LiPo batteries are strictly regulated in both air and sea transport due to the potential risk of fire caused by uncertain factors during shipping. Unlike more stable battery chemistries such as NiMH, lithium polymer batteries can enter thermal runaway if damaged, short-circuited, or exposed to extreme conditions. For this reason, they are classified as Class 9 Dangerous Goods under the United Nations transport regulations.
Class 9 includes four main UN numbers for lithium batteries. Since the majority of Gens Ace and Tattu products are rechargeable LiPo batteries, the two labels most commonly applied by freight forwarders to our shipments are:
- UN3480: LiPo packs or LiPo cells shipped alone (standalone batteries)
- UN3481: LiPo batteries contained in equipment or packed with equipment
(We occasionally use UN3481 for other products such as Lokithor car jump starters, smart ring batteries, customized electronic products containing LiPo batteries for B2B clients, or when batteries are shipped together with other items.)
The other two labels are:
- UN3090 and UN3091: Lithium-metal batteries (primary/non-rechargeable batteries). Since our main products are rechargeable LiPo batteries, we rarely use these two labels.
Air Transport (Stricter Rules)
Air transport is significantly more restrictive than sea transport. Batteries are divided into three sections based on size, and each section follows different packaging, labeling, and handling requirements:
- Section IA: Applies to larger batteries — cells exceeding 20 Wh or batteries exceeding 100 Wh. Package weight is generally limited to 35 kg. Full dangerous goods procedures, UN-specification packaging, Class 9 lipo battery labels, and a Shipper’s Declaration are required.
- Section IB: Applies to smaller regulated batteries — cells ≤ 20 Wh and batteries ≤ 100 Wh. Package weight is generally limited to 10 kg. Still treated as full Class 9 dangerous goods, but with slightly reduced packaging requirements compared to Section IA.
- Section II: Now rarely used for our products. It mainly applies to very small LiPo batteries contained in or packed with equipment. Requirements are the lightest, and in some cases the shipment may not need full Class 9 labeling.
Freight forwarders will follow different handling processes, packaging standards, labels, and marks according to which section applies.
Key air transport restrictions:
- Section IA and Section IB standalone LiPo batteries are forbidden on passenger aircraft and can only be transported on cargo aircraft.
- Customers often ask whether they can carry LiPo batteries on passenger flights. The answer is no for cargo shipments of standalone batteries — passenger aircraft are strictly prohibited. We usually recommend alternative travel arrangements.
- Damaged, defective, or swollen LiPo batteries are completely forbidden on cargo aircraft as well.
- For Section II, standalone batteries are generally not allowed on passenger aircraft, while batteries contained in equipment may be accepted on both passenger and cargo aircraft under certain conditions.
Sea Transport (More Flexible)
Sea transport rules are comparatively more permissive. The key factor is whether the batteries meet the requirements of Special Provision 188 (SP188):
- For UN3480 and UN3481: If the battery is ≤ 100 Wh or the cell is ≤ 20 Wh, the shipment can often be handled under SP188 with reduced controls (closer to general cargo procedures).
- For UN3090 and UN3091: If the battery contains ≤ 2 g of lithium or the cell contains ≤ 1 g of lithium, SP188 may also apply.
If the batteries exceed these limits, full dangerous goods procedures are required.
Unlike air transport, sea freight can accept damaged or defective batteries in some cases, although the restrictions are still relatively strict and the process is more complicated.