Wait for Amazon's classification before you book freight.
5. Tell your forwarder or carrier exactly what is in the cartons, and confirm air or ocean acceptance in writing.
6. Plan prep, labeling and cartons for Amazon: see FBA box and pallet requirements and sending inventory to Amazon FBA from overseas.

Abanro manages the route Door to Door from your warehouse abroad: international shipping, U.S. customs clearance, receiving near the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, Amazon FBA prep and labeling, and delivery to Amazon. For dangerous goods, we coordinate each step in compliance with the applicable requirements, using appropriately authorized carriers, warehouses and specialized partners when the product calls for it. Whether a specific product can be accepted depends on its classification, packaging, documentation and Amazon's decision on the ASIN, and we confirm that before anything ships.

This guide is general information, not legal or regulatory advice. Amazon's policies and the transport regulations change, so confirm the current rules for your product, your carriers and your marketplace before you ship.

Sources and further reading

1. What Amazon FBA sellers should know about dangerous goods (January 4, 2025), Sell on Amazon blog
2. Dangerous goods required information and documentation (hazmat) (undated, no marketplace named), Amazon seller help document (PDF)
3. Dangerous goods review process (hazmat) (help page, sign-in required), Amazon Seller Central
4. Safety data sheets and exemption sheets (help page, sign-in required), Amazon Seller Central
5. Not classified: Unable to classify (Amazon staff reply), Amazon Seller Forums
6. Dangerous Goods Regulations (DGR), International Air Transport Association (IATA)
7. What you need to know about the transport of dangerous goods by air, IATA Knowledge Hub
8. The International Maritime Dangerous Goods (IMDG) Code, International Maritime Organization (IMO)
9. Lithium Battery Guide for Shippers (revised October 2024), U.S. DOT Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA)
10. 49 CFR 171.22: Authorization and conditions for the use of international standards and regulations, PHMSA

Sources checked on October 20, 2026