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Technical Guide:

LITHIUM
BATTERIES
IATA Packing Instructions Explained

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Lithium Batteries: IATA Packing Instructions Explained - 2014

Contents
Lithium Batteries IATA Packing Instructions 4
Step-by-Step

Lithium Ion Batteries UN 3480, PI 965 6

Lithium Ion Batteries Packed with Equipment,
UN 3481, PI 966 and Lithium Metal 13
or Alloy Batteries Packed with Equipment,
UN 3091, PI 969

Lithium Ion Batteries Contained in Equipment,

UN 3481, PI 967 and Lithium Metal or Alloy 15
Batteries Contained in Equipment, UN 3091,
PI 970

Summary 17

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 Lithium Batteries: IATA Packing Instructions Explained - 2014

Michael Gotz
HAZMAT Training & Compliance
Quick Group of Companies

Contact:
michael_gotz@qintl.com

Expertise
Dangerous Goods regulations and training, trouleshooting

Biography
Michael Gotz has developed IATA-certified Dangerous Goods training
programs and has been a panelist in numerous IATA Dangerous Goods
international conferences. He is the author of published journal articles
on the subject of the air transport of hazardous commodities.

Michael is responsible for employee and customer Dangerous Goods

shipping training, regulatory updating, and shipment troubleshooting for
the Quick Group of Companies.

..................................
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 Lithium Batteries: IATA Packing Instructions Explained - 2014

Lithium Batteries
IATA Packing Instructions
Step-by-Step

If you are a shipper of lithium ion and/or lithium metal or alloy

batteries, you are faced with significantly revised Packing Instruc-

tions PI 965-PI 970. At first reading, these instructions can be

confusing and complex. The purpose of this paper is to break the

instructions down into easily understandable parts as an aid to

busy shippers. The key to understanding and complying with the

Packing Instructions is to do it in an organized process. So lets

take it step by step.

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 Lithium Batteries: IATA Packing Instructions Explained - 2014

Step 1
1
Determine which type of battery you are shipping: lithium ion or
lithium metal.

Step 1 Find out the properties of the batteries themselves, i.e.:

2
Lithium ion batteries: the watt-hr rating for both the
cells and the battery
Lithium metal batteries: the lithium metal content of
both the cells and the battery
Both types: the weight of each battery

Step 1 Decide how many batteries will be in each box that you are ship-
ping, as well as the combined weight of the batteries in each box.

3
Please note you simply cannot proceed without all of this in-
formation; compliance with the Packing Instructions requires
plugging in these data to newly revised charts. Armed with the
watt-hr or lithium content and the number and weight of batter-
ies you want to place in each individual shipping box, you can
move forward.

Step 1
4
Go to the appropriate Packing Instruction for your commodity,
whether PI 965 or PI 968, plug the data into the charts, and fol-
low the instructions.
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Lithium Batteries: IATA Packing Instructions Explained - 2014

Lithium Ion Batteries

UN 3480, PI 965

The most changes appear in PI 965 for lithium ion batteries and PI 968
for lithium metal or alloy batteries, so we will address those packing
instructions first.

PI 965, for shipments of loose lithium ion batteries (UN3480), has been
revised to contain three sections, IA, IB, and II, whereas previously
there were only Sections I and II. Note that in order to comply with one
section, you must understand all of the sections. Read on and you will
see why.

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Lithium Batteries: IATA Packing Instructions Explained - 2014

IA applies to lithium ion batteries:

With cells that are in excess of 20 wh and the battery

itself has a watt-hr rating in excess of 100 wh

Or are to be shipped in each box in quantities in excess

of those permitted in Section IB

IB applies to lithium ion batteries:

With cells not exceeding 20 wh and the battery has a

watt-hr rating not exceeding 100 wh that are to be
shipped in each box in quantities in excess of those
permitted in Section II, Table 965-I

In other words, the cells and batteries limits are the

same for IB and II; the per-package quantities limits are
just higher in IB

II applies to lithium ion batteries:

With cells not exceeding 20 wh and the battery itself

has a watt-hr rating not exceeding 100 wh that are to
be shipped in each box in quantities not in excess of
those permitted in Section II, Table 965-II
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 Lithium Batteries: IATA Packing Instructions Explained - 2014

The suggested way of approaching this is to start by comparing your

data with the requirements of the least restrictive section, Section II,
to see if you qualify, and if not then work your way up towards the
most restrictive. After all, the fewer requirements, the faster and easier
shipment preparation.

