IATA Class 9 Packing General Requirements

All lithium ion and lithium metal cells and batteries are subject to the following general requirements:

Cells and batteries identified by the manufacturer as being defective for safety reasons, or that have been damaged, are forbidden for transport.

Waste batteries and batteries being shipped for recycling or disposal are forbidden from transport unless approved by the appropriate national authority of the State of origin and State of the operator.

Cells and batteries must be protected to prevent short circuits.

If packed in equipment, the equipment must be equipped with an effective means of preventing accidental activation, it must be packed in strong, rigid outer packagings, and it must be secured against movement within the outer packagings. Equipment is defined as the device or apparatus the lithium cells or batteries will provide electrical power for its operation.

The packing instructions for lithium ion and lithium metal batteries are divided into separate sections depending on the sizes of the batteries. These packing instruction sections provide detailed information such as packaging tests, maximum weight requirements, necessary labels and documentation, and overpack requirements.

The watt-hour (Wh) is the measure by which lithium ion batteries are regulated. All lithium ion batteries manufactured after January 1, 2009 are required to be marked with the watt-hour rating. Lithium metal batteries are measured by the amount of lithium contained, measured in grams (g).

To learn more about IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations visit our IATA DGR Online Training Certification Courses web page.