Lithium Battery Shipping Regulations that You Need to KnowLithium cell and battery transportation is regulated in both the United States and the international community. Click here for an overview of the governing agencies and the regulations. Any shipper of lithium batteries is required to comply with the latest regulations. All shipments from Nexergy will conform to the applicable regulations. Nexergy is happy to provide guidance to our customers, but we strongly recommend you familiarize yourself with the latest shipping regulations to assure your products are in conformance. DisclaimerThe information contained in this web site is intended to give you a general awareness of battery shipping regulations and does not constitute legal advice. The most current actual regulations and standards in their original language should be reviewed and used for all business, legal, and product compliance purposes. Shipments in the United StatesIn the United States, the applicable regulations can be found in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). Refer to 49 CFR 173.185 for shipping lithium batteries by air or ground. Use 49 CFR 172.102 sections 29, 188, 189, A54, A55, A100, A101, A103, and A104 to find the special provisions for shipping lithium batteries. These special provisions allow many lithium battery shipments to be made as excepted instead of class 9 hazardous materials. There are a few things to remember when shipping lithium batteries inside the United States. The regulations may vary depending on if you ship the battery alone, with a piece of equipment, or inside a piece of equipment. UPS follows 49 CFR for both ground and air shipments, however, FedEx follows 49 CFR for ground shipments and IATA regulations for air shipments. The United States Department of Transportation has recently posted a Proposed Rule on the Federal Register regarding lithium cell and battery transportation. Please see this link for more information and to read the Proposed Rule: US DOT Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on Transport of Lithium Batteries International Shipments by AirWhen making shipments internationally by air refer to IATA Packing Instructions. The IATA Lithium Shipping Guidance Document is very helpful to use in conjunction with the packing instructions. Packing Instruction 965 is for Lithium Ion Cells and Batteries, 968 is for Lithium Metal Cells and Batteries. Packing instructions 966 and 967 pertain to shipping Lithium Ion Batteries with or in equipment. Packing Instructions 969 and 970 pertain to shipping Lithium Ion Batteries with or in equipment. Shipping PrototypesA lithium battery pack is considered a prototype until it passes section 38.3 of the UN Manual of Tests and Criteria (UN Transportation Testing). All prototypes should be shipped via ground transportation and must be shipped in Class 9 packaging surrounded by non-combustible, non-conductive cushioning material. A Class 9 shipment requires the shipper is HAZ MAT trained. A prototype can only go via air if the shipper has approval from the proper governing agencies (US DOT). Nexergy has this approval. The prototype pack must successfully pass a short circuit test and be packaged in a steel drum prior to shipping via air. UN Transportation TestingCurrently, all lithium batteries are required to pass section 38.3 of the UN Manual of Tests and Criteria (UN Transportation Testing). The only exception is that “small” lithium batteries shipping in the US are not required to be tested until 10/1/2009. Note that single cell battery packs are regulated as cells and are not required to be tested as long as the cell has passed UN Transportation Testing. Testing varies between lithium (metal) primary and lithium (ion) secondary. See the table below for more detail.
T1 – Altitude Simulation (Primary and Secondary Cells and Batteries)
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