EXAMPLE 1
Assume your batterys cells have a 21 wh and the battery has a 180
wh, and you want to put two such batteries, each weighing 2 kg, into
one shipping box. Take a look at Table 965-II to see if you qualify to
ship under Section II. The first column applies to cells and batteries
with 2.7 wh or less; well, that is not you. Next column is for cells with
wh ratings greater than 2.7 but not more than 20. That again is not
you. The last column applies to batteries with a wh not more than 100.
Alas, again not you, although you do comply with the 2 batteries per
package rule.

So you proceed upward to Section IB. This is not a help because the
wh restrictions are the same as Section II; the only difference between
II and IB is the number/weight of batteries allowed per package.
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Lithium Batteries: IATA Packing Instructions Explained - 2014

Important: The weight limits per package in Table

965-IB are the gross weight of the package, meaning the combined
weight of all of the batteries inside the package and all of the pack-
ing material, the box itself, etc. Just put the completed package on a
scale and weigh it.

So you land in Section IA, Table 965-IA, which allows wh ratings great-
er than those in IB and II. Now all you have to do is keep the combined
weight of the batteries in each box under the maximum 5 kg allowed
for Passenger Aircraft or 35 kg for Cargo Freighter.

You ship under the provisions of Section IA.

Important: The weight limits per package in Table 965-IA

are the net quantity of batteries in the package, meaning the combined
weight of all of the batteries inside the package exclusive of any pack-
ing material, the box itself, etc. Only weigh the batteries when outside
of the package.

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 Lithium Batteries: IATA Packing Instructions Explained - 2014

EXAMPLE 2
Assume your batterys cells have a 10 wh and the battery has a 50 wh,
and you want to put two such batteries, each weighing 2 kg, into one
shipping box. Take a look at Table 965-II to see if you qualify to ship
under Section II. The last column applies to batteries with a wh not
greater than 100. Great, you do comply with both the wh rating and the
2 batteries per package rule. You ship under the provisions of Section
II. (in the case of column 4, the weight of the batteries and the box is
not relevant, as only the number of batteries count, not their weight).

Does it matter which section you use? YES. Section IA is far more re-
strictive than IB and II.

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Lithium Batteries: IATA Packing Instructions Explained - 2014

Section IA:
Prepared as Class 9
UN packaging required
Fully marked and labeled
Shippers Declaration required

Section IB:
UN packaging not required
A Shippers Declaration is required
A special document with certain statements is required, but
usually the courier company or freight forwarder takes care of
this by putting it all down on the air waybill, along with other
air waybill verbiage
The Proper Shipping Name and UN Number must be marked
on the box
The gross weight of the package must be marked on the package
The box must bear both the Class 9 label and the Lithium
Batteries Handling Label

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Lithium Batteries: IATA Packing Instructions Explained - 2014

Note: that if your batteries qualify for Section IB only because you have
too many in each box, you have the option of making more packages
with no more than 2 batteries per box. This would then put you into
Section II.

Section II:
UN packaging not required
Shippers Declaration not required
The box must bear the Lithium Batteries Handling Label
A special document with certain statements is required, but
usually the courier company or freight forwarder takes care of
this by putting it all down on the air waybill, along with other air
waybill verbiage

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Lithium Batteries: IATA Packing Instructions Explained - 2014

Lithium Ion Batteries Packed

with Equipment, UN 3481, PI 966
and Lithium Metal or Alloy Batter-
ies Packed with Equipment, UN
3091, PI 969

The format of these packing instructions have not changed

significantly. Before the regulatory changes in 2013, Section II
net quantity of lithium batteries allowed per package was the
minimum number of batteries necessary to power the equipment,
plus 2 spares.

