Can Carry-On Bags Have Liquids? TSA’s 3-1-1 Rule Explained
Carry-on liquids are capped at 3.4 oz in one quart bag. Checked bags allow more, with limits on alcohol and aerosols. The full TSA rule, explained.
The short answer
Can carry-on bags have liquids? Yes, but each container must be 3.4 oz (100 ml) or less, and all of them fit in one quart-sized bag per passenger. Checked bags allow larger containers, with separate limits on alcohol and aerosols. Medication, baby formula and breast milk are exempt from the size cap. Current as of September 2026.
Every checkpoint line has someone repacking a toiletry bag at the last second, moving a bottle from a suitcase pocket into a clear plastic bag while the line behind them waits. The rule behind that scramble is TSA’s 3-1-1 policy, and it covers more than shampoo.
This works through what counts as a liquid, what changes once a bag is checked instead of carried on, and where medication, baby food and a couple of specific toiletries get treated differently. Every figure below is checked against TSA’s own published guidance, current as of September 2026.
What to check before you pack
- One quart-sized, clear, resealable bag per passenger, for carry-on liquids
- Each container inside that bag: 3.4 oz (100 ml) or less
- Anything larger goes in checked baggage, not the quart bag
- Solids, sticks, powders and pressed compacts are exempt from the size limit entirely
- Medication, baby formula and breast milk are exempt too, in reasonable quantities, if declared at the checkpoint
- Alcohol and aerosols follow their own separate limits once packed in a checked bag
The TSA 3-1-1 rule for carry-on liquids
TSA’s own rule covers “liquids, aerosols, gels, creams and pastes,” not just liquids in the everyday sense. That wording is why a cream deodorant or a gel toothpaste counts even though neither one pours like water.
The rule itself is simple: one quart-sized bag, one per passenger, 3.4 oz (100 ml) or less per container. Anything that alarms the X-ray during screening gets pulled for additional inspection regardless of its size, and anything over the limit has to travel in checked baggage instead.
Solid items are exempt from all of this. A stick, a pressed powder or a bar of soap holds its shape and never enters the 3-1-1 calculation, no matter how large it is.
Can checked bags have liquids?
Yes, and without the 3.4 oz cap. TSA’s guidance recommends packing anything over that size in checked baggage rather than bringing it to the checkpoint. Checked bags carry no general size limit on ordinary liquids like shampoo or shower gel.
That does not mean checked baggage has no rules at all. Alcohol above 24% ABV is capped at 5 liters (1.3 gallons) per passenger and must be in unopened retail packaging; alcohol over 70% ABV is prohibited in any bag. Aerosols carry their own aggregate limit, and flammable aerosol paint is barred outright, checked or not.
Under 24% ABV, common with most beer, wine and ciders, carries no volume limit at all in checked baggage.
| Checked-bag category | Limit | Condition |
|---|---|---|
| Alcohol, 24% ABV or less | None | Pack within weight allowance |
| Alcohol, 24-70% ABV | 5 L (1.3 gal) per passenger | Unopened retail packaging |
| Alcohol, over 70% ABV | Prohibited | Not allowed in any bag |
| Aerosol toiletry (e.g. deodorant) | 2 kg / 2 L aggregate, 500 ml per container | FAA hazmat limit for toiletries |
| Flammable aerosol paint | Prohibited | Not allowed in any bag |
Liquids that skip the 3-1-1 limit entirely
A handful of categories are exempt from the 3.4 oz cap even in carry-on, as long as they’re declared to the officer at the start of screening.
- Medication, prescription or over-the-counter, in liquid form, in reasonable quantities for the trip
- Baby formula, breast milk and toddler drinks or food, which do not need to fit in the quart bag at all
- Duty-free liquids bought internationally, if sealed in a tamper-evident bag with the receipt, bought within 48 hours, and traveling onward with a connecting flight to the US
Each of these still goes through screening. An officer may test the liquid, ask that it be opened, or offer private screening on request, but the size limit itself does not apply.
Does airport security check liquids at the checkpoint?
Yes, every time, regardless of container size. Standard checkpoints use X-ray to image a bag’s contents, and any liquid, gel, aerosol, cream or paste that alarms during that scan is pulled for a closer look, even one well under 3.4 oz.
Newer checkpoints use CT scanners, which build a 3-D image of a bag’s contents instead of a flat 2-D one. That extra detail is what lets some CT lanes skip pulling the liquids bag out separately, though the size limit itself is unchanged either way.
A declared medically necessary liquid gets tested or opened for inspection, not just X-rayed. Travelers can ask for private screening for any item at any checkpoint, liquid or otherwise.
CT scanners and the proposed changes for 2026
TSA has installed CT scanners at a growing number of airports. Its own guidance describes a long-term goal of letting travelers leave 3-1-1 liquids in the bag during screening, the same way many CT lanes already allow for laptops.
That rollout remains uneven checkpoint to checkpoint. The safer plan is to follow the signage or the officer at the specific lane, not assume either way.
A separate, unconfirmed development is worth flagging. In September 2026, ABC News and CBS News reported that newly installed CT scanners capable of identifying liquid contents could eventually let PreCheck travelers skip the 3.4 oz limit. The reporting cited TSA and administration officials, not an official announcement.
