Damaged, defective or recalled batteries
The parcel is surface-only and, on UPS's own guidance, limited to the lower 48 US states. The item cannot ride in a passenger aircraft or the belly of a widebody freighter under normal freight rules.
Ground-only marking
The Do Not Ship by Air label, precisely
There is no single “Do Not Ship by Air” sticker in US hazmat rules. What sits on a ground-only parcel is one of two specific markings under 49 CFR 173.185 and Subpart E: the primary-lithium passenger-aircraft warning, or the Cargo Aircraft Only diamond hazard label. The wording, the size and the placement come out of the regulation, not the vendor. Text quoted below was read from 49 CFR 173.185 on ecfr.gov on 2026-08-11.
49 CFR 173.185100 mm minimum markGround-only routing
Two markings, one job
The lithium battery mark and the Cargo Aircraft Only label are the ones that stop a parcel boarding a passenger plane.
Two markings, when each applies
Under 49 CFR 173.185 the parcel gets one marking or the other, sometimes both. Which one depends on the exact contents and their regulatory class.
| Marking | When it applies | What it says |
|---|---|---|
| Lithium battery mark (white with red hatched border) | Small lithium-ion or lithium-metal packages shipped under Section II — the exception below the fully regulated thresholds | UN number(s), phone number, and the lithium battery pictogram. 49 CFR 173.185 sets the size: “not less than 100 mm (3.9 inches) wide by 100 mm (3.9 inches) high and the minimum width of the hatching must be 5 mm.” |
| Passenger-aircraft warning for primary lithium | Primary (lithium-metal, non-rechargeable) cells and batteries barred from the belly of a passenger flight | The wording set in the rule: “PRIMARY LITHIUM BATTERIES—FORBIDDEN FOR TRANSPORT ABOARD PASSENGER AIRCRAFT.” |
| Cargo Aircraft Only label (Class 9 orange diamond variant) | Fully regulated shipments of Class 9 hazmat, including lithium batteries above Section II, that are permitted on cargo aircraft but not on passenger flights | The word CARGO AIRCRAFT ONLY in the diamond, alongside the Class 9 handling label and the correct UN number |
| Ground carrier surface-only notation | Items forbidden on all aircraft — for example, damaged or defective lithium batteries — that ride surface-only under a contract or an exception | Carrier-specific wording on the air waybill and, in some cases, the outer box; not a stand-alone regulatory label |
The “do not ship by air” phrase in ordinary usage sits over the second and third rows: a parcel the carrier will not fly. The visible marking depends on which category the contents fall into.
What triggers the ground-only routing
Loose lithium cells above the Section II threshold
Above the exception limits in 49 CFR 173.185, the shipment is fully regulated hazmat. It carries the Class 9 label, the UN3480 or UN3481 UN number, the Cargo Aircraft Only diamond and shipping papers. It cannot fly by passenger service.
Wet-cell batteries and some aerosols
Non-spillable wet-cell batteries have their own rules, and many aerosols count as Division 2.1 flammable gas. Both are commonly restricted from air belly stowage without dangerous goods paperwork, and mark up accordingly.
The exact threshold that separates a Section II exception from a fully regulated shipment is set in 49 CFR 173.185, and the rule text is the source of record. Ship a parcel that crosses the threshold under the exception and it goes on the wrong flight or gets pulled at a sortation hub.
Size, color and wording, from the rule
The lithium battery mark and the Cargo Aircraft Only diamond are engineered symbols, and every element of them is specified. The rule reads plainly on size.
Lithium battery mark: “The mark must be not less than 100 mm (3.9 inches) wide by 100 mm (3.9 inches) high and the minimum width of the hatching must be 5 mm.” Smaller packages that cannot fit the full size may use a proportionally reduced version subject to the small-package exception in the same rule.
The Cargo Aircraft Only marking is the Class 9 hazard label variant with the black cargo-aircraft pictogram and the words CARGO AIRCRAFT ONLY set inside the diamond. The lithium primary passenger-aircraft warning is a rectangular caution mark with the wording spelled out above.
The rule also forbids combining lithium batteries with other hazardous materials in the same air parcel: “Lithium cells and batteries must not be packed in the same outer packaging with other hazardous materials.” A shipper cannot solve a labeling conflict by putting two labels on one box.
The label alone does not book the shipment
Pick the ground service
Select UPS Ground, FedEx Ground, USPS Ground Advantage or another surface-only service on the label. An air service on the manifest overrides the visible label at sortation — the parcel goes on the flight.
Flag the manifest
All three carriers require the shipper to declare the shipment class in the label workflow. Section II lithium goes as an accepted commodity; fully regulated hazmat needs a Dangerous Goods contract, shipping papers and often an air waybill notation, even for a ground move.
Match the box
The visible label, the manifest flag and the service class have to agree. A hazmat parcel with the right sticker but the wrong service ships on the wrong flight; a properly-serviced parcel without the sticker is opened at the hub and either returned or delayed.
Ordering the labels
Class 9 hazard labels, the lithium battery mark and the Cargo Aircraft Only diamond are stocked by hazmat compliance vendors such as ICC Compliance Center, LabelMaster and Uline. Each vendor prints to the DOT and IATA specifications, so the mark meets the 100 mm minimum by default. Any home-printed marking has to meet the same dimensional and color standard; a color laser on plain paper works only when the sticker survives the trip — laminating over the printed mark is the usual fix, and printing it directly on the label sheet is not accepted for regulated shipments.
Where these rules come from
- Electronic Code of Federal Regulations, 49 CFR 173.185 — Lithium cells and batteries — mark size and hatching, primary-lithium passenger-aircraft warning wording, prohibition on mixed-hazmat outer packaging. Read 2026-08-11.
- UPS, How to ship batteries — damaged/defective/recalled surface-only routing and lower 48 restriction. Read 2026-08-11.
Federal hazmat rules and carrier acceptance policies both change; treat the wording above as the state of the rule on the read date, and confirm the current 49 CFR text and the carrier's own current guidance before shipping.
Common questions
What does a Do Not Ship by Air label actually say?
For primary lithium batteries, the marking reads PRIMARY LITHIUM BATTERIES—FORBIDDEN FOR TRANSPORT ABOARD PASSENGER AIRCRAFT. For hazmat allowed on a cargo aircraft but not a passenger one, the CARGO AIRCRAFT ONLY label applies. Both come from 49 CFR 173.185 and Subpart E.
When do I have to mark a package ground-only?
When it contains a Class 9 hazmat that is forbidden or restricted on passenger aircraft. Common triggers are damaged, defective or recalled lithium batteries, spare lithium-metal cells above the Section II threshold, wet-cell batteries and certain aerosols. The carrier will not accept the parcel by air without one of the markings and the accompanying documentation.
How big does the lithium battery mark have to be?
49 CFR 173.185 states the mark must be not less than 100 mm wide by 100 mm high (3.9 in by 3.9 in), with a minimum hatching width of 5 mm. Smaller marks are permitted on small packages if the surface cannot accommodate the full size.
Do carriers upload a flag as well as the visible label?
Yes. UPS, FedEx and USPS all require the shipper to select a Ground-only service and, where applicable, to attach shipping papers or an air waybill notation that flags the parcel as Cargo Aircraft Only. The visible label on the box and the electronic flag on the manifest have to match.
Where on the box does the label go?
On the same face as the shipping label and orientation arrows, high enough to survive stacking. If the parcel needs both the lithium battery mark and a CARGO AIRCRAFT ONLY diamond, place them side by side, not overlapping. A label buried under packing tape or on the bottom is treated as absent.