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Lithium Batteries: IATA Packing Instructions Explained - 2014

The New Section II, PI 966 and PI 969 requires:

The net quantity of lithium batteries allowed per package

is the minimum number of batteries necessary to power
the equipment, plus 2 spares
The net quantity (weight) of lithium batteries allowed
per package may not exceed 5 kg for passenger aircraft
and 5 kg for cargo freighter

Before the regulation changes in 2013, the shipper was allowed to put
very heavy lithium batteries in a package; as long as they conformed
to the battery watt hour (lithium ion) or lithium content (lithium metal)
and the maximum number of batteries per package limits for Section
II. Now they must comply with not only the wh/wt and max number of
batteries, but the combined weight of the batteries cannot exceed 5
kg per package. This essentially means that heavy batteries that used
to qualify for Section II must now be shipped under the provisions
of Section I. This fact may require some shippers to comply with full
Class 9 rules, a big change.

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Lithium Batteries: IATA Packing Instructions Explained - 2014

Lithium Ion Batteries Contained

in Equipment, UN 3481, PI 967
and Lithium Metal or Alloy Batter-
ies Contained in Equipment,
UN 3091, PI 970

Both Section I and Section II greatly restrict the number of

batteries you can put into one package.

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Lithium Batteries: IATA Packing Instructions Explained - 2014

Section I Packing Instructions:

Net quantity of lithium batteries allowed per package is

5 kg/35 kg per package

Before 2013 regulatory changes, Section I net quantity of lithium

batteries allowed per package was 5 kg/35 kg per piece of
equipment. This is a huge change that greatly restricts the number of
batteries you can put into one package.

Section II Change in both Packing Instructions:

Section II net quantity of lithium batteries allowed

per package is 5 kg for passenger aircraft and 5 kg for
cargo freighter

Before 2013 regulatory changes, Section II net quantity of lithium

batteries allowed per package was unlimited. This is a huge change
that greatly restricts the number of batteries you can put into one
package. In fact, this may be the most significant change of all for
shipping lithium batteries, since most shippers tend to use Section II
for lithium batteries in equipment (provided the wh/content limits are
observed).

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 Lithium Batteries: IATA Packing Instructions Explained - 2014

Summary

To successfully navigate through all of this information, follow the

four steps discussed above, then go only to the packing instruction
that applies to your commodity, and then only to the appropriate
Section.

So, for example, say you have lithium metal batteries, UN 3090,
with cells with a lithium metal content not exceeding 1 g and the
battery itself with a lithium metal content not exceeding 2 g. Then
your relevant packing instruction is PI 968 and you go directly
there. Starting with Section II you see that you qualify if you keep
the number of batteries per package down to no more than 2. If
you can do that, you are on your way.

It is important not to get involved in trying to read and analyze all of

the Packing Instructions; just use the one that applies to you and
there should be no confusion. For example, if you really did read
everything written in this paper, you might just have a headache!
Hopefully, by going only to the discussion of the packing instruction

..................................
applying to your batteries, it will be like taking aspirin.

17
 The shippers first task is to classify the batteries in order to be
able to follow the correct Packaging Instruction. This Technical
Guide explains how to do it step by step.

The shippers second task is to package, mark, label, and docu-

ment the shipment. Our Technical Guide Lithium Batteries:
Packaging and Documenting Shipments offers information
about packaging and labeling your Lithium battery Shipments.
You can download it by visiting our Facebook page and simply
clicking Like. Our Facebook updates offer interesting informa-
tion for shippers.

Lithium Batteries:
Packaging and
Documenting
Shipments - 2014

...................... www.quick.aero .......

 Lithium Batteries: IATA Packing Instructions Explained - 2014

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