Lithium Battery Packaging and Marking for Export

Most lithium shipments are not rejected because the cells are bad. They are rejected at the acceptance desk because a box was not the right UN specification, a mark was the wrong size, or the paper said one thing and the pallet said another. Packaging and marking are the cheapest part of an export order and the most common reason it stops moving.

This is the part of the process that sits between the paperwork — covered in our export document checklist — and the shipment itself. It applies whether you are buying loose cells or finished battery packs.

Key takeaways

Start from the UN number, not the box: UN3480 for batteries shipped alone, UN3481 packed with or contained in equipment, UN3171 for battery-powered vehicles. Marks, documents and airline acceptance all key off it.
A certified UN box prints its design code, for example 4G/Y25/S/26/CN/XXXX: 4G is fibreboard, Y the packing group, and 25 the maximum gross mass in kilograms – exceed it and the certification no longer applies.
The lithium battery mark (minimum 120 x 110 mm, or 105 x 100 mm on small packages) and the Class 9 label (100 x 100 mm) are different marks; fully regulated consignments need both.
UN3480 shipped by air must be at no more than 30% state of charge, set and recorded before the consignment is built – it cannot be fixed at the airport.
Shipments fail on inner packaging more often than strength: separate cells to prevent short circuits, protect terminals, secure against movement, and pass the 1.2 m drop test in the worst orientation.

Start with the UN number, not the box

Everything downstream follows from one decision: what is being shipped and in what form. Three UN numbers cover almost every commercial consignment, and each has its own packing instruction:

UN3480 — lithium ion batteries shipped on their own, as cargo. This is the strictest category.
UN3481 — lithium ion batteries packed with equipment, or contained in equipment. An electric two-wheeler shipped with its pack installed is normally this.
UN3171 — battery-powered vehicles, where the battery is installed in a vehicle being transported as cargo.

Get this wrong and the rest of the packaging does not matter, because the marks, the documentation and the airline acceptance all key off the UN number. Freight forwarders will ask for it first. If your supplier quotes a shipment without stating the UN number and packing instruction, that is the first thing to challenge.

What “UN specification packaging” actually means

Packing instruction P903 (and its air-transport equivalents PI965 to PI967) requires the use of packaging that has been tested and certified to the UN performance standard. A certified fibreboard box carries a permanent printed code that looks like this:

4G / Y25 / S / 26 / CN / XXXX

4G — fibreboard box. 4C would be a wooden box, 1A1 a steel drum.
Y — the packing group the design was tested for. Y means it passed for Packing Groups II and III; X would also cover Group I.
25 — the maximum gross mass, in kilograms, the tested design allows. Exceed this and the certification no longer applies, even if the box holds.
S — intended for solids, or “liquids” for liquids. Batteries go under S.
26 — the year of manufacture.
CN and the following code — the country of approval and the testing facility or manufacturer identity.

Two practical points. First, the gross mass limit is the number buyers get wrong: a box certified to 25 kg is not certified for a 30 kg pack, whatever the drop test feels like. Second, the certification belongs to a design, including the inner packaging and cushioning. Substitute a different foam insert and the tested design is no longer the one you are shipping. Ask your supplier for the box manufacturer’s test report and confirm the inner arrangement matches it.

Inner packaging: the parts people forget

The rules that stop shipments are usually about separation, not strength:

Cells and batteries must be packed to prevent short circuits — separate compartments, individual bags, or an inner box per unit. Loose cells rolling together in one carton is the classic rejection.
Terminals should be protected, by caps, tape or a recessed design, so a metal contact cannot bridge across.
The battery must be secured against movement inside the outer packaging; filler is not optional.
Each package must pass a 1.2 m drop test in the orientation most likely to cause damage, without the batteries moving or being damaged.

When a consignment contains a mix of 48V e-bike packs and small portable power stations, pack them to the strictest applicable requirement rather than mixing standards on one pallet. Mixed-standard pallets are what inspectors open.

Marks and labels: which ones, and how big

Two different marks appear on lithium consignments and they are not interchangeable.

The lithium battery mark

The lithium battery mark — the black-bordered diamond showing a battery group, a flame and a telephone number — is required on most lithium battery packages, including many shipped under the simplified “Section II” provisions. Minimum dimensions are 120 mm × 110 mm, with a reduced 105 mm × 100 mm permitted on small packages. It must include a telephone number for additional information, and it must be durable and on the outside of the package.

The Class 9 dangerous goods label

The Class 9 miscellaneous dangerous goods label, the striped diamond, is required in addition to the lithium battery mark on fully regulated consignments — typically UN3480 shipped under the stricter air provisions. It is 100 mm × 100 mm minimum. Consignments under the reduced provisions use the lithium battery mark alone; using both when only one applies is not fatal but invites questions, and using the wrong one is.

