{"id":206663,"date":"2025-04-01T08:30:58","date_gmt":"2025-04-01T12:30:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thecompliancecenter.com\/ca\/?p=206663"},"modified":"2026-04-06T20:26:32","modified_gmt":"2026-04-07T00:26:32","slug":"what-is-an-overpack","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thecompliancecenter.com\/ca\/help-center\/articles\/what-is-an-overpack\/","title":{"rendered":"What is an Overpack?"},"content":{"rendered":"

This post was originally published in November 2019 and has been updated in April 2025 for accuracy.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Every few days one of our customers will call our Regulatory Helpline with questions about overpacks. Given the complexity of them, it is time to set the record straight. The focus for this blog will be the IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations<\/span><\/a> as they seem to give a clearer picture, in my opinion, than those of 49CFR for US ground, IMDG for international vessel, and TDG Canadian ground regulations.<\/p>\n

To start, let\u2019s look at a few definitions. These are found in IATA\u2019s Appendix A. Some of these may seem silly on the surface, but they are needed to drive the point home about overpacks. These definitions will all pertain to non-radioactive shipments.<\/p>\n

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  • Packaging:<\/u><\/strong>\u00a0One or more receptacles and any other components or materials necessary for the receptacles to perform their containment and other safety functions and to ensure compliance with the minimum packing requirements of these Regulations.<\/em><\/li>\n
  • Package:\u00a0<\/u><\/strong>The complete product of the packing operation consisting of the packaging and contents prepared for transport.<\/em><\/li>\n
  • Overpack:<\/u><\/strong>\u00a0An enclosure used by a single shipper to contain one or more packages and to form one handling unit for convenience of handling and stowage. Dangerous goods packages contained in the overpack must be properly packed, marked, labelled and in proper condition as required by these Regulations. Note: Shrink-wrap or banding may be considered an overpack.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n