Shipments of Printed Matter, General Commodities, Exhibits and Equipment

What is printed matter?
Printed matter is paper. For Shipment purposes, books are not considered printed matter.

What are general commodities?
General commodities include books ( both hard and soft back), office items (such as tapes, videos, posters, pictures), office supplies (such as disks, diskettes, cd-roms, pens, pencils), lab supplies (such as tape, scissors, syringes, pipettes), and other miscellaneous items.

What about demonstration exhibits?
Exhibits for showcasing or presenting information to others in public may consist of one or more pre-packed items including boxes of brochures. In order to ensure proper delivery and pick up of your exhibit, you must make sure that you complete the necessary upfront paperwork with as many show details as possible. Make sure that you carefully complete any required pick up documentation that is requested by show coordinators to ensure proper pick up of your exhibit.

What is equipment?
Equipment includes office equipment (such as cameras, computers, laptops, small refrigerators), lab equipment (such as hot plates, scales, microscopes, small centrifuges), and other materials (such as wheelchairs). In addition to the normal request for shipment document, property passes are required for international shipments. To obtain a property pass, contact the Property Branch at 301-496-5711. For additional information on property passes and requirements, see Section 3f of manual issuance 26101-42-F - Shipping Policies and Procedures.