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BBQ Charcoal

Shipping Coconut Charcoal: UN 1361 / Class 4.2 Dangerous Goods

Coconut shell BBQ charcoal briquettes leave the Temanggung factory as finished, lab-graded stock, stuffed carton by carton so the load plan matches the packing list lot by lot. Stuffing at the point of manufacture keeps handling between the press line and the container door under one roof.

Coconut-shell BBQ charcoal ships as UN 1361, Class 4.2 (self-heating substance), and since the 2025 edition of the IMDG Code it must move as declared dangerous goods. Handling this correctly is a test of your supplier’s logistics competence, not a problem to hide — a mis-declared booking is what gets a container refused or held.

How It’s Classified

Dangerous-goods classification for coconut-shell charcoal Method / source: IMDG Code, Amendment 42-24 (in force 2025); UN Dangerous Goods List
Field Value
UN number 1361
Proper shipping name Carbon, animal or vegetable origin
Hazard class / division 4.2 (self-heating substance)
Packing group III
Special provision SP 978
An export carton label carries the product name, net weight and country of origin, which is what customs and the receiving importer read on arrival. Performance results are not printed on the carton — they belong on the certificate of analysis issued for the batch, with the test method named against each result.

What Changed In 2025 (IMDG Amendment 42-24)

For years, Special Provision 925 let a consignment that passed the UN N.4 self-heating test ship outside Class 4.2. Under IMDG Amendment 42-24 (in force 2025), SP 925 was withdrawn: passing the N.4 test no longer exempts the cargo. Coconut-shell charcoal now ships as Class 4.2, and Special Provision 978 sets the conditions:

  • the charcoal is either weathered for at least 14 days after carbonisation or treated by steam / inert-gas process,
  • it is packed at a temperature of ≤ 40 °C, and
  • it is consigned as Class 4.2, Packing Group III with full dangerous-goods documentation.

This is why a credible supplier weathers and temperature-checks stock before packing — it is a condition of the rule, not an optional nicety.

⚠ Verify before publishing

Carriers and their DG desks apply SP 978 with differing documentation, weathering-evidence, and booking lead-time requirements. Confirm current acceptance and paperwork with your chosen line before booking.

Verified as of — re-check the source before relying on this for a shipment.

What A Compliant Booking Needs

Every dangerous-goods shipment we book carries:

  1. a UN N.4 self-heating test certificate from an accredited lab,
  2. a Safety Data Sheet (SDS / GHS) declaring UN 1361, Class 4.2,
  3. a signed dangerous-goods declaration,
  4. correct marking and placarding of the unit, and
  5. a booking with a carrier that accepts Class 4.2 on the route.

These documents live in the certificate library. Declaring the cargo correctly adds a small amount of transit time — see lead times.

Questions

Yes. It ships as UN 1361, Class 4.2 (self-heating substance). Since the 2025 IMDG Code it must move as declared dangerous goods; the older Special Provision 925 self-heating-test exemption was withdrawn.

No longer. Under IMDG Amendment 42-24, Special Provision 925 was withdrawn, so the N.4 test no longer exempts the charcoal from Class 4.2. Special Provision 978 now governs how it is prepared, packed, and declared.

A UN N.4 self-heating test certificate, an SDS declaring UN 1361 / Class 4.2, a dangerous-goods declaration, correct marking and placarding, and a booking with a carrier that accepts Class 4.2.

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