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The TSA Liquids Rule, Explained: What Fits in Your Quart Bag

Travel-size containers in one clear quart bag, with exceptions for medicine, formula and breast milk. Here’s how to pack so security goes smoothly.

By SHOP & SPOT EditorsLast reviewed Nov 9, 2026Research-based guide · 4 sources

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A gray toiletry bag with travel-size cosmetics.

Photo: Rachel Beck on Unsplash

This guide is for anyone packing a carry-on for a U.S. flight who wants to know which liquids, gels and creams can come through security.

The liquids rule trips up more carry-on bags than anything else at the checkpoint. The idea is simple once you see it: small containers, one bag, a few clear exceptions.

The quick answer

Delta’s carry-on page sums up the TSA limits: keep liquids, gels, aerosols and pastes to 3.4 ounces (100 milliliters) or less per item, and place them all in one quart-size, zip-top bag of clear plastic.1 That’s where the name 3-1-1 comes from: 3.4 ounces, 1 quart bag, 1 bag per traveler.

The size limit is for the container, not for how much is left inside it. A half-empty 6-ounce bottle still doesn’t qualify.

What counts as a liquid

If you can pour it, pump it, spray it or spread it, plan on it counting. Our advice: toothpaste, lotion, sunscreen, hair gel, liquid makeup, contact solution and drinks all belong in the quart bag or in your checked luggage.

The exceptions

Item What TSA says
Medically necessary liquids, medications and creams Allowed in amounts over 3.4 oz in your carry-on. Take them out of the bag to be screened separately.2
Formula, breast milk and juice for children Allowed in quantities over 3.4 oz, and they don’t need to fit in the quart bag.3
Ice packs for breast milk or formula Allowed in carry-on, per the same TSA guidance.3

Tell the officer about exempt items at the start of screening so they can be checked separately.

Packing the bag

Our advice:

  1. Use a real quart-size clear bag that zips shut. If it won’t close, take something out.
  2. Pack it last, at the top of your carry-on, so you can pull it out quickly.
  3. Choose solid versions where you can (bar soap, solid deodorant, shampoo bars).
  4. Put anything bigger than 3.4 oz in your checked bag, or buy it at your destination.

Does TSA PreCheck change the rule?

PreCheck changes how you’re screened, not how much you can bring. TSA says PreCheck members don’t need to remove 3-1-1 liquids from their bags at the checkpoint.4 The 3.4-ounce limit still applies. See our guide to TSA PreCheck vs. Global Entry.

Before you leave home

  • Every container 3.4 oz (100 mL) or smaller.
  • All of them in one clear quart bag that closes.
  • Medicine and baby liquids packed separately and ready to show.
  • Larger bottles moved to checked luggage.

Sources & method

How we researched this

  • This is a research-based guide, not a hands-on product test.
  • Every measurement and safety figure is attributed to the source it comes from. Where we give our own advice, we say so.
  • We don’t rank or recommend specific products in this guide.

Sources

  1. Carry-On Baggage (liquids, gels and aerosols), Delta Air Lines. Accessed Nov 9, 2026.
  2. I am traveling with medication, are there any requirements I should be aware of?, Transportation Security Administration. Accessed Nov 9, 2026.
  3. Is breast milk, formula and juice exempt from the 3-1-1 liquids rule?, Transportation Security Administration. Accessed Nov 9, 2026.
  4. TSA PreCheck, Transportation Security Administration. Accessed Nov 9, 2026.

Review history

  • Published Nov 9, 2026.