How to Fill Out and Submit DD Form 2890: Dangerous Goods Declaration

To fill out DD Form 2890, download the current blank from the Executive Services Directorate, work line by line from the Hazardous Materials Table at 49 CFR 172.101 to enter each material’s UN or NA number, proper shipping name, hazard class, packing group, quantity, and packaging, attach the required emergency response information, and have a trained hazmat employee sign the shipper’s certification before handing the shipment to the carrier. The form is the DoD’s multimodal dangerous goods declaration, and a single completed copy can follow a shipment across air, sea, and ground legs because it satisfies the declaration requirements of SOLAS 74 Chapter VII and MARPOL 78 Annex III.

What to Have Open Before You Start

Pull the current blank from esd.whs.mil. Service-branch portals mirror the DoD forms library, but the Executive Services Directorate is authoritative. Using an outdated revision is a common reason for rejection at the terminal.

Keep three references at hand while you work:

The Hazardous Materials Table at 49 CFR 172.101, which gives the proper shipping name, UN or NA number, hazard class, and packing group for every material.
49 CFR Parts 172 and 173, which govern how hazardous materials are described on shipping papers and which packagings are authorized.
Defense Transportation Regulation 4500.9-R, Part II, the DoD overlay that adds military-specific requirements, including ammunition and explosives handling.

Which mode-specific rulebook controls depends on the leg of the journey. Air movements follow the ICAO Technical Instructions (or the IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations, which mirror them). Ocean movements follow the IMDG Code. The DD Form 2890 instructions reference all of them.

Who Is Allowed to Sign

Only a trained hazmat employee may sign the shipper’s certification. Under 49 CFR 172.704, the preparer must have completed training covering general awareness, function-specific tasks, safety, security awareness, and in-depth security training where the employer maintains a security plan.¹

There is no government-issued certification card and no third-party license. The employer trains, tests, and keeps the records, and PHMSA does not prescribe a test format; the employer has to be able to show the person can competently perform the assigned functions.²

Recurrent training is required at least every three years for ground and vessel shipments. Air shipments follow IATA, which requires retraining every 24 months. If any leg moves by air, the shorter interval applies to the person preparing the documentation for that leg.¹

Completing the Description of Goods

The description block is where most errors happen. Each hazardous material line follows a fixed sequence drawn from 49 CFR 172.202 and the Hazardous Materials Table.

Identification Number and Proper Shipping Name

Begin with the four-digit identification number preceded by “UN” for internationally recognized materials or “NA” for materials recognized only in domestic U.S. transport. Take the number from Column 4 of the Hazardous Materials Table.³

Enter the proper shipping name from Column 2 of the same table. Use only names printed in Roman type; italicized entries are descriptions, not proper shipping names. When the material has no specific listing, choose the appropriate generic or “n.o.s.” entry that matches the hazard class and packing group, and add the technical name in parentheses as required by 49 CFR 172.203.⁴

Hazard Class, Subsidiary Risks, and Packing Group

Enter the hazard class or division number from Column 3. If the material poses more than one hazard, the subsidiary hazard class goes in parentheses immediately after the primary class, but only when a subsidiary hazard label is required. A flammable liquid that is also corrosive, for example, would show the corrosive subsidiary class in parentheses.⁴

Then enter the packing group in Roman numerals from Column 5. Packing Group I is high danger, II is medium, III is minor. Some entries have no packing group at all: Class 2 gases, Class 7 radioactive materials, and Division 6.2 infectious substances. Skip the field for those.³

Quantity and Packaging

For all modes other than air, record the total quantity of each hazardous material by mass or volume, with the unit spelled out, such as “200 kg” or “50 L.” The form captures both gross and net mass in kilograms. Describe the packaging type accurately (steel drums, fiberboard boxes, combination packaging), because the terminal inspector will compare the containers against what the form says.⁴

Air shipments follow a different rule. Show the total net mass per package, unless the Hazardous Materials Table specifies gross mass in Columns 9A or 9B, in which case report total gross mass per package.⁴

Class 1 Explosives

Explosives use net explosive mass, not the gross weight of the package. For articles such as small arms cartridges, you can express the net explosive mass as either the net mass of the entire article or the net mass of just the explosive material inside it. Ammunition moving by government vehicle also requires the total number of rounds or articles and the Net Explosive Weight in kilograms.⁵

Emergency Response Telephone Number

Every DD Form 2890 must carry an emergency response telephone number. Under 49 CFR 172.604, the number must be monitored at all times the material is in transportation, including incidental storage. The person answering must be knowledgeable about the specific material and have comprehensive emergency response information, or have immediate access to someone who does. Answering machines, voicemail, beepers, and call-back services do not satisfy the rule.⁶

If one number covers every material on the form, enter it once, but set it apart with highlighting or a larger font so emergency responders can find it quickly. If different materials require different contacts, place each number immediately after the description of the material it covers.⁶

