LetterAgent
Mail physical letters by just asking your AI assistant.
Home > Guides > Shipping aerosol cans
No. Canada Post will not carry aerosol cans. Its non-mailable-matter guide lists aerosol products, naming hair sprays and inhalers, under Class 2 compressed gases, and dangerous goods count as non-mailable matter. The pressurized can is the problem: sorting equipment, heat in a truck, or a puncture can turn a dented can into a hazard. Use a ground courier that accepts limited-quantity hazmat, or buy the product at your destination.
Canada Post's non-mailable-matter guide (current version, updated May 29, 2026) puts aerosols in Class 2, compressed gases, right alongside bear spray, camping-stove cylinders, cigarette lighters, and fire extinguishers. The index names "aerosol products (hair sprays, inhalers)" explicitly, so there is no ambiguity about whether a can of hairspray counts. The same guide also lists aerosols under its commodities table as a dangerous good that can hide inside "cosmetics" and "household goods" shipments: the rules anticipate people tucking a can into a gift box without thinking. And the governing principle is simple: dangerous goods as defined by the Transportation of Dangerous Goods Regulations are non-mailable matter. Canada Post refuses them.
Three failure modes. First, pressure: an aerosol can is a small pressure vessel, and heat raises the internal pressure. A delivery truck sitting in summer sun gets hot, and a weakened or old can can vent or burst. Second, puncture: sorting machinery moves thousands of parcels an hour with belts, rollers, and chutes. A can that shifts against a sharp edge can be pierced, and a pierced can of flammable propellant plus a spark from machinery is the scenario the rule exists for. Third, the propellant itself: many aerosols use flammable propellants, which is why some aerosols would trip the flammable rules even if the pressure question did not exist. One sealed can looks harmless on your shelf. Thousands of them rattling through a sorting plant is a different risk profile.
| Canada Post dangerous-goods class | Everyday aerosol examples | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Class 2: compressed gases | Hairspray, dry shampoo, spray deodorant, inhalers | Non-mailable |
| Class 2: compressed gases | Spray paint, WD-40 type sprays, air dusters | Non-mailable |
| Class 3 overlap: flammable liquids | Some aerosols with flammable propellants | Non-mailable |
| Not an aerosol | Pump sprays, roll-ons, sticks, squeeze bottles | Generally mailable (check other rules) |
First, check whether you actually need the aerosol form. Pump hairspray, stick deodorant, and non-aerosol dry shampoo are ordinary goods and ship normally. Second, buy it at the destination: aerosols are cheap and universally available, so the shipping cost plus the hazmat hassle almost never beats a local purchase. Third, if you must ship the actual can (a discontinued product, a medical inhaler supply), use a ground courier that explicitly accepts limited-quantity dangerous goods, follow their packaging and labeling rules to the letter, and expect a surcharge. Never try to sneak it through Canada Post: a label from LetterAgent or anyone else does not change what Canada Post accepts, and you are solely responsible for representing that your package contains no non-mailable matter.
Ready to ship it? Get a shipping label with LetterAgent: describe it to your AI assistant, approve the exact quoted price, and get your label.
LetterAgent is a working name. Prices include print, postage, and our service fee. US prices in USD, Canadian prices in CAD (Canadian prices exclude applicable sales tax, added at checkout). Currently in private testing.
Need help? Ask your assistant: it can check a job's status any time. If it ever can't handle something: hello@getletteragent.com