Temperature Control Regulations (TCR)

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English, Spanish and French versions of the TCR are available both in digital and print. All versions are updated annually. If you’re new to TCR, you will likely find it easier to search for the up-to-date information you need with one of our digital products. They're also cheaper.

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What's inside the TCR?

• Applicability (shipper and carrier responsibilities, special handling conditions and transport conditions, compliance)
• Government regulations (compliance requirements, variations by country)
• Carrier regulations (general information, requirements and carrier variations)
• Pharmaceutical facts and product types (temperature levels, market trends, product categories, biomedical research)
• Packaging (general information, types and categories of packaging)
• Documentation and labelling (specific documents, handling codes, labelling, marketing, WHO vaccine references)
• Acceptance and control (processes, hazard analysis, cold chain management, handling information)
• Traceability and tracking (general, RFID)
• Air transport logistics (service levels, temperature ranges, packaging technology, risk factors, critical control points, temperature mapping, healthcare labelling, quality management, environmental considerations)

Stay up-to-date

Significant Changes to the 12th edition (2024) of the IATA Temperature Control Regulations (TCR) include:

Acknowledgments

Membership of the Live Animals and Perishables Board (LAPB) and the Healthcare Cargo Working Group (HCWG)

1 - Application of these Regulations

• Chapter 1 completely revised and streamlined with the content of Chapter 17
• Shipper and Operator Responsibilities (1.2, 1.3) revised to clarify compliance requirements
• Training section (1.5) of Chapter 17 moved and updated

2 - State Variations

• Deletion of section on Compliance
• Update of information on US Customs and Border Protection (2.1.2)
• Addition of information on EU Regulatory Agencies (2.1.3)

3 - Operator Variations

• Aer Lingus - EI
• All Nippon Airways - NH
• British Airways - BA
• China Airlines - CI
• Iberia - IB
• Omar Air - WY
• Singapore Airlines - SQ
• Scoot - TR
• Up to date State and Operator Variations ensure operators and shippers are able to manage the transportation of time and temperature sensitive cargo as efficiently as possible. 

4 - Healthcare Shipments

• Chapter 4 streamlined and restructured, with content moved from Chapter 17 and information added on Service Levels (4.1.2) and Level of Temperature Control during Air Shipments (4.1.3)
• Sections of Chapter 17 moved to Shipments Temperature Ranges (4.2) and section Temperature Mapping Recommendations (4.3)

5 - Packing

• Chapter on packing renumbered as Chapter 5, and completely restructured and revised
• Addition of a section on Types of Thermal Packagings and Temperature-Controlled Containers (5.2) to clarify their respective applicability and use
• Addition of a section on Selection and Handling Considerations (5.3) to provide information on the selection of packaging or containers, as well as handling considerations

7 - Documentation and Labeling

• Clarified that operators can, if they so wish, print an optional temperature range field on the perishable label (7.6)

9 - Shipment Tracking and Monitoring

• Chapter 9 completely restructured and revised
• Addition of references to IATA Recommended Practices and Standard Operating Procedures on the approval of the use of portable electronic devices and ONE Record data sharing.

17 - Air Transport Logistics for Time and Temperature Sensitive Healthcare Products

• Contents of Chapter 17 partly moved, reorganized and revised in other sections of the Regulations.
• Clarified Shipper Responsibilities when subcontracting (17.8.1.1.7)

Appendix A

• Deletion of Appendix on Ventilation, Heating and Cooling Capability of Airbus and Boeing Aircraft

Appendix D

• Revision to the Guidelines for Center of Excellence for Independent Validators (CEIV) for Pharmaceutical Logistics Audit Checklist

Glossary

• Revision to the definition of "Perishables"

Nomenclature

• New appendix on units of measurement, abbreviations, and conversion factors