In the international air freight, we will encounter many cargoes with lithium batteries, such as smart bracelets, cell phones, electronic cigarettes and other electronic products. Products containing lithium batteries have special requirements in air transport, this article will explain the knowledge of lithium batteries.
I. Classification of lithium batteries.
In the DGR (Dangerous Goods Regulations) of IATA (International Air Transport Association) lithium batteries are classified as: lithium ion batteries and lithium metal batteries.
Lithium-ion batteries: refers to rechargeable batteries, including lithium polymer batteries, usually used in cell phones, laptops and other electronic products.
Lithium metal batteries: usually refers to disposable (non-rechargeable) batteries, containing lithium metal or lithium mixture as electrodes, generally used in watches, calculators and other products.
II. The UN code of lithium batteries and the mode of transport number.
In the United Nations Manual of Tests and Criteria for the Transport of Dangerous Goods, lithium batteries belong to the ninth category of dangerous goods, there are four UN codes, UN3090, UN3091, UN3480, UN3481. In air transport, all the outer boxes of goods containing lithium batteries need to be labeled with UN codes.
In addition, IATA uses six numbers to classify the different modes of transportation of lithium batteries, namely PI965/PI966/PI967/PI968/PI969/PI970.
The specific classification is as follows:
Lithium-ion battery
PI965, goods only lithium-ion batteries or lithium polymer batteries (corresponding to the label UN3480, is a dangerous goods, the gross weight of a box can not exceed 10 kg).
PI966, lithium-ion or lithium polymer batteries packaged with equipment (note: that is, equipment and lithium batteries are placed separately in the same box, corresponding to label UN3481).
PI967, lithium-ion or lithium polymer batteries installed in equipment (Note: i.e. lithium batteries are embedded in equiment and cannot be removed, corresponding to label UN3481).
Lithium metal battery
PI968, lithium metal batteries or lithium alloy batteries (i.e., only lithium metal batteries in the whole box, corresponding to label UN3090, is dangerous goods, the gross weight of a single piece can not exceed 2.5 kg).
PI969, lithium metal or lithium alloy batteries packed with equipment (Note: i.e. equipment and lithium metal batteries are placed separately in the same box, corresponding to label UN3091).
PI970, lithium metal batteries or lithium alloy batteries installed in the equipment (Note: that is, lithium metal batteries are embedded in the equipment, can not be removed, corresponding to the label UN3091).
III. Transportation of lithium batteries
1. The corresponding battery label must be affixed.
2. Not all airlines can accept cargo containing lithium batteries, so you need to confirm with the airline before shipping. There are some airlines, such as LATAM and TAP, that require additional charges for electricity inspection when shipping cargo with lithium batteries.
3. If the place of origin is mainland China, you need to provide the Certificate for Safe Transport of Goods and UN38.3 Report to the airline. If the origin is Hong Kong or Macau, you only need to provide an MSDS report and fill in the Declaration for Lithium Cells / Batteries.
Written by Mario
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