What You Can and Can't Pack in Checked Baggage

The one thing to understand about checked baggage

The 3-1-1 liquids rule — 3.4 oz containers, one quart bag — is a carry-on rule. It exists because of what could happen in the cabin. It does not apply to checked baggage.

So the full-size shampoo, the litre of perfume, the big bottle of contact solution — all fine in a checked bag, no size limit. That answers most of what people are actually asking. The rules that do restrict checked bags are different, and they are about one thing: fire and pressure in a cargo hold nobody can reach mid-flight.

Liquids: no limit, with a few exceptions

Pack liquids of any size in checked baggage. The exceptions are about flammability, not volume:

• Alcohol over 70% ABV (140 proof) — banned outright, checked or carry-on.
• Alcohol 24%–70% ABV — limited to 5 litres per passenger, in unopened retail packaging. Under 24% (most beer and wine) is unlimited by TSA, though airlines and customs may cap it.
• Flammable liquids — lighter fluid, gasoline, paint thinner, most solvents — banned.

Ordinary toiletries and drinks have no size cap in the hold. Pack them so they don't leak — the cargo hold is pressurised but cold, and bottles can weep at altitude.

Aerosols: the rule people get wrong

This is the single most-searched checked-bag question, and the answer surprises people. Aerosols are not unlimited in checked bags the way liquids are.

Under FAA hazardous-materials rules, toiletry and medicinal aerosols — deodorant, hairspray, shaving cream, dry shampoo, spray sunscreen — are allowed in checked baggage, but capped:

• 18 oz (500 ml) maximum per container
• 70 oz (2 kg / 2 L) maximum total across all aerosols per passenger
• The nozzle must have a cap or protection against accidental release

And the hard line: non-toiletry aerosols are banned from checked baggage entirely. Spray paint, WD-40, cooking spray, insect foggers, most household and automotive sprays — none of it, in any quantity. The test the FAA effectively uses: if it doesn't touch your body when you use it, it probably doesn't qualify for the toiletry exception.

What is banned from checked baggage entirely

These cannot go in the hold under any circumstances — and several are the opposite of what people assume, because they belong in your carry-on instead:

• Power banks and spare lithium batteries — carry-on only. A lithium fire in the cabin can be seen and extinguished; in the hold it cannot. This is the rule that catches the most travellers.
• E-cigarettes and vape pens — carry-on only, same reason.
• Fireworks, flares, sparklers, party poppers — banned everywhere.
• Pressurised gas: propane, butane, CO2 cartridges, scuba tanks (unless certified empty), camping fuel — banned.
• Flammable liquids and non-toiletry aerosols — as above.
• Bear spray and pepper spray over the small self-defence exception — generally banned; check the specific limit.

Food in checked baggage

Almost all food is fine in a checked bag, including the 'spreadable' items that get stopped at the carry-on checkpoint. Peanut butter, honey, jam, salsa, hummus, yogurt — TSA treats these as liquids only at the security checkpoint, so if they're over 3.4 oz, the checked bag is exactly where they belong.

The real constraint on food isn't TSA — it's customs at your destination. Meat, fresh produce, and some dairy are restricted or banned entering many countries, including back into the US. That's a customs question, not a checked-baggage one, but it's where food actually gets seized.

The rule that covers everything you're unsure about

The FAA prints it on its own packing chart: when in doubt, leave it out. If an item can catch fire, explode, or is stored under pressure, assume it's a problem in the hold until you've confirmed otherwise on the TSA 'What Can I Bring?' tool or the FAA PackSafe chart.

The cargo hold is the one part of the aircraft the crew cannot reach in flight. Every checked-baggage rule flows from that single fact, and it's the lens that makes the whole list make sense.