How to Ship Magnets by Air?

In air transportation, in order to ensure safety, both people and goods need to undergo safety inspections before boarding. If your customer wants to receive their goods as soon as possible, can you ship the magnets, such as

Because the weak stray magnetic field interferes with the aircraft’s navigation system and control signals, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) lists magnetic cargo as Category 9 dangerous goods, which must be restricted during acceptance. Therefore, some air cargoes with magnetic materials need to be magnetically tested to ensure the normal flight of the aircraft. Magnetic materials, audio materials, and other instruments containing magnetic accessories must be tested for magnetism.

Air Freight Standard

According to the relevant provisions of IATA902:

If the maximum magnetic field intensity measured 2.1m away from the measured object does not exceed 0.159A/m (200nT, which is equal to 2mGs=0.002Gs), the article is not restricted as a magnetic substance and can be treated as general cargo.

If the maximum magnetic field strength measured at a distance of 2.1m from the measured object exceeds 0.159A/m, but any magnetic field at a distance of 4.6m from the surface of the measured object is less than 0.418A/m, the goods can be accepted as dangerous goods.

If the intensity of any magnetic field at a distance of 4.6m from the surface of the tested item is greater than 0.418A/m, then the item is strictly forbidden to be transported by air.

How to meet air transport standards？

In order to meet the above air transportation requirements, special shielded packaging can be used to make the magnetic display of the package meet the specified aviation safety transportation requirements. Shielding packaging generally uses high-permeability materials, such as cold-rolled sheets, galvanized sheets, etc. If the amount of magnetic materials is large, several layers are required.

The magnetic permeability of high-permeability materials is very high. According to the Faraday cage principle, the magnetic field mainly circulates in the box after packaging, and there is very little leakage. The shielding package is then packed in a carton or wooden box.

Magnetic Detection

Airlines or logistics companies that carry magnetic materials will require customers to do magnetic testing and issue an “Air Transport Conditions Identification Report” to ensure the normal flight of the aircraft. Air transport appraisal can generally only be issued by a qualified professional appraisal company recognized by the civil aviation administration, and it is generally necessary to send samples to the appraisal company for professional testing, and then issue an appraisal report. If it is inconvenient to send samples, professionals from the appraisal company will conduct an on-site inspection and then issue an appraisal report. The validity period of the appraisal report is generally used in the current year and usually needs to be re-made after the new year.

The magnetic inspection requires the customer to pack the goods according to the air transportation requirements. The inspection will not damage the packaging of the goods. In principle, the inspection does not open the goods, but only detects the stray magnetic field on the 6 sides of each goods. If the magnetic inspection of the goods fails, special attention is required. First, with the consent of the customer, the magnetic inspection staff will be entrusted to unpack the goods for inspection, and then make relevant reasonable suggestions based on the specific situation. If the shielding can meet the requirements of air transportation, the cargo will be shielded according to the customer’s entrustment and related fees will be charged.

Conclusion 

Thank you for reading our article and we hope it can help you to have a better understanding of how to ship magnets by air. If you want to learn more about magnets, we would like to advise you to visit our magnet materials for more information.

As a magnet supplier in China we has been involved in R&D, manufacturing, and sales of magnets since 2010. It provides customers with high-quality permanent magnets like SmCo magnets, neodymium magnets, AlNiCo magnets, and ferrite magnets (ceramic magnets) at a very competitive price.