Lithium Battery Shipping Certification
Nowadays, lithium battery is widely used in various industries due to its high discharge rate, rechargeable and pollution-free. With the globalization of economy and trade, the demand of lithium battery in transportation is increasing. How to transport lithium battery correctly is also an important problem that cannot be ignored by lithium battery manufacturers.
What shipping certification does a lithium battery need to pass?
Lithium ion batteries are usually considered as dangerous goods in transportation, so they need to pass multiple shipping certifications to reduce the possibility of accidents. The following is a description of the certifications that may be required to transport lithium batteries.
UN/DOT
UN / DOT is a standard for transportation of goods formulated by the U.S. Department of transportation, which has clear provisions on the transportation standard for lithium batteries. Among them, UN38.3 is a regulation for lithium batteries for air transportation.
This test standard covers eight different tests, all of which focus on the hazards of lithium batteries in transportation. In recent years, UN / DOT has passed a new law to prohibit lithium batteries from being installed on passenger aircraft. Therefore, it is predicted that air transportation of lithium batteries may be banned in the future.
IATA (International Air Transport Association)
Unlike other laws and regulations, IATA does not carry out certification test on specific goods transported. IATA only certifies the shipper of the goods to ensure that the shipper understands the relevant requirements of lithium battery transportation. At the same time, the certified shipper still needs to re certify the qualification every year.
IEC (The International Electrotechnical Commission)
As a non-profit standard making organization, IEC compiles international standards for electrical, electronic and other related technologies. Its standards involve general, safety and transportation specifications. In the IEC standard, IEC 62281 is dedicated to the transportation of primary or secondary lithium batteries, which aims to ensure the safety of lithium batteries during transportation.
CE Marking
CE mark is a self declaration made by the manufacturer to confirm that the product meets the EU product safety requirements. The CE safety certification of EU is more comprehensive, which can ensure that products can get safety certification almost in the world. However, the CE mark does not apply to products sold in the United States.
ANSI (The American National Standards Institute)
Like IEC, ANSI is a non-profit standards development organization that develops consensus based standards. ANSI C18.2M and ANSI C18.3M provide safety standards for portable rechargeable batteries.
In addition to some of the above certification, there are many professional or non professional certification of lithium battery transportation in the world, which are suitable for different situations of transportation.
Do you use devices with lithium battery on the plane?
On the plane, passengers can normally use mobile phones, computers, cameras and other devices that use lithium batteries (mobile devices should turn on flight mode). However, these devices must be placed in their carry on luggage and pay attention to the safety of electricity during use.
Spare lithium-ion batteries, lithium metal batteries and electronic cigarettes, which are easy to generate heat or smoke, must also be carried with them. When carrying with them, passengers should also ensure that these electronic devices will not be accidentally started, damaged or short circuited.
In checked luggage, lithium batteries in operation are prohibited. If there is a lithium battery device in your checked luggage, make sure it is completely closed and does not start automatically, and pack it to prevent damage and short circuit. If it is a lithium-ion battery or a lithium metal battery, it should be protected with the manufacturer’s packaging or adhesive tape, and put in a special bag to prevent the risk of short circuit.
If it is a damaged, defective or recalled lithium battery, please do not take it with you. These batteries may cause safety hazards due to overheating or fire, which may be devastating to the aircraft and its passengers.
How do you transport lithium batteries properly?
First of all, before transporting lithium batteries, it is necessary to confirm whether the batteries or consignors have safety certification. According to the requirements of the transporter, test and register the corresponding safety certification, which is the most efficient method for the certification of transport lithium batteries. Some specifications of lithium batteries, transport companies will also require the shipper to sign a dangerous goods contract.
It is also necessary to choose a good transportation company. Because the transportation of lithium batteries is a complicated matter, it is not to pack and mail the batteries directly, so the safety issues in the transportation of lithium batteries must also be considered.
Therefore, it is very wise to choose famous express companies such as USPS and UPS to transport lithium batteries. They have comprehensive transportation guidelines for dangerous goods and a considerable number of trained personnel who understand how lithium batteries work and how to handle them safely.
In addition to registration and selection of transportation companies, there are many details to be done in the transportation of lithium batteries.
First, lithium batteries weighing more than 35 kg must be approved by the national authorities before shipment. The greater the net weight of lithium batteries, the higher the risk level, and the more strict control is required.
Secondly, damaged or defective batteries should not be transported, and batteries should be strictly packaged and labeled with lithium battery shipping products. Finally, used lithium batteries for recycling should not be transported by air unless approved by national authorities and airlines. All these measures are related to the safety of the goods and the life of the transporters, so there can be no negligence.
Under the background of economic and trade globalization, it is an inevitable requirement of the times for lithium battery manufacturers to master the methods of transporting products. How to reduce the possibility of safety accidents as much as possible during transportation is also the preparation that manufacturers and transportation companies must make. Hope you can find this article helpful.
Thank you for your attention!
