Free checkpoint cheat sheet · rules checked against tsa.gov on Oct 5, 2026

Things that get your bag pulled at TSA that you wouldn't expect.

Peanut butter. Jam. Ground coffee, tea bags and spices. A snow globe. A power bank in the wrong bag. Three pages, every rule from tsa.gov, each one numbered to the TSA page it came from.

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The one rule behind most of it

If you can spill it, spread it, spray it, pump it or pour it: 3.4 ounces.

In a carry-on, anything you can spill, spread, spray, pump or pour has to be 3.4 ounces (100 ml) or less, and all of it goes together in one quart-size bag. Anything bigger goes in your checked bag. That is TSA's own rule of thumb for its 3-1-1 liquids rule. (tsa.gov/travel/travel-tips)

That is why a jar of peanut butter, a jar of jam or a can of cranberry sauce can hold up a whole line. They are food, but they spread.

A few from inside the PDF

What TSA lists for nine of them.

Item	Carry-on	Checked bag
Peanut butter	3.4 oz or less	Allowed
Jam and jelly	3.4 oz or less	Allowed
Ground coffee, tea bags, spices	Allowed. TSA says officers may have you separate foods and powders. From our own trips, not a TSA rule: the bag was pulled for a second look	Allowed
Cranberry sauce	TSA lists it as a must-check holiday food	Allowed
Gel-type candles	Not allowed	Allowed
Power banks and phone chargers	Allowed	Not allowed
Matches	One book of safety matches	Not allowed
Cooking spray	Not allowed	Not allowed
Torch lighters	Not allowed	Not allowed

The PDF has about twenty more, plus the things that are allowed but still get a bag pulled, and the two exemptions most people don't know about (baby items and medically necessary liquids).

How it was made

Only what TSA says.

Every rule is from tsa.gov. Each one carries a number that points to the TSA page it came from, listed on the last page.
Each item follows its own page on tsa.gov. An item with no page of its own (cranberry sauce) follows TSA's holiday press release. Items TSA doesn't clearly rule on were left out.
No reasons TSA didn't give. Where TSA's page gives no explanation, the PDF says so.
Rules change, and the officer at the checkpoint makes the final decision. When you're not sure, TSA's What Can I Bring? list is the place to look.

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