December 22, 2020

Reminder: Elimination of the ORM-D Category is Here!

The ORM-D category and associated mark for hazardous materials (restricted to surface transportation) will be eliminated after December 31, 2020. Mailers are encouraged to re-evaluate their consumer commodity materials to determine if those products can be shipped as limited quantities.

As of January 1, 2021, the ORM-D mark will be prohibited in Postal Service networks. The DOT limited quantity mark* for ground (plain square-on-point) will be the only acceptable marking for packages that contain eligible limited quantity materials, qualifying as consumer commodities, for ground transport.

*Limited quantity marks may be purchased from various HAZMAT/Industrial supply companies and online vendors. Printable versions may also be found online.

Note: Effective January 1, 2021, the Postal Service™ is revising Publication 52, Hazardous, Restricted, and Perishable Mail (Pub 52), to remove ORM-D related verbiage. The Postal Service will incorporate this revision into the next online update of Pub 52, which can be found via Postal Explorer® at https://pe.usps.com.