Written Emergency Response Information and Special Permits

Written emergency response information must travel with the shipment, covering at minimum the basic description and technical name, immediate health hazards, fire and explosion risks, precautions for accidents, fire-fighting methods, spill-handling procedures, and preliminary first aid.⁷

This information can be printed on the shipping paper itself, included on a Safety Data Sheet that cross-references the material description, or supplied through a standalone emergency response guide keyed to the UN number. For vessel shipments, the IMO Emergency Procedures for Ships Carrying Dangerous Goods satisfies the separate-document option. A Safety Data Sheet is one acceptable vehicle, not an independent requirement; what the regulation demands is that the content be present in some legible, accessible form.⁷

If the shipment moves under a special permit or competent authority approval, copies of that authorization must travel with it. The shipper is responsible for ensuring authorized packaging meets 49 CFR 173.22, including packaging manufactured and marked in accordance with federal specifications or UN Recommendations.⁸

Shipper’s Certification and Container Packing Certificate

By signing the certification block at the bottom of the form, you are legally declaring that the contents are fully and accurately described by proper shipping name, correctly classified and packaged, marked and labeled to regulation, and in proper condition for transport. The signature creates personal and organizational liability if the shipment is non-compliant.

For ocean shipments, mark the container packing certificate section (Item 9) when applicable and attach a completed DD Form 2781, the DoD’s container packing certificate and vehicle declaration checklist. U.S. Coast Guard and port officials may require verification of this certificate, and shipments arriving at a port without it can be held.⁹

Type or print every entry legibly. A carrier has no obligation to accept a form it cannot clearly read, and illegible handwriting is a routine cause of terminal rejection.

Continuation Sheets (DD Form 2890C)

When the shipment contains more materials than fit on the main form, use DD Form 2890C. Every continuation sheet carries the same transport document number and shipper’s reference (TCN) as the primary form, and the “Page __ of __ Pages” field (Item 3) must be filled in on every page, including the first, so handlers can tell whether they have the complete set.¹⁰

The continuation sheet mirrors the description-of-goods fields on the primary form. Do not abbreviate or shortcut entries just because the main form establishes the context.

Handing the Form to the Carrier and Keeping a Copy

Present the signed form and all accompanying documents (emergency response information, any special permits, DD Form 2781 if applicable) to the carrier or terminal operator at the origin. The receiving agent reviews the paperwork and signs to acknowledge receipt. Physical copies must accompany the shipment.

For DoD movements through military airlift or sealift channels, the documentation package also enters the applicable automated transportation system. The system depends on the mode and the service handling the cargo, so check with your installation transportation office for current requirements.

At the terminal, inspectors compare the physical containers against what the form describes. If markings, labels, packaging type, or quantities do not match, the shipment is held until you correct the discrepancy.

Keep a copy of every completed DD Form 2890 for at least two years after the material is accepted by the initial carrier. For hazardous waste shipments, the retention period is three years.¹¹

What Errors Cost

Under 49 CFR 107.329, a person who knowingly violates federal hazmat transportation requirements faces civil penalties of up to $102,348 per violation per day. If the violation results in death, serious illness, severe injury, or substantial destruction of property, the maximum rises to $238,809 per violation per day. A continuing violation counts as a separate offense each day it persists.¹²

There is no general minimum penalty, but failure to provide hazmat training carries a floor of $617 per violation. Letting an untrained person prepare and sign DD Form 2890 triggers at least that amount on top of any penalties tied to the underlying shipping errors.¹²

Common mistakes that draw enforcement include the wrong UN number, an outdated proper shipping name, an understated packing group, missing subsidiary hazard labels, and a disconnected or unmonitored emergency response telephone number. Most are avoidable if you work directly from the current Hazardous Materials Table rather than copying descriptions from previous shipments. Table entries change, and a description that was correct last year may not be correct today.

1
eCFR. 49 CFR 172.704 – Training Requirements
2
Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration. Hazardous Materials Training Requirements
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eCFR. 49 CFR 172.101 – Purpose and Use of Hazardous Materials Table
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eCFR. 49 CFR 172.202 – Description of Hazardous Materials on Shipping Papers
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U.S. Marine Corps Quantico. DD Form 2890 – DoD Multimodal Dangerous Goods Declaration
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eCFR. 49 CFR 172.604 – Emergency Response Telephone Number
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eCFR. 49 CFR 172.602 – Emergency Response Information
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eCFR. 49 CFR 173.22 – Shipper Responsibility
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Department of Defense. DD Form 2890 – DoD Multimodal Dangerous Goods Declaration
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WHS Executive Services Directorate. DD Form 2890C – DoD Multimodal Dangerous Goods Declaration (Continuation Sheet)
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eCFR. 49 CFR 172.201 – Preparation and Retention of Shipping Papers
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Federal Register. Revisions to Civil Penalty Amounts, 2025