Lithium batteries are Class 9 dangerous goods, and they are the class most likely to be shipped by someone who does not realise they are shipping dangerous goods at all. A pallet of cordless drills, e-bikes, laptops, power banks or vacuum cleaners is a lithium battery shipment.
Two things changed on 1 January 2026, and both are worth knowing before you book: the IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations 67th Edition took effect for air, and IMDG Code Amendment 42-24 became mandatory for sea.
The four UN numbers
- UN 3480: lithium ion batteries shipped on their own
- UN 3481: lithium ion batteries packed with or contained in equipment
- UN 3090: lithium metal batteries shipped on their own
- UN 3091: lithium metal batteries packed with or contained in equipment
Sodium ion batteries now have their own entries too, added by Amendment 42-24. Getting the number right is the first decision and everything else follows from it.
The 2026 state of charge change
A 30 percent state of charge limit has applied to UN 3480, batteries shipped alone by air, for years. What changed for 2026 is that the limit became mandatory rather than recommended for UN 3481, batteries packed with or contained in equipment, and for vehicles powered by lithium ion or sodium ion batteries.
Under the 67th Edition, lithium ion batteries packed with equipment, where the cells or batteries exceed 2.7 Wh, must be offered at no more than 30 percent of rated design capacity. Shipping above that needs written approval from the state of origin and the operator's state, which is not something obtained at short notice.
The practical consequence sits with your factory, not your forwarder. If your supplier ships devices charged for retail display or for out-of-box testing, that is now a compliance failure on an air shipment. It has to be designed into the production line.
Air is much stricter than sea
The gap between the two modes is larger for lithium batteries than for almost any other cargo:
- UN 3480 and UN 3090 are forbidden on passenger aircraft entirely. They move on cargo aircraft only, which narrows your routing and raises your price.
- State of charge limits apply by air, not by sea. Sea freight has no equivalent requirement.
- Packing instructions differ by section. PI 965 to 967 cover lithium ion, PI 968 to 970 cover lithium metal, and each splits into sections with different quantity thresholds, packaging and documentation.
- Watt-hour and lithium content thresholds decide the section. The common dividing lines are 100 Wh and 20 Wh for cells and batteries by air, and 1 g and 2 g of lithium for metal batteries.
If a shipment is marginal on cost, this is a case where sea freight is worth a second look purely on regulatory friction.
Damaged, defective and waste batteries
These are a separate and much harder problem. Batteries identified as damaged or defective, or liable to disassemble or produce heat, are forbidden by air and require special packaging by sea and road. Returns of consumer electronics, warranty replacements and end-of-life recycling all fall here, and they cannot be treated as ordinary battery shipments. Plan the reverse leg before you need it, and read how reverse logistics actually works.
Marks, labels and documents
- The lithium battery mark with the UN number, for shipments under the excepted sections
- The Class 9 lithium battery hazard label, which is distinct from the plain Class 9 label
- A Dangerous Goods Declaration, where the section requires one
- A UN 38.3 test summary, which every cell and battery manufacturer has been required to make available since 2020. Ask your supplier for it before you book, not after.
Before you book
- Get the UN 38.3 test summary and the safety data sheet from the manufacturer.
- Establish the watt-hour rating per cell and per battery, not just per device.
- Confirm the state of charge at despatch in writing with the factory for air shipments.
- Tell the forwarder the UN number and packing instruction section at quotation stage. It changes the price and the routing.
- Use a trained and current dangerous goods shipper to sign the declaration.
General guidance. The applicable rules depend on the battery chemistry, watt-hour rating, packing configuration, mode and route. Work from the current IATA DGR or IMDG Code and your supplier's test summary.
