Classified as energetic materials, propellent powders — including single-base (nitrocellulose), double-base (nitrocellulose/nitroglycerin), and triple-base formulations — are subject to strict import licensing and end-use controls administered by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and, for certain military-specification grades, the State Department's Directorate of Defense Trade Controls under ITAR. Commercial importers must hold the appropriate federal explosives license or permit, and shipments require DOT hazardous-materials classification and packaging compliance throughout the supply chain. The distinction between propellent powders and other prepared explosives is commercially significant because it determines which regulatory pathway governs the import.

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