USA Banner

Official US Government Icon

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure Site Icon

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

U.S. Department of Transportation U.S. Department of Transportation Icon United States Department of Transportation United States Department of Transportation

Interpretation Response #19-0118

Below is the interpretation response detail and a list of regulations sections applicable to this response.

Interpretation Response Details

Response Publish Date:

Company Name: Phantom Importing & Distribution, LLC

Individual Name: Ms. Jessi Moore

Location State: OH Country: US

View the Interpretation Document

Response text:

March 23, 2020

Ms. Jessi Moore
Purchasing and Product Development Manager
Phantom Importing & Distribution, LLC
2445 Belmont Avenue
Youngstown, OH 44505

Reference No. 19-0118

Dear Ms. Moore:

This letter is in response to your October 3, 2019 email requesting clarification of the Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR; 49 CFR Parts 171–180) applicable to the shipment of sparklers. Your email states that you are considering a new package design for sparklers. Specifically, you ask whether the package containing sparklers, as pictured in your incoming email, would be exempt from the HMR per the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) guidance document entitled "Guidance and Criteria for Fireworks Novelty Devices."

The answer is no. PHMSA's "Guidance and Criteria for Fireworks Novelty Devices" exempts sparklers from the HMR when the inner packaging can contain no more than 8 sparkler devices. This Office considers the package design pictured in your email to consist of one inner packaging and one outer packaging; therefore, the package design would exceed the 8-device limitation per inner packaging. Please note that if the material does not meet the definition of any novelty devices in the guidance document, it will require an EX approval before being shipped.

I hope this information is helpful. Please contact us if we can be of further assistance.

Sincerely,

T. Glenn Foster
Chief, Regulatory Review and Reinvention Branch
Standards and Rulemaking Division

Regulation Sections