Orientation and handling

Packages containing liquids need orientation arrows; battery packages generally do not, but “this way up” and fragile markings are worth the ink on heavy 72V packs that will be forklifted more than once.

State of charge: when 30 percent applies

For UN3480 — lithium ion batteries shipped on their own by air — the state of charge must not exceed 30 percent of the rated capacity. This is the rule that surprises buyers most, because it is a production decision, not a packing decision: the cells have to be charged or discharged to that level before the consignment is built.

It does not apply to batteries installed in or packed with equipment, which is why an electric two-wheeler shipped with its battery fitted is treated differently from the same battery shipped in a carton. It is an air-transport requirement; sea freight under the IMDG Code has its own provisions and carriage conditions, so confirm the rule that matches your mode rather than assuming the air limit travels with the container.

Practical consequences worth budgeting for: the factory needs capacity to set and verify state of charge, the reading has to be recorded and traceable to the batch, and a consignment arriving above the limit cannot simply be discharged at the airport. Agree this with your supplier at order stage — it belongs on the purchase order, next to the other acceptance terms discussed in our cell grading report guide.

Weight limits and quantity per package

Air transport sets limits by packing instruction section, and the numbers differ between cells and batteries, and between passenger and cargo aircraft:

Under the reduced provisions, watt-hour ratings are capped — cells and batteries above the cap move to the fully regulated sections with more marks, more documentation and different aircraft eligibility.
Package net mass limits apply to cells versus batteries separately; do not apply the battery figure to a consignment of loose cells.
Large batteries above the watt-hour threshold generally move as fully regulated cargo, and in practice many airlines will not accept them at all — check carrier acceptance before you book.

Consignments of large automotive-format packs or high-capacity portable power stations belong in the conversation with the forwarder before production finishes, not after.

Palletising: where good packaging gets ruined

A certified box that is correct on its own can fail as a pallet. Wrap the pallet so packages cannot shift, keep the marks on the outside faces visible after wrapping, do not overhang the pallet edge, and do not stack heavy packs on light ones. If a pallet contains more than one consignment, keep them separated so a partial check does not require unwrapping everything.

A short pre-shipment check

Before the truck leaves the factory, have someone who did not pack the shipment read this list out loud against the pallet:

UN number matches what is actually on the pallet, and the packing instruction matches the UN number
Box bears a valid UN specification code, and gross mass is within the certified figure
Inner packaging prevents short circuits and movement; terminals protected
Lithium battery mark present, correct size, with a working telephone number
Class 9 label present if the fully regulated provisions apply
State of charge at or below the required limit, measured and recorded, if UN3480 by air
Watt-hour rating marked on each battery, or documented for the batch
Test summary and declaration match the batch actually shipped — not a generic file from last year

That last line is the one that ends audits. The paperwork in the document checklist is only useful if it describes this batch.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need UN specification packaging for small batteries?

Below certain watt-hour and quantity thresholds, small cells and batteries may use strong outer packaging without the full UN performance testing, but they still need short-circuit protection and the correct marks. The thresholds differ between air and sea, and between cells and batteries, so check the packing instruction for your specific case rather than assuming a small consignment is exempt.

What does “30 percent state of charge” mean in practice?

It means the battery’s charge level, as a percentage of rated capacity, must be no more than 30 percent at the time of shipment. It applies to lithium ion batteries shipped on their own by air. The level should be set and verified before packing and recorded for the batch, because nobody at the acceptance desk will discharge a pallet for you.

Is the lithium battery mark the same as the Class 9 label?

No. The lithium battery mark is the diamond with a battery symbol, a flame and a telephone number; the Class 9 label is the striped miscellaneous dangerous goods diamond, which is used without a Class number. Fully regulated consignments generally carry both; consignments under the reduced provisions carry the lithium battery mark only.

Can I reuse the packaging the batteries arrived in?

Only if it is a certified design that you can identify by its UN code, it is undamaged, and you pack it exactly as tested. Reusing a box whose certification you cannot read is a rejection waiting to happen. In practice, exporter-certified new packaging is cheaper than a failed shipment.

Who is responsible if the packaging is wrong — supplier or buyer?

Legally it depends on the delivery terms, but practically the shipment stops either way. Put the packing instruction, the UN number, the box specification and the state-of-charge requirement into the purchase order and the pro forma invoice, so there is something to point at when a consignment is built the wrong way.

Does packaging differ for sea freight?

Yes. Sea transport under the IMDG Code uses the same UN numbers and the P903 packing instruction but different marking, documentation, stowage and segregation provisions, and it does not apply the air state-of-charge limit in the same way. Confirm the requirements for the mode you are actually using — and for each leg, if the shipment transfers.

Ship it right the first time

Tell us what you are shipping, where it is going and by which mode, and we will quote with the UN number, packing instruction, packaging specification and state-of-charge requirement written into the order. Start on WhatsApp, or read more on battery shipping compliance and browse battery packs, lithium cells and energy storage systems.