Limited Quantity is the IMDG provision allowing dangerous goods packed in small inner packagings to ship under significantly reduced regulatory requirements. Each substance has a maximum LQ inner-packaging size, typically 0.5 to 5 litres for liquids or 0.5 to 5 kilograms for solids. The outer combination packaging is capped at 30kg gross. LQ cargo skips much of the standard DG documentation, marking, and stowage burden, in exchange for accepting the size constraint.
What LQ exempts and what it does not
LQ shipments are exempt from:
- The full DG marking on each inner package (the LQ mark on the outer packaging covers it)
- The Class placards on individual outer packagings
- Most segregation requirements at sea (LQ packages are treated as general cargo for segregation)
- The full DG declaration on the bill of lading (a simplified declaration applies)
LQ shipments are not exempt from:
- The substance still being identified by UN number on the SDS and any safety documentation
- The carrier’s right to refuse the cargo if it presents specific risk
- The buyer’s destination regulatory obligations (REACH registration, TSCA inventory check, etc.)
- Quantity-per-container caps that some carriers impose on LQ DG
The LQ size limits
Each substance has a substance-specific LQ inner-packaging maximum, listed in column 7a of the IMDG Dangerous Goods List. A few common examples:
| Substance | UN number | Class / PG | LQ inner max |
|---|---|---|---|
| Methanol | UN 1230 | 3 / II | 1 L |
| Acetone | UN 1090 | 3 / II | 1 L |
| Ethanol | UN 1170 | 3 / II | 5 L |
| Sulphuric acid | UN 1830 | 8 / II | 1 L |
| Sodium hydroxide solid | UN 1823 | 8 / II | 5 kg |
| Hydrogen peroxide 50% | UN 2014 | 5.1 / II | 1 L |
| Phenol solid | UN 1671 | 6.1 / II | 5 kg |
A substance marked “0” in column 7a is not eligible for LQ at all, must ship as full DG. PG I substances are typically not LQ-eligible.
The outer combination packaging holding the LQ inner packages is capped at 30kg gross weight. So a box of 10 inner bottles of 1 litre methanol each (10 litres × ~0.79 kg/L = 7.9 kg of methanol, plus packaging weight) fits within both the 1L per-inner cap and the 30kg outer cap.
The LQ marking
The LQ mark is a black-and-white diamond, with the upper and lower triangles black and the middle band white, optionally with a “Y” inside if the package is also approved for air transport under the corresponding IATA LQ provisions.
The mark must appear on at least one face of the outer packaging. No other DG markings are required on the outer; no Class placard, no UN number on the outer (although the inner packagings should be labelled).
For containerised shipments where the entire container is LQ cargo, the container itself does not require Class placards. For mixed-cargo containers carrying both LQ and full-DG cargo, the container takes the placards of the full-DG cargo.
When LQ is the right choice
LQ is useful for:
- Sample shipments and trial orders. A buyer evaluating a new chemical from China for the first time can ship a 5-litre or 5-kg sample under LQ rules without engaging the full DG documentation chain. Lead time on a 1-litre methanol sample under LQ from Shanghai to a US testing lab is days, not weeks.
- Spare parts kits with small DG components. Industrial machinery shipping with small bottles of cleaning solvents, calibration fluids, or lubricants can package the DG components under LQ, sparing the entire shipment from DG treatment.
- Small-quantity research chemicals. Universities and R&D labs routinely receive LQ shipments of 100mL to 1L bottles of various substances for laboratory work.
When LQ is the wrong choice
LQ is the wrong choice when:
- The substance is PG I or otherwise not LQ-eligible. Check column 7a of the IMDG list. If “0”, LQ is not available.
- The cargo volume requires more than one outer packaging of 30kg. Beyond a few outer packages, the documentation savings disappear and the freight efficiency of full-DG bulk shipping wins.
- The destination has carrier-specific LQ caps that conflict with the volume. Some carriers cap the total LQ DG per container at a defined gross weight. Check at booking.
Carrier and freight implications
Most carriers do not apply hazmat surcharges to LQ cargo at all. The freight rate is the standard general-cargo rate. This is the financial benefit of LQ, the cargo ships as if it were not DG.
A few carriers maintain a small LQ-DG surcharge (USD 25 to USD 100 per container) but it is well below the full DG hazmat surcharge.
The “excepted quantity” tier, even smaller
For the smallest packages, IMDG also has an Excepted Quantity (EQ) provision with even tighter inner-packaging limits (typically 1mL to 30mL or 1g to 30g) and an outer cap of 1kg. EQ shipments are exempt from almost all IMDG requirements. See excepted quantity for the framework.
Operator note: the LQ-vs-bulk lead-time tradeoff
For repeat orders of the same chemical, LQ shipping does not scale well, the per-unit packaging cost is much higher than bulk. Use LQ for the first 1 to 3 sample/trial orders, then switch to standard FCL with full DG documentation once the relationship and the spec are validated. Buyers who try to maintain LQ shipping at production volumes burn 2 to 4 times more on packaging and freight than they need to.
Related terms
IMDG umbrella code. Excepted quantity is the smaller-volume tier below LQ. UN number and packing group determine LQ eligibility. DG declaration requirements differ for LQ vs full DG.