Shipping lithium batteries

A phone, a tool, a toy with a rechargeable pack, a pair of headphones: a large share of consumer products contain a lithium battery, and every one of them is a dangerous good in transport. They can still travel by parcel: the battery's type and size decide how, and the carrier has to agree to take it.

Transport classification

The transport rules, ADR for road, the IMDG Code for sea and the IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations for air, sort lithium batteries into four entries. UN 3480 is lithium-ion batteries shipped on their own. UN 3481 is lithium-ion batteries packed with equipment or contained in it. UN 3090 is lithium-metal batteries on their own, and UN 3091 lithium-metal batteries packed with or contained in equipment. A battery in the device it powers is the easiest case; a spare battery in its own box is the strictest.

Thresholds

For lithium-ion, the measure is the watt-hour rating, the nominal voltage multiplied by the capacity in ampere-hours, usually printed on the battery. Cells up to 20 Wh and batteries up to 100 Wh qualify for the small-battery provisions, which allow them to travel with reduced requirements. For lithium-metal, the measure is lithium content: up to 1 g per cell and 2 g per battery. Above those figures the battery is fully regulated, needs dangerous-goods packaging, labels and documents, and travels only with a carrier set up for it. Every lithium battery type has to have passed the UN 38.3 tests, and the test summary has to be available on request.

The battery's size decides how it travels. The carrier's terms decide whether it travels with them.

Marking and packing

A package under the small-battery provisions carries the lithium battery mark, the red-hatched label with the UN number, unless the rules exempt it, for example a small number of batteries already installed in equipment. The battery has to be protected against short circuit and against being switched on in transit. Damaged or defective batteries are forbidden by air altogether. By air, lithium-ion batteries shipped on their own are forbidden on passenger aircraft and must travel at a state of charge no higher than 30 per cent.

Carrier acceptance

Parcel carriers refuse dangerous goods by default. Some accept certain lithium batteries under special provisions, or limited quantities under the road, sea and air rules, only under a signed contract, with the marking, labelling and documents those rules require. That makes the first step a question to each carrier, per service, on the battery entries it accepts, the contract it requires and the lanes where it takes them. A product that can go by road on one network may be refused by another, or refused on an air service.

Battery products in your account

Each product record has a dangerous-goods class field, filled once in the passport wizard, so a battery product is identified wherever it ships. The rule that picks the carrier at label time can keep battery products on the services that accept them. And from 18 February 2027, the first hard DPP deadline, EV, light means of transport and industrial batteries above 2 kWh need a battery passport under the Battery Regulation, built on the same item identity as the parcel.