What are lithium batteries?

They’re the little bundles of power that keep our world connected. Rechargeable lithium ion batteries keep our laptops and mobile phones running. Non rechargeable metal lithium batteries power our watches and remote car keys.

Why are they dangerous goods?

In a word? Fire.

Increasingly powerful, lithium batteries are designed to keep devices running for hours or days at a time. To achieve this, they contain high levels of electric energy. If packed incorrectly or damaged in transit, lithium batteries can short-circuit, causing them to overheat and catch fire.

Poor quality and counterfeit batteries are most at risk because they haven’t been through the
rigorous testing required.

Where are they found?

The top 10 most popular shipments containing lithium batteries are:

1. Laptops and tablets

2. iPhones and iPads

3. Mobile phones

4. Measuring equiment

5. Medical devices

6. Hoverboards

7. Electric bicycles

8. Power tools

9. Automated External
Defibrillators

10. Drones

Batteries must be inside the device
Cells (the components that make up batteries) must not exceed 20 wh*
Batteries must not exceed 100 wh
Batteries must not weigh more
than 5 kg
No more than two batteries or four cells per package
No more than two packages per shipment

Batteries must be inside the device
Lithium content must not
exceed 1 gram
Equipment containing lithium batteries must not exceed 2 kg
Batteries must not weigh
more than 5 kg
No more than two batteries or four cells per package
No more than two packages per shipment

Where can I find more details?

You can download our comprehensive PDF guide to shipping lithium batteries. Alternatively, you can just get in touch with us.

Download PDF

Whose responsibility is all this?

It’s the shipper’s responsibility to ensure dangerous goods are correctly declared, packed and labelled with the right documentation for the countries of origin, transit and destination.

What we can do is make it as easy as possible for you to follow these rules. With a bit of teamwork, we’ll get your dangerous goods shipped in no time.

Any questions?

If you have any doubts about whether your shipment is classified as dangerous goods or not, just get in touch with our experts using the button below. They’re on hand to answer all your dangerous goods questions – and will walk you through the shipping process.

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