Battery Seminars – Shipping Lithium Ion Batteries

Lithium batteries have become the primary power source for a wide range of consumer products, from cell phones and children’s toys to cars and e-bikes. Although they are widely used, most people are unaware that lithium batteries are hazardous materials that can pose a safety risk if not prepared in accordance with transportation regulations.

If the shipment of the lithium batteries takes place via air transport, a lithium-ion battery falls under dangerous goods in air freight. The goods must be labeled and transported accordingly so that no incidents occur. Our dangerous goods battery seminar helps to know all necessary hazards and comply with regulations.

Our online dangerous goods battery seminars explain to you and your employees how to handle lithium batteries in a dangerous goods compliant manner.

The IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations for Lithium Ion Battery Shipping govern the procedures for shipping lithium batteries. Shippers of lithium-ion batteries have a legal obligation to pack, declare and transport them in accordance with the regulations for dangerous goods in air freight. Our seminars are designed precisely for this knowledge acquisition and the challenges in practice. In this way, you ensure that your employees acquire the optimum knowledge.

ProSafeCon is the leading provider of dangerous goods courses and training. Besides this dangerous goods lithium battery seminar, we also offer you and your employees the ADR 1.3 Course as well as the IATA Dangerous Goods Training Online.

The Dangerous Goods Battery Seminar is offered monthly as a webinar. All you need is an internet connection.

Of course! Our instruction and battery seminars are open to all persons involved in the transport of dangerous goods. Existing customers of ProSafeCon can also enjoy reduced prices for the instruction. If you decide to become a customer of ProSafeCon after the instruction, we will take care of charging the costs.

You need a 2 GHz dual-core processor and 2 GB of RAM. Also, their operating systems should be Windows 8, Mac OS 10.13, Linux or Chrome OS or a newer version. The software used is a browser-based platform. Therefore, you must use the latest and official versions of Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Safari, Edge or Opera.

If you have technical questions, please contact [email protected].

If you have any problems, please write to us at [email protected]. We will try to help you as soon as possible.

This special provision (SV) applies to:

UN 3480, UN 3481 Lithium-ion cell ≤ 20 Wh, Lithium-ion battery ≤ 100 Wh

UN 3090, UN 3091 Lithium metal cell ≤ 1 g, lithium metal battery ≤ 2g

The following points must be observed, whether with or without equipment:

- Protection against short circuit including unintentional movement inside the outer packaging.

- Strong outer packaging must be used (design approval is not required). The material must be suitable.

- The total weight of the package must be ≤ 30 kg – Exception: batteries are installed in equipment or packed with equipment (UN 3481; UN 3091).

- Drop test of the package from 1.2 meters must be passed. I.e. the package should be able to fall from a height of 1.2 meters without the package deforming or cracking in such a way that the contents of the goods are damaged.

For hybrid batteries consisting of lithium-ion and lithium-metal cells, the total amount of lithium of all lithium-metal cells contained in the battery must not exceed 1.5 g and the total capacity of lithium-ion cells must not exceed 10 Wh.

The following points must be observed, whether with or without equipment:

- An inner packaging must completely enclose the cell/battery.

- Protection against short circuit and unintentional movement inside the outer packaging.

- Composite packaging (i.e., inner packaging containing the battery, plus outer packaging)

- At least one Y-coding

- For batteries ≥ 12 kg, an additional resistant housing is necessary, furthermore the poles of the battery should not be stressed (e.g. by components pressing on the poles).

The following additional points must be observed, batteries are packed in equipment:

- Strong outer packaging must be used (design approval need not be given). The material should be suitable.

- Protection against short circuit and unintentional activation.

Danger label for the shipment (ADR) of lithium batteries

- Standard shipping
UN 3480 (or 3481/3090/3091) (font size >30 kg = 12 mm, < 30 kg = 6 mm), hazardous material label 9a#.

- Batteries or cells for disposal
UN 3480 – Hazard label 9a – additional inscription in font size ≥ 12 mm: “Lithium-ion batteries for disposal”.

- Defective or damaged cells / batteries.
UN 3480 (or 3481/3090/3091) – Hazard label 9a – additionally inscription in font size ≥ 12 mm: “Damaged/defective lithium-ion batteries”.

- Shipping of Li-batteries according to SV 188
Battery label with UN no. and telephone no. of the sender for additional information.

UN 3480 Lithium-ion cells or batteries
UN 3481 Lithium-ion cells or batteries in equipment
UN 3481 Lithium-ion cells or batteries packed with equipment
UN 3090 Lithium metal cells or batteries
UN 3091 Lithium metal cells or batteries in equipment
UN 3091 Lithium metal cells or batteries packed with equipment

UN 3481 is assigned to lithium ion cells or batteries packed in equipment and/or lithium cells or batteries packed with equipment. A UN number means that the product is classified as dangerous goods and corresponding regulations must be observed.

Lithium, is very reactive and can get hotter even without heat input. The limit temperature is between 150 and 250 degrees. If it is exceeded, the lithium reacts with other components of the battery cell, generating heat. At 300 degrees, the liquid electrolyte ultimately begins to burn.

For participation in the Dangerous Goods Battery Seminar a fast internet access is necessary. In addition, each participant needs his own computer. The training and the final test will be in German. Your employees must therefore have sufficient knowledge of German to be able to follow the instruction.

Are car batteries dangerous goods? Automotive batteries (batteries wet) are assigned to UN 2795. Currently, there is no stacking ban and batteries are exempted from dangerous goods regulations by means of a special provision. However, the supplementary provisions of the special regulation must be complied with.
Supplementary provisions are load securing, no dangerous adhesions (acids or alkalis) and secured against short-circuiting, and the housing must also be undamaged.

Introduction of the test summary for lithium batteries. Manufacturers may only place tested batteries on the market. Since 1.1.2020, the information on the passed UN 38.3 test must be documented in much more detail and made available to users.

The results of these tests are bundled in an overview, the so-called test summary according to UN 38.3.5.
Manufacturers and distributors of cells or batteries must provide the test summary specified in the Manual of Tests and Criteria, Part III, subsection 38.3, paragraph 38.3.5, for all lithium batteries manufactured after June 30, 2003.

The previous practice of using safety data sheets as a basis is now supplemented by the provision of the test summary.

This info must be provided in a test summary:

- Name of the cell, battery or product manufacturer.

- Contact information of the cell, battery, or product manufacturer.

- Name of the test laboratory, including any contact information.

- A unique test report identification number

- Date of the test report

- A detailed description of the cell or battery

- List of tests performed and results obtained

- Reference to testing requirements for composite batteries

- Reference to the revised edition of the Manual of Tests and Criteria used and any amendments made to it

- Signature with name and title of authorized person indicating the validity of the information provided.
From: UN Manual of Tests and Criteria 38.3.5