Armstrong Magnetics, Inc. designs, manufactures and distributes high quality magnets and magnetic products since 1994 Learn more about Armstrong Can I Ship Neodymium Magnets by Air?   
lifting magnets   Armstrong Magnetics, Inc.
(800) 965-4968 | sales@armsmag.com | Shopping Cart  
   
Armstrong Magnetics on YouTube     Armstrong Magnetics on LinkedIn    Armstrong Magnetics on Google Plus     Armstrong Magnetics on Facebook    

Can I Ship Neodymium Magnets by Air?

Posted on July 20, 2017

Armstrong Neodymium Magnets

For customers in Canada, USA and Mexico, all of our magnetic products are shipped by ground as either parcel or LTL. For international customers, we handle all the shipping by air freight for small items or by ocean shipping for large quantities.

When air shipment is required, magnets delivery must follow the International Air Transport Association’s Dangerous Goods Regulations Packing Guideline 953.

  • The package is considered as Dangerous Goods if magnetic flux of the package is equal or greater than 0.002 gauss at a distance of 7-feet from the package in any direction, and must be cleared marked as “Magnetic Material”.
  • The package containing magnetic products is forbidden to be shipped by air if it is equal to greater than 0.00525 gauss or deflect a compass needle by more than 2-degree at a distance 15-feet from the package in any direction. Whether shipping via ground or air, powerful magnetic field can be problematic for sorting equipment and air craft navigation which was designed based on 0.5 gauss magnetic field of the Earth. Any directional alteration can be dangerous during flight navigation.
For every air shipment, we ensure that the powerful magnetic material and assemblies are well shielded for their magnetic fields to meet the criteria, especially for the strongest rare earth Neodymium magnets:
  • We all know magnets attract steel objects. Thus, it is important to securely keep the magnets in a distance away from the edges of the packages. Packing bubbles are not an option as the magnets can be shifted inside the box in transit. We place Styrofoam board sheets around all 6 sides leaving zero gap inside the box and allowing enough space around the magnetic material (magnetic attractive strength is very sensitive to air gap and decreases dramatically with increases of air gap).
  • If necessary for large sized Neodymium magnets with far-reaching magnetic fields, magnets are packed and shipped in steel-lined boxes to reduce their magnetic flux further.
  • We test and ensure that a compass does not deflect more than 15-degree at 2.5 feet from the package and the shipment does not fall under “dangerous goods” and does not need additional inspections by authorities for special measures that would lead to delays and greater costs. If classified as Dangerous Goods, the package would incur an additional costly transportation fee on top of high international air freight fee, and of course a lot more paperwork.
Neodymium magnets and mount neodymium magnets generate an extensive and strong magnetic field, much more than the other magnetic materials. Our shipping department make sure every single one of our shipment is packed to minimize any damage during transit and test out accurately to avoid endangerment and penalties from the flight authority.