What you bake
How to Ship Baked Goods With Dry Ice: Labels, Cost (2026)
A clear, rule based path for frozen baked goods, from package prep to the label and the cost you quote.
On this page
If you are learning how to ship baked goods with dry ice, start with the delivery address and the carrier, not the box. A frozen order needs a plan for air versus ground because the rules are not the same. Get that decision right before you buy ice or print a label.
What to remember
- Dry ice is regulated as hazardous when it goes by air.
- Use the label and paperwork your carrier requires.
- Price the ice, box, and your time before you quote.
- Check the route and the rules before you promise delivery.
When dry ice is the right call for baked goods
Dry ice is for orders that must arrive frozen. FedEx describes dry ice shipping as a way to protect frozen perishables, so it belongs on a frozen cake or frozen dough order, not on every box you send. For a shelf stable cookie box, use a normal shipping method and keep the ice out of the quote.
Use the best baked goods for shipping guide to sort the goods that travel well. Then read can I ship baked goods to another state before you accept an order across state lines. Both checks take minutes.
A frozen order can cross a state line, but the address decides the route and the service. Read the carrier’s rules for that address before you buy ice. If the route is air, the hazmat rules apply. If it is ground, use the ground rules your carrier gives you.
What to gather before you pack
Before you pack, gather four things: the carrier’s dry ice rules, the right box, the required label, and any paperwork the carrier asks for. Hazmat University says dry ice shipping requirements under 49 CFR, IATA, and IMDG include packaging, labels, documentation, and key rules for air and vessel transport. Treat each one as part of the job.
Write the order down before you pack. Note the carrier, service, route, ice amount, label, and paperwork. A written check is faster than a phone call after the box is sealed.
How to pack and label the box
Pack for the trip your carrier will actually make. FedEx’s dry ice page covers how to prepare a package and meet dry ice shipping requirements to protect frozen perishables. A 2025 compliance guide for shipping food with dry ice also lists PI 954 rules, UN1845 labels, how much ice to use, and safe packouts. Use those specifics, not a generic box.
Confirm the route and rules
Ask your carrier whether the box travels by air or ground and which dry ice rules apply. Get the label and paperwork list in writing.
Pack only goods that must stay frozen
Dry ice is for a frozen delivery. Do not add it to a shelf stable order that does not need it.
Follow the carrier's package prep
Use the packing method and ice amount your carrier’s dry ice page or compliance guide gives you. Do not guess at the ice quantity.
Add the required label and documents
Use the UN1845 label and any paperwork your carrier requires. The label and paperwork are part of the requirement.
Ship on the service you booked
Hand the box to the carrier on the date you booked and send tracking to your customer. Do not promise a delivery date you cannot control.
The packout is not the place to improvise. If your carrier’s page and the compliance guide disagree, call the carrier and ask which rule applies to your box. Get the answer before you seal it.
Air rules, ground rules, and paperwork
Air and ground are not the same shipment. That fact sheet states dry ice is hazardous when shipped by air, so the air rules are the strict ones. Hazmat University lists packaging, labels, documentation, and key rules for air and vessel transport. Ask your carrier which set applies to your box.
FDA’s Sanitary Transportation of Food guidance is intended for people who transport food and store it during transport, as well as manufacturers and others who arrange for the transport. If you arrange the shipment, read that guidance. It covers food safety during transport, not the carrier’s dry ice rules.
If you use a carrier that moves food, that guidance tells you who is covered when food is transported and stored during transport. That is separate from the dry ice label rules. Keep both in view.
What dry ice shipping costs and how to price it
A dry ice order carries costs a normal cookie box does not: the ice, the label, the box, and the service level. Your customer is paying for a frozen delivery, so put all of it in the quote. Use the best carrier for shipping baked goods guide to compare services, then price the order before you say yes.
Do not bury the ice cost in a flat shipping charge. A frozen box can carry a different service level and a different label from a normal box. Quote the full cost, then check the margin after ingredients, labor, and overhead.
For example, say a frozen dough order uses $9 of ingredients, $18 of your labor, and $4 of overhead. Your Brevl shop costs one flat $20 a month, so at five orders a month that overhead share is $4. The dry ice, shipping box, and label add $12. Your total cost is $43. If you charge $60, you keep $17 after ingredients, labor, overhead, and shipping. That is about a 28% margin.
Mistakes that cost you money
The costly mistakes start before the ice. Quoting before you know the carrier’s dry ice rules, buying ice before you confirm the route, and promising a delivery date you cannot control are three ways to lose money. Check the rules and the total cost first.
A cheap quote that ignores the ice, label, and box can leave you paying to fill the order. Run the math before you accept the next frozen request.
What to tell the customer before you ship
Tell the customer what the box is and when it will move. Say that the order ships frozen, give the carrier and service, and share tracking when you have it. Keep the message short and set the delivery expectation before the order is paid.
Ask the customer to be reachable on delivery day. A frozen box needs someone to receive it or a safe place to land. Put that in your order notes before the label is printed.
A dry ice order is not a set and forget shipment. Check the carrier’s rules for your route, keep the label and paperwork with the order, and price the full cost into the quote. That is how to make a frozen delivery pay instead of eating your margin.
If you are still comparing carriers, read can I ship baked goods via USPS before you buy postage.
Common questions
Can I ship any baked good with dry ice?
No. Use dry ice only for baked goods that must arrive frozen. A shelf stable cookie or bread box does not need it. Dry ice shipping is built around frozen perishables, so match the shipping method to the good inside the box.
Do I need a UN1845 label?
Yes, when your carrier's dry ice rules call for it. A 2025 compliance guide for shipping food with dry ice lists UN1845 labels as part of the packout. Ask your carrier which label and paperwork apply to your route before you print anything.
Is dry ice allowed on every flight?
The dry ice fact sheet states that dry ice is considered a hazardous material when shipped by air. That means air shipments follow hazmat rules. Check with your carrier before you book, and do not assume a ground approval covers an air box.
How do I price dry ice shipping?
Add the ice, box, label, and service level to the order cost before you quote. Then check the margin after ingredients, labor, and overhead. If the price leaves too little, change the service or the order size instead of cutting your own pay.
Does FDA guidance replace carrier rules?
No. FDA's Sanitary Transportation of Food guidance is intended for people who transport food and store it during transport, as well as manufacturers and others who arrange the transport. It covers food safety during transport. The carrier's dry ice rules cover the hazmat label and paperwork.
Sources
General information, not legal or hazmat advice. Confirm current rules with your carrier before you ship.