TSA has not confirmed a timeline or named any airport testing this. It stated only that it will “continue to explore opportunities to enhance security.” The standard 3-1-1 rule, in place since 2006, remains in effect for every traveler as of this writing.
| Lane type | Liquids bag stays packed? | Size limit |
|---|---|---|
| Standard X-ray lane | Usually no | 3.4 oz / 100 ml |
| CT-equipped lane | Often, checkpoint-dependent | 3.4 oz / 100 ml |
| Proposed PreCheck change | Reported, not confirmed | Reported, not confirmed |
Does deodorant or makeup count as a liquid for TSA?
It depends on whether the item holds its shape. A solid stick deodorant, a pressed powder or a twist-up lipstick is exempt from the 3-1-1 rule at any size. None of them can be poured, squeezed or sprayed out of their container.
Gel, cream, roll-on and aerosol deodorant all count as liquids and need a 3.4 oz container in the quart bag. Mascara, liquid foundation, cream blush and lip gloss in a squeeze tube follow the same rule, since none of them hold a fixed shape either. Lotion and spray sunscreen are liquids too; only a solid sunscreen stick is exempt.
A full-size stick survives the checkpoint untouched, while a full-size gel or spray of the same brand does not, even packed in the same toiletry bag.
TSA liquid rules at a glance
| Category | Carry-on | Checked bag | Must declare? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard liquid, gel or aerosol | 3.4 oz / 100 ml | No general limit | No |
| Solid stick, powder or pressed compact | No limit | No limit | No |
| Medically necessary liquid | No limit | No limit | Yes |
| Baby formula, breast milk, toddler food | No limit | No limit | Recommended |
| Alcohol, 24% ABV or less | 3.4 oz / 100 ml | No limit | No |
| Alcohol, 24-70% ABV | 3.4 oz / 100 ml | 5 L per passenger | No |
| Alcohol, over 70% ABV | Prohibited | Prohibited | N/A |
| Aerosol toiletry | 3.4 oz / 100 ml | 500 ml per container, 2 L aggregate | No |
| Duty-free liquid, sealed | Over 3.4 oz, if sealed | No limit | Yes, at connection |
Figures checked against TSA’s published liquids rule and item-specific guidance in September 2026.
What happens if your liquid doesn’t qualify
An oversized liquid, gel or aerosol that shows up at the checkpoint does not get a warning first. A TSA officer pulls it out of the bag on the spot, and it does not go back in.
Most checkpoints offer a bin or a mailing kiosk for a fee, but plenty of smaller airports have neither, and the item is simply discarded. Nothing about the 3.4 oz limit is negotiable at the checkpoint itself, since the officer enforcing it is not the person who can grant an exception.
If an item is borderline, the safer move is checking it before reaching security, not arguing the size once there.
Fixing it at the checkpoint
- Stay calm and let additional screening happen. An alarm on a compliant, correctly sized container is common and usually resolved with a swab test in under a minute.
- Declare medically necessary liquids before screening starts, not after an officer questions them.
- Ask for a supervisor if an officer classifies a clearly solid item as a liquid. Solid stick deodorant and lipstick occasionally get flagged in error.
- Offer to check the item instead of arguing further, if there’s time before the flight and an agent nearby who can take it.
- Contact the airport’s TSA Customer Service desk afterward if an item was confiscated and the rule seems to have been applied wrong.
Frequently asked questions
In short
Carry-on liquids are capped at 3.4 oz per container in one quart-sized bag; checked bags allow more, with separate limits on alcohol and aerosols. Medication, baby formula, breast milk and sealed duty-free liquids skip the size cap when declared.
Solid sticks, powders and pressed compacts pass through untouched in either bag, no matter how large. Everything else, gels, creams, aerosols and anything that pours, needs the 3.4 oz container or a spot in checked baggage.
Rules change without much notice. This was checked against TSA’s published guidance in September 2026; if something here no longer matches what was said at the checkpoint, tell us and it will be corrected.
Once a toiletry bag is sorted, the next practical question is usually what else fits in that carry-on. Carry-on size, and every major airline’s compared covers the bag itself, and carry-on weight limits by airline covers what it can weigh.
If liquids end up too large for carry-on, checked baggage policies for every major airline covers packing them into a checked bag instead. For other checkpoint questions, what happens at the security checkpoint and whether TSA PreCheck is worth it cover the rest of the process.
Toothpaste and nail-care items each get their own specific rules beyond the general 3-1-1 limit.
Sources
- TSA: Liquids, Aerosols, and Gels Rule
- TSA: Alcoholic Beverages
- TSA: Deodorant (Aerosol)
- TSA: Liquid Medications
- TSA: Flammable Liquid, Gel, or Aerosol Paint
- TSA: Aerosol Insecticide
- TSA: Traveling With Children
- TSA: Computed Tomography
- TSA: New CT Screening Technology at Juneau International Airport (July 2026)
- Open Jaw: TSA May Scrap the Water Bottle Rule for PreCheck Flyers (September 2026)
