Ammunition cannot be mailed through the U.S. Postal Service, but UPS and FedEx will accept it on their ground services if you follow federal hazardous materials rules and each carrier’s own restrictions. The short version: no USPS, no air, no international, no retail drop-off counters, and the package has to be marked and packed as a limited quantity hazmat shipment.
Why USPS Won’t Take It
Federal law makes ammunition nonmailable. Under 18 U.S.C. § 1716, explosives and hazardous materials that “may ignite or explode” are barred from the mail system, and that covers loaded cartridges, primers, and propellant powder, domestically and internationally.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 1716 – Injurious Articles as Nonmailable The U.S. Postal Inspection Service applies the ban to all ammunition for pistols, revolvers, rifles, and shotguns, including blanks and cartridges made for tools.2United States Postal Inspection Service. HAZMAT – Hazardous Materials
Knowingly mailing ammunition is a criminal offense: a fine, up to one year in prison, or both. Mailing with intent to injure raises the maximum to 20 years, and a resulting death can bring a life sentence or the death penalty.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 1716 – Injurious Articles as Nonmailable
One narrow exception exists. Empty, unprimed brass casings are not classified as explosive or hazardous and can go through USPS under ordinary mailing rules.3Postal Explorer. Publication 52 – Hazardous, Restricted, and Perishable Mail If you reload and want to buy or sell brass, the Postal Service is a legal option for that component only.
How UPS and FedEx Actually Accept Ammunition
Both carriers move ammunition on ground service within the contiguous United States. UPS additionally permits ground shipments within Alaska and within Oahu.4UPS. How To Ship Ammunition Neither ships ammunition by air, and neither ships it internationally; FedEx specifically excludes Canada.5FedEx. Hazardous Materials – How to Ship
Where You Can Hand It Off
Do not walk an ammunition package into a retail shipping counter. UPS prohibits drop-offs at The UPS Store, third-party retailers, UPS Access Point locations, and UPS Drop Boxes. Your options are a UPS Customer Center at an actual operations facility, or a scheduled pickup through a UPS account.4UPS. How To Ship Ammunition
FedEx is tighter. Ammunition is not accepted at FedEx Office Print and Ship Centers, FedEx Ship Center locations, FedEx Authorized ShipCenter locations, FedEx Drop Boxes, or any unstaffed facility. A scheduled pickup at your address is the only route.5FedEx. Hazardous Materials – How to Ship
Size, Caliber, and Weight Limits
UPS caps rifle and pistol cartridges at .50 caliber (12.7 mm) and shotgun shells at 8 gauge, with a package weight of no more than 66 pounds (30 kg).4UPS. How To Ship Ammunition FedEx applies a 70-pound weight limit for ground packages generally. Confirm any ammunition-specific limits when you set up your hazmat account with the carrier.
Paperwork and Surcharges
UPS does not require shipping papers for ammunition sent as a limited quantity, and it charges only standard shipping with no hazmat surcharge.4UPS. How To Ship Ammunition FedEx requires a completed hazardous materials form (OP-900LL or OP-900LG) taped to the top of the outer package next to the address label, showing both sender and recipient addresses.5FedEx. Hazardous Materials – How to Ship For FedEx Home Delivery, limited quantity ammunition has no hazmat surcharge.
Packaging and the Limited Quantity Mark
The point of the packaging rules is to keep a primer from taking an impact in transit. Use a new, double-walled corrugated cardboard box as the outer container. Inside, hold the cartridges firmly in place with smaller boxes, foam, or cardboard partitions so nothing shifts or rattles.
Every package has to display the DOT limited quantity mark: a diamond (square-on-point) with black top and bottom sections and a white center, at least 100 mm (about 3.9 inches) per side. Packages too small for that can carry a reduced version no smaller than 50 mm (about 2 inches) per side.6eCFR. 49 CFR 172.315 – Limited Quantities For ground shipments under the limited quantity exception, federal rules do not require the proper shipping name or UN identification number to appear on the outside. Many shippers deliberately leave the words “ammunition” and “firearms” off the box to reduce theft risk. That is a practical precaution, not a legal requirement.
Who Can Receive the Shipment
Federal law sets the age floor. A licensed dealer cannot sell or deliver rifle or shotgun ammunition to anyone under 18, or handgun ammunition to anyone under 21.7Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 US Code 922 – Unlawful Acts UPS matches the federal minimum by prohibiting ammunition shipments to anyone under 18.4UPS. How To Ship Ammunition Many online retailers require all buyers to be at least 21 regardless of ammunition type, and an adult signature at delivery is standard practice for verifying age.
UPS and FedEx deliver to street addresses only, so the destination has to be a physical address, not a P.O. Box.
State Rules That Change Where the Package Can Go
Federal rules are the starting point. Several states add their own requirements that can reroute a shipment or block it entirely.
California and New York require ammunition to be shipped to a Federal Firearms Licensee (FFL) rather than a home address. In California, the buyer has to pass a point-of-sale background check before taking possession from the licensed dealer or ammunition seller. New York requires a background check through its state database before every commercial transfer.
Four more states require a permit or license, obtained through a background check, before you can buy ammunition at all:
- Illinois: buyers must hold a valid Firearm Owner’s Identification (FOID) card.
- Massachusetts: a firearm permit or license is required to purchase or possess ammunition.
- New Jersey: handgun ammunition buyers must present a firearms purchaser identification card or a permit to purchase a handgun.
- Connecticut: buyers need a firearms permit, carry permit, or a state-issued ammunition certificate that renews every five years.
Where an FFL transfer is required, the receiving dealer will charge a transfer fee. Fees vary widely and commonly fall between $10 and $50, though some dealers charge more. Confirm the fee and that the dealer accepts ammunition transfers before placing your order.
Reloading Components Are Not the Same as Loaded Ammo
Primers and smokeless powder ship under stricter rules than loaded cartridges, because each is an explosive on its own. On FedEx Ground, small arms primers classified as Division 1.4S (UN0044) may be accepted with an EX approval number on the shipping papers, and higher-hazard primer classifications are not accepted at all. Smokeless powder classified as Division 1.4C (UN0509) may be accepted with an EX number; higher classifications are refused.8FedEx Ground Service. Hazardous Materials Table Shipping these components as a private individual is significantly harder than shipping loaded ammunition, which is why most reloaders order them from vendors equipped for hazmat logistics.
What Getting It Wrong Costs
Federal penalties split along two tracks depending on which law you break.
Mailing ammunition through USPS is a criminal violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1716. Conviction carries up to one year in prison and a fine, rising to 20 years if the mailing was intended to injure.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 1716 – Injurious Articles as Nonmailable
Violating DOT hazardous materials rules on a private carrier shipment triggers civil penalties. A knowing violation can bring a fine of up to $102,348 per violation, and if the violation causes death, serious injury, or substantial property destruction, the maximum rises to $238,809. Each day a violation continues counts as a separate offense.9eCFR. 49 CFR 107.329 – Maximum Penalties Common triggers are mislabeling, missing the limited quantity mark, undeclaring the contents, and dropping the package at a prohibited retail location.
Shipping Ammunition Abroad
International shipping is closed to individual consumers. UPS does not accept ammunition for international shipment, and FedEx does not ship it to Canada. Beyond the carrier bans, ammunition sits on the United States Munitions List, so any export is regulated under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and requires registration with the Directorate of Defense Trade Controls and an export license. That applies even to small personal quantities sent to friends or family overseas.