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Things Royal Mail Cannot Carry

Overview
Royal Mail will not accept a letter that contains any of the following: 

  • Aerosols
  • Alcoholic liquids with alcohol content higher than 70%
  • Ammunition
  • Asbestos
  • Batteries that are classed as dangerous goods by the latest edition of the International Civil Aviation Organization's Technical Instructions
  • Butane lighters and refills
  • Clinical and medical waste
  • Corrosives
  • Counterfeit money or counterfeit postage stamps
  • Drugs of any description, except those permitted under Other below
  • Dry ice
  • Environmental waste
  • Explosives
  • Filth
  • Flammable liquids or solids
  • Flammable, non-flammable, toxic compressed gases
  • Indecent, obscene or offensive material
  • Infectious substances listed by the World Health Organisation to be in risk group 4 and the group 3 substances listed in schedule 3 part 5 of the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 1999 (COSHH)
  • Lottery tickets excepts for United Kingdom lottery tickets
  • Magnetised material with a magnetic field strength of 0.159A/m or more at a distance of 2.1m from the outside of the package
  • Matches
  • Oxidising materials or organic peroxides
  • Pesticides
  • Poisons
  • All Radioactive material and samples that are classified as radioactive using Table 2-12 of the latest edition of the International Civil Aviation Organization's Technical Instructions
  • Solvent-based paints, varnishes and enamels
  • Toxic liquids, solids or gases
  • Water-based paints, varnishes and enamels with volume over 150ml
  • Weapons of war, except as permitted by part exclusions below.
  • Any other item prohibited by law or that in the opinion of Royal Mail may be harmful or dangerous to Royal Mail employees


Other
A letter containing any of the following items may be posted provided that the sender meets all Royal Mail's requirements for acceptance of the item, including, but not limited to, packaging requirements:

  • Alcoholic liquids with alcohol content lower than 70%
  • Batteries, other than those prohibited in the above paragraph
  • Battery operated goods, excluding the batteries if prohibited as described above
  • Diagnostic substances listed in the World Health Organisation's risk groups 1-3 inclusive (except the mentioned exclusions above)
  • Drugs sent in emergencies for medical or scientific purposes
  • Guns for sporting use
  • Living creatures
  • Magnetised materials, other than those prohibited under the paragraph above 
  • Perishable goods
  • All Radioactive material and samples that are not classified as radioactive using Table 2-12 of the latest edition of the International Civil Aviation Organization's Technical Instructions
  • Vaccines
  • Water-based paints, vanishes and enamels with volume less than 150ml


What happens if you try to send something Royal Mail can't carry?
Royal Mail and Spring take all legal and safety issues very seriously and will refuse to carry illegal or harmful items. If they are found in the post, we can return them to you or dispose of them. And in some cases, you may face prosecution.


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