What to pay attention to when shipping magnetic products by air and sea

When shipping magnetic products, the most frequently asked questions by customers are: "Can it be shipped?" and "How can it be shipped safely?"

The reality is: courier services do not handle it, and many air and sea freight double customs clearance channels also do not accept it. Magnetic products are considered sensitive goods, and they basically cannot be shipped through ordinary channels. In the end, everyone has to seriously consider only two options: air freight or sea freight.

The fluctuation of freight rates is a minor issue, but the real problem is when the goods get stuck at the airport or customs. Magnetic products include audio equipment, speakers, motors, magnetic toys, mechanical parts, etc. The core risk is interfering with the aircraft's navigation system, and it may also cross the red line of rare earth control. Any problem will prevent the goods from leaving.

For air freight: First, look at the 2.1-meter figure.

Whether magnetic products can be carried on an airplane does not depend on whether they have magnets, but on the intensity of the magnetic field leakage on the outside of the packaging.

The IAA rules make this matter very strict:

At 2.1 meters, the magnetic field intensity ≤ 0.159 A/m: can be transported as general goods.

Exceeding the standard at 2.1 meters, but ≤0.418A/m at 4.6 meters: according to UN2807 class 9 dangerous goods declaration, magnetic substance operation label must be attached.

If it still exceeds at 4.6 meters: must obtain the approval of the authorities of the origin country and the carrier country before transportation, and passenger aircraft generally refuse to accept it.

Without a magnetic inspection report, shipping the goods will almost certainly be stopped by the magnetic screening gate at the airport. The magnetic inspection report must be issued by a third-party institution recognized by IATA, and it detects the magnetic field intensity on the outside of the entire box of packaging. The report is usually valid for one year and can be reused for the same model and packaging.

Most of the products of weak magnetic products such as Bluetooth headsets and low-power loudspeakers have been screened by factories, and the probability of passing magnetic inspection is high. However, large power audio equipment, large-sized speaker units, and strong magnetic bare magnets have an extremely high probability of exceeding the magnetic limit. If the inspection exceeds the limit, they need to be packaged with shielding - using cold-rolled steel plates and other materials to make a professional multi-layer shielding box to form a closed magnetic cage. Ordinary carton packing directly, even if the magnet is small, it will still fail the security check.

Strong magnetic bare magnets are not recommended for air freight, and sea freight is more reliable.

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For sea freight: First, prepare the "Certificate of transport for goods", which serves as the pass

For magnetic products transported by sea, although it is not as strictly limited on the magnetic field intensity as air transport, the core threshold is the Certificate of transport for goods.

This report is issued by a qualified laboratory based on the international maritime dangerous goods rules (IMDG Code). Its sole purpose is to answer one question: Can the shipping company accept your goods as ordinary goods? Or must they be transported as dangerous goods?

The validity period is usually one year, and if it expires, it needs to redo it. Without this report, the shipping company will not accept space booking.

If the assessment shows that the magnetic field intensity is within the standard, it can be shipped as general goods. However, if it is determined to be UN2807 (MAGNETIC MATERIAL), the packaging must follow the regulations: the outer packaging should be in a strong wooden box or metal drum, and the surface of the packaging should be affixed with a Class 9 dangerous goods label and marked with the words "MAGNETIC MATERIAL".

One detail that’s particularly easy to overlook: When shipping via LCL, be sure to inform your freight forwarder in advance that your cargo is magnetized. When the freight forwarder is loading the container, they’ll need to place it away from precision instruments and navigation equipment to prevent mutual magnetic interference.

A more hidden minefield: Magnetic materials containing dysprosium and terbium are subject to export controls

This is the most easily overlooked yet most serious issue for 2025–2026, and it cannot be avoided whether shipping by air or sea.

Many products use neodymium-iron-boron permanent magnets. Neodymium-iron-boron itself is not the issue; the problem lies in the heavy rare earth elements—such as dysprosium and terbium—that may be present in their composition. According to Announcement No. 18 of 2025 issued by the Ministry of Commerce and the General Administration of Customs, samarium-cobalt permanent magnet materials, neodymium-iron-boron permanent magnet materials containing terbium, and neodymium-iron-boron permanent magnet materials containing dysprosium are subject to national export controls; exports must be accompanied by a “Dual-Use Items and Technologies Export License.”

How do customs authorities conduct inspections? Through sampling and testing. Even a dysprosium content of just 0.1% or higher meets the control threshold.

This is not merely a theoretical risk. In January 2026, Ningbo Airport Customs intercepted a shipment of neodymium-iron-boron magnets destined for export. Testing revealed a dysprosium content exceeding 0.1%, classifying the shipment as a controlled item. Since the company had not obtained the required license, it was subject to administrative penalties. Weihai Customs has also intercepted rare earth magnets declared for export that contained dysprosium; the company was similarly fined for exporting without a license.

The key question: What exactly is the composition of your magnetic steel products?

Many brand owners cannot even answer this themselves. Magnetic steel suppliers are further upstream; if they are unaware that the product contains dysprosium and declare it as general cargo, the consequences are not merely delays—they include administrative penalties or even classification as smuggling. What’s even more problematic is that obtaining a license retroactively is virtually impossible—licenses must be applied for before customs declaration.

Looking from Senghor Logistics Warehouse to Yantian Port 2

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What should a qualified freight forwarder actually do?

A qualified freight forwarder does more than just provide a quote. Anyone can give a quote; what’s truly valuable is identifying where the risks lie and ensuring safe shipment.

Specifically, they should guide you through these steps:

Step 1: Confirm the magnetic steel’s composition before shipment.

Don’t just ask the supplier, “Does it contain dysprosium?”—instead, request a composition test report. If it contains dysprosium or terbium, apply for a dual-use item license in advance. Without this step, all subsequent operations are built on sand.

Step 2: Conduct a magnetic inspection for air freight and a Certificate of transport for goods for sea freight.

For air freight, the key is the magnetic inspection report: if within limits, ship as general cargo; if above limits, implement shielding. For sea freight, the key is the Certificate of transport for goods, which determines whether the cargo is shipped as general cargo or as dangerous goods. If the product contains lithium batteries, a UN 38.3 test report and an MSDS are also required.