Biological materials — clinical samples, vaccines, diagnostic specimens, research cultures — need more preparation than a standard parcel. A shipment that isn't correctly classified, packed or documented can be delayed at customs, rejected by a carrier, or arrive compromised. Here's what to work through before it leaves your facility.
1. Classify the material correctly
The first step is identifying what category your shipment falls into, since this determines the packaging standard, documentation and carrier restrictions that apply:
- Exempt human or animal specimens — low-risk samples such as most routine diagnostic specimens.
- Biological Substance, Category B (UN3373) — samples that could contain a pathogen but aren't known to cause severe disease.
- Category A infectious substances (UN2814 / UN2900) — materials capable of causing permanent disability or life-threatening disease if exposure occurs. These carry the strictest handling and documentation requirements.
Misclassifying a shipment — even unintentionally — is one of the most common reasons biological shipments are held at customs or refused by a carrier, so get this right before anything else.
2. Confirm temperature and stability requirements
Establish how the material needs to travel: ambient, refrigerated (2–8°C), frozen (-20°C), or on dry ice (-70°C to -80°C) for ultra-low temperature stability. This decision drives your packaging choice and your transit time budget — a sample that's stable for 72 hours at 2–8°C needs a very different plan than one requiring dry ice replenishment.
3. Prepare documentation in advance
Depending on classification and destination, you may need some combination of:
- A shipper's declaration for dangerous goods (for Category A/B substances)
- Import/export permits, especially for cross-border biological material
- A commercial or pro-forma invoice
- Material safety data sheets and any relevant ethics or institutional approvals
Gathering this early avoids last-minute delays — especially for time- and temperature-sensitive shipments where a hold at customs can mean the difference between a viable and non-viable sample on arrival.
4. Coordinate pickup and transit timing
Biological shipments are time-critical in a way most cargo isn't. Confirm your pickup window, the carrier's transit time, and any handover points along the route, and build in a buffer for customs processing where the shipment crosses a border.
5. Brief the receiving party
The receiving lab or facility should know the expected arrival window and what to check on arrival — packaging integrity, temperature indicator status, and any accompanying documentation — so any issue is flagged immediately rather than discovered later.
Where we come in
Every shipment we handle starts with an assessment of the material, the required handling category and the route — before we touch packaging or paperwork. If you're preparing a biological shipment and want a second set of eyes on classification, packaging or documentation, our team can walk through it with you.