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Technical Guide:
LITHIUM
BATTERIES
IATA Packing Instructions Explained
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Lithium Batteries: IATA Packing Instructions Explained - 2014
Contents
Lithium Batteries IATA Packing Instructions 4
Step-by-Step
Summary 17
2
Lithium Batteries: IATA Packing Instructions Explained - 2014
Michael Gotz
HAZMAT Training & Compliance
Quick Group of Companies
Contact:
michael_gotz@qintl.com
Expertise
Dangerous Goods regulations and training, trouleshooting
Biography
Michael Gotz has developed IATA-certified Dangerous Goods training
programs and has been a panelist in numerous IATA Dangerous Goods
international conferences. He is the author of published journal articles
on the subject of the air transport of hazardous commodities.
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Lithium Batteries: IATA Packing Instructions Explained - 2014
Lithium Batteries
IATA Packing Instructions
Step-by-Step
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Lithium Batteries: IATA Packing Instructions Explained - 2014
Step 1
1
Determine which type of battery you are shipping: lithium ion or
lithium metal.
2
Lithium ion batteries: the watt-hr rating for both the
cells and the battery
Lithium metal batteries: the lithium metal content of
both the cells and the battery
Both types: the weight of each battery
Step 1 Decide how many batteries will be in each box that you are ship-
ping, as well as the combined weight of the batteries in each box.
3
Please note you simply cannot proceed without all of this in-
formation; compliance with the Packing Instructions requires
plugging in these data to newly revised charts. Armed with the
watt-hr or lithium content and the number and weight of batter-
ies you want to place in each individual shipping box, you can
move forward.
Step 1
4
Go to the appropriate Packing Instruction for your commodity,
whether PI 965 or PI 968, plug the data into the charts, and fol-
low the instructions.
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Lithium Batteries: IATA Packing Instructions Explained - 2014
The most changes appear in PI 965 for lithium ion batteries and PI 968
for lithium metal or alloy batteries, so we will address those packing
instructions first.
PI 965, for shipments of loose lithium ion batteries (UN3480), has been
revised to contain three sections, IA, IB, and II, whereas previously
there were only Sections I and II. Note that in order to comply with one
section, you must understand all of the sections. Read on and you will
see why.
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Lithium Batteries: IATA Packing Instructions Explained - 2014
EXAMPLE 1
Assume your batterys cells have a 21 wh and the battery has a 180
wh, and you want to put two such batteries, each weighing 2 kg, into
one shipping box. Take a look at Table 965-II to see if you qualify to
ship under Section II. The first column applies to cells and batteries
with 2.7 wh or less; well, that is not you. Next column is for cells with
wh ratings greater than 2.7 but not more than 20. That again is not
you. The last column applies to batteries with a wh not more than 100.
Alas, again not you, although you do comply with the 2 batteries per
package rule.
So you proceed upward to Section IB. This is not a help because the
wh restrictions are the same as Section II; the only difference between
II and IB is the number/weight of batteries allowed per package.
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Lithium Batteries: IATA Packing Instructions Explained - 2014
So you land in Section IA, Table 965-IA, which allows wh ratings great-
er than those in IB and II. Now all you have to do is keep the combined
weight of the batteries in each box under the maximum 5 kg allowed
for Passenger Aircraft or 35 kg for Cargo Freighter.
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Lithium Batteries: IATA Packing Instructions Explained - 2014
EXAMPLE 2
Assume your batterys cells have a 10 wh and the battery has a 50 wh,
and you want to put two such batteries, each weighing 2 kg, into one
shipping box. Take a look at Table 965-II to see if you qualify to ship
under Section II. The last column applies to batteries with a wh not
greater than 100. Great, you do comply with both the wh rating and the
2 batteries per package rule. You ship under the provisions of Section
II. (in the case of column 4, the weight of the batteries and the box is
not relevant, as only the number of batteries count, not their weight).
Does it matter which section you use? YES. Section IA is far more re-
strictive than IB and II.
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Lithium Batteries: IATA Packing Instructions Explained - 2014
Section IA:
Prepared as Class 9
UN packaging required
Fully marked and labeled
Shippers Declaration required
Section IB:
UN packaging not required
A Shippers Declaration is required
A special document with certain statements is required, but
usually the courier company or freight forwarder takes care of
this by putting it all down on the air waybill, along with other
air waybill verbiage
The Proper Shipping Name and UN Number must be marked
on the box
The gross weight of the package must be marked on the package
The box must bear both the Class 9 label and the Lithium
Batteries Handling Label
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Lithium Batteries: IATA Packing Instructions Explained - 2014
Note: that if your batteries qualify for Section IB only because you have
too many in each box, you have the option of making more packages
with no more than 2 batteries per box. This would then put you into
Section II.
Section II:
UN packaging not required
Shippers Declaration not required
The box must bear the Lithium Batteries Handling Label
A special document with certain statements is required, but
usually the courier company or freight forwarder takes care of
this by putting it all down on the air waybill, along with other air
waybill verbiage
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Lithium Batteries: IATA Packing Instructions Explained - 2014
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Lithium Batteries: IATA Packing Instructions Explained - 2014
Before the regulation changes in 2013, the shipper was allowed to put
very heavy lithium batteries in a package; as long as they conformed
to the battery watt hour (lithium ion) or lithium content (lithium metal)
and the maximum number of batteries per package limits for Section
II. Now they must comply with not only the wh/wt and max number of
batteries, but the combined weight of the batteries cannot exceed 5
kg per package. This essentially means that heavy batteries that used
to qualify for Section II must now be shipped under the provisions
of Section I. This fact may require some shippers to comply with full
Class 9 rules, a big change.
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Lithium Batteries: IATA Packing Instructions Explained - 2014
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Lithium Batteries: IATA Packing Instructions Explained - 2014
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Lithium Batteries: IATA Packing Instructions Explained - 2014
Summary
So, for example, say you have lithium metal batteries, UN 3090,
with cells with a lithium metal content not exceeding 1 g and the
battery itself with a lithium metal content not exceeding 2 g. Then
your relevant packing instruction is PI 968 and you go directly
there. Starting with Section II you see that you qualify if you keep
the number of batteries per package down to no more than 2. If
you can do that, you are on your way.
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applying to your batteries, it will be like taking aspirin.
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The shippers first task is to classify the batteries in order to be
able to follow the correct Packaging Instruction. This Technical
Guide explains how to do it step by step.
Lithium Batteries:
Packaging and
Documenting
Shipments - 2014
Innovative Technology
critical
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logistics -- even in the most remote locations.
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