DGR 8.1 — Shipper's Declaration for Dangerous Goods (SDDG): Structure & Completion Rules

Shipper's Declaration for Dangerous Goods (SDDG) — Structure & Completion Rules

The Shipper's Declaration for Dangerous Goods (SDDG) is the primary legal document governing the transport of hazardous materials by air under IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations (DGR) Section 8. By executing the SDDG, the shipper legally certifies that the consignment has been fully identified, classified, packaged, marked, labeled, and prepared in absolute compliance with applicable civil aviation regulations and IATA standards. Air carriers and ground handling agents rely on the accuracy of this declaration to assess aircraft compatibility, calculate weight and balance, assign cargo holds, and prepare emergency response documentation.

Under international aviation law, offering dangerous goods for air transport with an inaccurate, incomplete, or fraudulent declaration constitutes a severe regulatory violation. Consequently, strict completion rules dictate every field, column entry, strikeout rule, and signature line on the standardized SDDG form.

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Physical Document Format & General Requirements

To ensure immediate visual recognition across global air transport hubs, the physical SDDG document must satisfy specific standardized design and language criteria.

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|  |                                                                   |  |
|  |            SHIPPER'S DECLARATION FOR DANGEROUS GOODS              |  |
|  |                                                                   |  |
|  |  SHIPPER:                                                         |  |
|  |  Apex Chemical Technologies LLC                                   |  |
|  |  1200 Industrial Parkway, Suite 400                               |  |
|  |  Houston, TX 77001 USA                                            |  |
|  |                                                                   |  |
|  |  CONSIGNEE:                                                       |  |
|  |  EuroLab Research Facilities GmbH                                 |  |
|  |  Flughafenstrasse 85                                              |  |
|  |  60549 Frankfurt, Germany                                         |  |
|  |                                                                   |  |
|  |  AIR WAYBILL NO: 125-98765432       PAGE 1 OF 1                   |  |
|  |                                                                   |  |
|  |  TRANSPORT DETAILS:                                               |  |
|  |  Airport of Departure: IAH          Airport of Destination: FRA   |  |
|  |                                                                   |  |
|  |  SHIPMENT TYPE:   [NON-RADIOACTIVE]  /  [RADIOACTIVE]             |  |
|  |  LIMITATIONS:     [PASSENGER AND CARGO AIRCRAFT] / [CARGO AIRCRAFT]|
|  |                                                                   |  |
|  |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||  |
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1. Red Hatched Border (Red Hatching)

• The standard SDDG form features a distinctive red-hatched (candy-stripe) border along its left and right vertical margins. This visual border alerts cargo acceptance staff and flight crews that hazardous cargo is present.
• Black-and-white / Monochrome Forms: Printed forms without red hatching are permissible only when specifically authorized by State variations or written operator approvals (e.g., electronic SDDG systems that generate monochrome hard copies).

2. Language Requirement

• All entries on the SDDG must be completed in English.
• While the State of Origin may require its national language in addition to English, English remains mandatory for international air carriage.

3. Number of Copies

• The shipper must complete and sign at least two identical copies of the SDDG:
  1. Operator Origin Copy: Retained by the accepting carrier at the airport of origin for administrative and regulatory audit archives.
  2. Transport Copy: Accompanies the shipment in the document pouch to the final destination.

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Header & Administrative Information Fields

The upper section of the declaration captures critical administrative metadata linking the shipper, recipient, airway bill, and operational limits.

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Aircraft Limitations & Shipment Type Deletion Rules

A critical legal requirement on the SDDG is the strict application of deletion rules across pre-printed transport choice boxes. Failure to correctly strike out non-applicable options renders the declaration null and void.

CORRECT DELETION FOR PASSENGER & CARGO FLIGHT:
   PASSENGER AND CARGO AIRCRAFT  /  CARGO AIRCRAFT ONLY  <-- (Striking out CAO permits Passenger flights)

CORRECT DELETION FOR CARGO AIRCRAFT ONLY (CAO) FLIGHT:
   PASSENGER AND CARGO AIRCRAFT  /  CARGO AIRCRAFT ONLY  <-- (Striking out Passenger permits CAO flights)

1. Aircraft Limitations Block

• The form presents two options: PASSENGER AND CARGO AIRCRAFT and CARGO AIRCRAFT ONLY.
• Passenger Carriage: To ship on passenger aircraft, the shipper must strike out / draw a single line through CARGO AIRCRAFT ONLY. This indicates the cargo complies with strict passenger quantity limitations.
• Cargo Aircraft Only (CAO): To ship on cargo-only aircraft (required when package quantities exceed passenger limits or substance is CAO-restricted), the shipper must strike out PASSENGER AND CARGO AIRCRAFT.

2. Shipment Type Block

• The form presents two choices: NON-RADIOACTIVE and RADIOACTIVE.
• For standard chemical and industrial dangerous goods (Classes 1–6, 8, 9), the shipper must strike out RADIOACTIVE.
• For Class 7 radioactive materials, the shipper must strike out NON-RADIOACTIVE.
• Forbidden Practice: Combining radioactive and non-radioactive dangerous goods on a single line entry or single declaration form is strictly prohibited unless specifically authorized under DGR Section 8.1.6.

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Nature and Quantity of Dangerous Goods (the tabular grid)

The core of the SDDG consists of a structured tabular grid detailing the hazardous contents. Information must be entered in exact column sequence without alteration.

$\text{Sequence: UN Number} \rightarrow \text{Proper Shipping Name} \rightarrow \text{Class/Div} \rightarrow \text{Sub Risk} \rightarrow \text{Packing Group}$

Detailed Breakdown of Mandatory Columns

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Additional Handling Information & Shipper Certification

Below the tabular grid, the shipper must record special operational directives and execute the legal signature.

1. Emergency Contact Phone Number

• Under specific State variations — notably USG-12 for shipments to, from, within, or transiting the United States, and FRG-07 for France — a 24-hour emergency response telephone number must be entered in the Additional Handling Information box (see DGR 8.1.6.11). Some operators impose the same requirement through an operator variation, such as Japan Airlines' JL-11.
• The phone number must include full international area codes and connect directly to a person or service knowledgeable about the emergency response details of the hazardous material.

2. Mandatory Handling Statements

• Overpacks: If an overpack is used, the statement Overpack Used must be recorded, listing package counts and numbers.
• Dry Ice: When solid carbon dioxide is included as a refrigerant, details must specify: UN 1845, Dry Ice, 9, 1 x 15 kg net mass.
• Cargo Aircraft Only Directive: If the shipment is restricted to cargo aircraft, the box must clearly note Cargo Aircraft Only or CAO handling instructions.

3. Shipper Certification Signature & Date

• Declaration Text: Pre-printed certification declaring that the contents are fully accurately described, classified, packaged, marked, and labeled.
• Shipper's Name: Printed full name of the authorized shipper representative.
• Date: Date of execution displaying day, month, and year (e.g., 11 August 2026).
• Signature: Legitimate physical handwritten signature, stamped signature, or validated electronic signature in compliance with the e-DGD criteria.

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Summary of SDDG Completion Standards