Transportation of nuclear material varies greatly depending on the stage of the fuel cycle. Furthermore, depending on where the material is being transported by land, water or in some cases by air.
The transportation of milled uranium oxide, yellowcake is relatively simple. Due to the relatively low level of radiation, yellowcake is typically transported in 200L drums each holding 400kg of material. These drums are then packed into standard shipping containers.
Uranium hexafluoride due to its toxicity is transported in either Type 48Y containers for unenriched or Type 30B containers if enriched. Both these containers are large steel cylinders capable of withstanding large amounts of heat and pressure however Type 30B containers are smaller to avoid criticality risks. These containers can also be used to store depleted uranium hexafluoride at enrichment sites.
The transportation of fresh fuel depends greatly on the type of fuel and the intended reactor. Fuel is generally transported by truck or rail within countries and typically shielding for fresh fuel is not required due to the low radioactivity. Fresh fuel however does require the packaging to both prevent damage as well as prevent criticality incidents. This criticality risk also limits the number of fuel assemblies transported at once.
The transport of nuclear waste varies greatly on the level of radioactivity of the waste. Low level waste, while more radioactive than background does not require any shielding. Instead this waste is transported in standard 200L drums, usually compacted to reduce the waste volume. The transportation of intermediate level waste is a very broad form of waste but unlike low level waste requires shielding due to higher levels of radiation. The transportation of high-level waste such as used fuels is more complex as there are significant amounts of radiation as well as heat that must be managed. This material is typically placed in a Type B container which is shielded using steel and lead and for used fuel roughly 100 tons of material will be shipped per container. In case used fuel is reprocessed to recover plutonium which is transported as plutonium oxide with special measures taken to prevent criticality risks.