What is a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS)?
Do I need an MSDS?
What are dangerous goods?
🙋 Why do I need an MSDS?
For 2 reasons:
1. To make sure proper safety measures were taken to ship such goods and that vessel safety rules are not breached.
2. To determine additional shipping costs associated with sending hazardous materials.
Who provides it?
The manufacturer. It's their responsibility to provide the tested results in the required format.
They may later provide it to the freight forwarder who will submit it to Customs.
How do you prepare an MSDS report?
As a buyer, if you’re shipping commercialized/readily available products in the market, MSDSs are mostly readily obtainable online.
If your goods are unique, you must ask your manufacturer to prepare one.
💰 Does it cost to prepare an MSDS? If so, how much?
It depends on the type of lab or testing company you hire - there is no standard rate.
Who pays for the MSDS report?
The manufacturer.
What if I cannot acquire an MSDS?
Your shipment could get delayed because the rules for shipping Dangerous Goods are strict. Most Dangerous Goods shipments can only be sent on cargo-only flights which are less frequent than daily passenger flights.
Proud Co-Founder and CEO of Bookairfreight. Shortly after starting to work in the world of logistics, I was astonished at how difficult and time consuming it was for businesses to get their hands on a simple air freight quote. I saw this as an opportunity to really make a difference in people’s lives, and felt like I had to do something. It was the spark that lit the fire of Bookairfreight’s creation.