By a former RPO/RSO who managed Class 7 import/export for an aviation MRO · Updated July 2026
Tritium exit signs and self-luminous dials are the most commonly shipped radioactive aviation components — and the most commonly shipped wrong, because the excepted-package rules look simple and each element quietly carries the force of federal law. Here is the compliant path.
Establish the isotope and activity from the device label or manufacturer data sheet, and compare against the excepted limits (49 CFR 173.425 for ground; IATA DGR Section 10 for air — check the current edition). Intact aviation devices within limits ship as UN2911, Radioactive material, excepted package — instruments or articles. If you cannot establish isotope and activity, the item does not ship. Full stop.
(1) A strong, tight package that survives normal handling; (2) the UN number — "UN2911" — marked legibly on the exterior (that marking is the entire hazard communication, so it is not optional); (3) radiation at any exterior surface point below the excepted threshold. Survey before you mark — the reading decides the category, not habit.
Excepted packages need no shipper's declaration — just the UN number and description on a transport document (air waybill or invoice line). Keep your copy with the survey record. But note: FedEx and UPS run Class 7 approval programs — your shipper account needs dangerous-goods status before they'll accept the box, and airline operator variations can be stricter than the book. Call the carrier's DG desk, not customer service.
One more thing: possession of these devices already put your company under a 10 CFR 31.5 general license, with duties beyond shipping — labels, inventory, transfer restrictions, and loss reporting. Shipping is one chapter of a program, not the whole program.