Shipping to and from the ALS

Transport of Materials and Equipment

All Lab personnel, including ALS staff and users, must follow the procedures detailed below for packing, labeling, and sending shipments to or from the ALS. These shipping procedures are required for

all materials and equipment brought to the lab for experiments;
items that are being returned for repairs or refunds to manufacturers or vendors;
and any item borrowed from, or being lent to, another institution.

All items transported to or from Berkeley Lab must be:

received or sent through ALS (Building 7, ext. 4494) or LBNL (Building 69, ext. 5084) Shipping and Receiving;
shipped during regular business hours—Monday-Friday, 7:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m;
intended for Lab-related use only, i.e., no personal items;
accompanied by proper and complete documentation*.

*Shipping or receiving items that have been borrowed from, or lent to, other institutions require additional Lab-specific doumentation that must be filled out before the items are handled by shipping personnel

LBNL property loaned to an outside institution: Loan File Summary Form
Property borrowed from another institution: Borrow Summary Form

Shipping to the ALS

Please contact Gary Giangrasso [510-486-4494 or ext. 4494] about any shipments that will arrive before or during your stay, and advise of any special handling instructions. This is especially important if you intend to ship hazardous materials, where storage and shipment may require advance planning.

All non-hazardous shipments to the ALS should be labeled using one of the following formats

Small Packages

ALS Group Name
User's name
Attn: Sr. Materials Specialist
Berkeley Lab
Mailstop 7-100
1 Cyclotron Road
Berkeley, CA 94720

Large Packages Requiring a Forklift

ALS Group Name
User's name
Attn: Sr. Materials Specialist
Berkeley Lab
ALS Building 6 "B" Door
1 Cyclotron Road
Berkeley, CA 94720

Packing Instructions
It is recommended that, whenever possible, materials be shipped in collapsible cardboard boxes with Styrofoam and cellulose "peanuts" (these can be reused when you leave). It is also recommended that you include a packing slip inside the package with your name and the appropriate ALS address in case of lost or damaged shipments.

U.S. Customs
For equipment arriving through U.S. Customs, users are advised to contact in advance the Berkeley Lab Receiving Office [Tel: 510-486-4935; Fax: 510-486-5668] and provide the name of the carrier and the Air Bill Number of any incoming shipments. Additional information that can assist the Berkeley Lab customs broker to expedite delivery of equipment purchased outside the U.S. is a Lab purchase order number, if available, and notification of whether or not duty must be paid.

Users shipping scientific equipment from outside the U.S. that require a temporary import bond (TIB) should contact Courtney Glover at Aeronet Worldwide (tel: 800-654-8229; fax: 650-654-8229). She can arrange both shipment and customs paperwork for equipment destined for the ALS.

Receiving Shipments at the ALS

Receiving Area
All packages addressed to Mailstop 7-100 will be delivered to the Receiving Area of Building 7, which is adjacent to the storage area for user equipment. Gary Giangrasso (ext. 4494) will notify users when their shipments arrive and coordinate deliveries.

Express Deliveries
Users who are expecting to receive an express delivery package can ensure more timely delivery by utilizing ALS Receiving. Express couriers deliver directly to the Berkeley Lab Shipping and Receiving Department, but once there, packages have to wait their turn for delivery by truck to the proper laboratory building. If notified, ALS Receiving can help prevent this delay. Users who know an express package is on its way to them should contact ALS Shipping Manager Gary Giangrasso (ext. 4494, Building 7, Room 100) with the name of the courier company and the name of the sender. Gary will ask the Berkeley Lab receiving clerks to notify him when the package arrives. When notified, he will pick up the package directly from laboratory receiving and see that it reaches the user by 11:00 a.m.

Large Items Requiring a Forklift
The ALS recommends that shipments requiring a forklift arrive Monday-Friday between 8:00 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. because the ALS forklift operators leave at 3:30 p.m. Berkeley Lab technicians are available to operate forklifts after-hours for an extra charge, but it is highly recommended that ALS personnel handle the forklift if any delicate equipment is involved.

For assistance, contact

Gary Giangrasso (Ext. 4494), for information about shipments arriving in the ALS Receiving Area and delivery to user locations.
Berkeley Lab Receiving [Tel: 510-486-4935; Fax: 510-486-5668], for help with equipment arriving through U.S. Customs destined for Berkeley Lab

Shipping Hazardous Materials

Users should consult with a Materials Specialist at their home institution regarding the proper handling and shipping of hazardous materials. Hazardous materials shipped to or from Berkeley Lab by truck must be packaged and handled according to U.S. Department of Transportation guidelines. Hazardous materials shipped by air must meet International Air Transportation Association regulations.
Each shipment of hazardous materials must include pertinent Materials Safety Data Sheets (MSDSs).
Ship the smallest quantity necessary for your experiment. Use of hazardous materials on the experiment floor is limited to small quantities.
Transportation of hazardous materials in private or Berkeley Lab vehicles is prohibited.

For additional information, contact

Chuck Horton, Berkeley Lab Materials Specialist (ext. 5084), for information about the proper packing and safe shipment of hazardous materials;
ALS Environment, Health & Safety Program Manager (ext. 7407), for health and safety information regarding hazardous materials.

Shipping from the ALS

Procedures and Required Documents

All items shipped from Berkeley Lab must be handled by either ALS (Building 7; ext. 4494) or LBNL (Building 69; ext. 5084) Shipping and Receiving and be processed during regular business hours (Monday-Friday, 7:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m.).
Packages should not be sealed; they will be inspected by Lab personnel before they are shipped.
Each item/package—excluding documents—that is to be shipped must have the appropriate and complete documentation including
1. a University of California Shipping Document #7600-55567 (available from Gary Giangrasso, Building 7, ext. 4494)
2. a valid project ID number.
A University of California Shipping Document (#7600-55567) is required for all items being returned to the manufacturer for refunds, exchanges, or repair. In addition, the item's original Purchase Order (PO) number and a Return Materials Authorization (RMA) number from the supplier, are required before the item may be shipped. This includes items picked up on site by a vendor.
Courier priority overnight shipping (i.e., FedEx) should only be used when absolutely necessary; regular shipping should be used at all other times.
Shipping materials to Cuba, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Sudan, and Syria is prohibited; contact Berkeley Lab Procurement for more information.

Arranging Transport
Several independent carriers, including Aeronet Worldwide; Federal Express; United Parcel Service; Lynden Air Freight; and Burlington Air Express, provide a variety of shipping services to the ALS. Users can make all arrangements for shipping on-line from the above home pages, or fill out the necessary forms in the Receiving Area in Building 7. If you have questions about selecting an appropriate carrier, prepaying shipping costs, or require assistance with filling out shipping forms, consult Gary Giangrasso (ext. 4494).