Shipments Containing Lithium Batteries →

Effective July 1, 2015, in compliance with ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) & IATA (International Air Transport Association) regulations, shipments containing lithium ion, and lithium metal batteries, and lithium cells must undergo certain procedures of packing, handling, loading, and shipping. Now, what do we consider as lithium ion & metal batteries?

Lithium Ion Batteries are a type of rechargeable batteries that are commonly used in consumer electronics, for example, mobile telephones, laptop computers, etc.

Lithium Ion Batteries are a type of rechargeable batteries that are commonly used in consumer electronics, for example, mobile telephones, laptop computers, etc.

Lithium ion & metal batteries, and lithium cells are forbidden to be transported on passenger aircrafts as these products are considered dangerous goods, and must be handled, and packaged according to the Dangerous Goods Regulations. Class 9 label must be placed on the packages as well as the appropriate UN number, and here is the list of UN numbers applicable to lithium batteries, and such:

Lithium Cells are single encased electro-chemical units.

Lithium Cells are single encased electro-chemical units.

Lithium Metal Batteries are a type of non-rechargeable batteries that have lithium, or lithium metal compounds as an anode, and commonly used in consumer products, such as watches, calculators, and cameras. 

Lithium Metal Batteries are a type of non-rechargeable batteries that have lithium, or lithium metal compounds as an anode, and commonly used in consumer products, such as watches, calculators, and cameras. 

  • UN 3090, Lithium metal batteries;  
  • UN 3480, Lithium ion batteries.

If these batteries, and cells are inside of an equipment, or packed separately with the equipment then the following UN numbers apply:

  • UN 3091, Lithium metal batteries contained in equipment;  
  • UN 3091, Lithium metal batteries packed with equipment;
  • UN 3481, Lithium ion batteries contained in equipment;
  • UN 3481, Lithium ion batteries packed with equipment.

Shipper's Declaration for Dangerous Goods must be filed with corresponding fees paid to the airlines. In addition, there are many precautions shippers must take when preparing lithium batteries & cells for export, for instance, whether the products can be consolidated, or what limitations are on net weight, or quantities in each package, and more.

When transporting lithium batteries, there is a risk of battery terminals coming into contact with other batteries, metal objects, conductive surfaces, causing short-circuit. A strong outer packaging (example shown below) must be preventative to that risk, and have all units separated, or kept inside the equipment they power. Sample packaging meeting these requirements is shown below: