Quick Answer: How Do You Ship Lithium Batteries Internationally?
International lithium battery shipments follow two separate rulebooks. Air moves comply with the IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations, which since January 1, 2026 cap most equipment-packed batteries at 30% state of charge. Ocean moves comply with the IMDG Code, which has no equivalent blanket charge limit. Both require UN 38.3 test summaries and UN-specification packaging.
What Changes the Moment a Battery Crosses a Border
Domestic lithium battery freight runs on one federal rulebook. 49 CFR 173.185 governs road and rail moves inside the United States, and a compliant domestic shipment is a solved problem for most shippers. International freight is different in kind, not degree.
An export shipment can pass through three regulatory regimes before it reaches the consignee. The domestic drayage leg answers to the Department of Transportation. The ocean leg answers to the IMDG Code. An air leg answers to the IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations, which incorporate the ICAO Technical Instructions.
Each regime classifies the same battery identically. Each one then applies different limits to it. That divergence, not the classification itself, is where export shipments fail.
If you are still establishing the domestic baseline, start with our complete lithium battery transport compliance guide and the breakdown of 49 CFR 173.185 road requirements.
The 2026 Rule Changes That Actually Moved
Two rulebooks changed on January 1, 2026. Most competing guidance still describes the 2024 or 2025 position, so verify any checklist you inherited.
Air: The 30% State-of-Charge Cap Became Mandatory
The IATA DGR 67th Edition took effect January 1, 2026. Lithium-ion batteries packed with equipment must now be offered at a state of charge not exceeding 30% of rated design capacity, or an indicated capacity not exceeding 25% (IATA Lithium Battery Guidance Document, 2026).
This was a recommendation in the 2025 edition. It is a requirement now. It applies to UN 3481, lithium-ion batteries packed with equipment, and to UN 3556, lithium-ion battery powered vehicles. Special Provision A331 allows state authorities to approve exceptions.
Batteries contained in equipment still carry a recommended reduced charge rather than a mandate. The distinction between "packed with" and "contained in" now has real cost attached, and shippers who treat the two as interchangeable will have loads refused. Our guide to state-of-charge rules works through the measurement question in detail.
Ocean: IMDG Amendment 42-24 Is Now Enforced
IMDG Code Amendment 42-24 became mandatory on January 1, 2026 after a voluntary period that began January 1, 2025. It does not impose the air rulebook's blanket charge cap. It does introduce new entries that catch shippers by surprise.
Sodium-ion batteries entered the regime under UN 3551 and UN 3552. They are Class 9, and they now require the lithium battery mark and the Class 9 label despite not containing lithium. Battery-powered vehicles received their own numbers: UN 3556 for lithium-ion, UN 3557 for lithium metal, and UN 3558 for sodium-ion. A new packing instruction, P912, applies to all three.
UN Numbers and What Each One Triggers
Getting the UN number right determines packaging, marking, mode eligibility, and documentation. Everything downstream inherits this decision.
| UN Number | Description | Passenger Aircraft | Notable 2026 Condition |
|---|---|---|---|
| UN 3480 | Lithium-ion batteries shipped alone | Forbidden as cargo | Cargo Aircraft Only label required |
| UN 3481 | Lithium-ion packed with or contained in equipment | Permitted | 30% SoC cap when packed with equipment |
| UN 3090 | Lithium metal batteries shipped alone | Forbidden as cargo | Cargo Aircraft Only label required |
| UN 3091 | Lithium metal packed with or contained in equipment | Permitted | Lithium content thresholds govern section |
| UN 3551 | Sodium-ion batteries shipped alone | Forbidden as cargo | New under Amendment 42-24 |
| UN 3552 | Sodium-ion packed with or contained in equipment | Permitted | New under Amendment 42-24 |
| UN 3556 | Vehicle, lithium-ion battery powered | Permitted | 30% SoC cap above 100 Wh; P912 applies |
| UN 3557 | Vehicle, lithium metal battery powered | Permitted | P912 applies |
| UN 3558 | Vehicle, sodium-ion battery powered | Permitted | New under Amendment 42-24; P912 applies |
Three UN numbers are forbidden as cargo on passenger aircraft: UN 3480, UN 3090, and UN 3551 (IATA Lithium Battery Guidance Document, 2026). Booking any of them on a passenger routing wastes the booking. For background on why these sit in Class 9 at all, see our explainer on lithium batteries and hazmat classification.
Air Sections IA, IB, and II
Air freight subdivides each UN number into sections by cell and battery size. The section sets the net quantity per package and the paperwork burden.
| Chemistry | Section | Threshold | Cargo Aircraft Limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lithium-ion | IA | Cells above 20 Wh; batteries above 100 Wh | 35 kg |
| Lithium-ion | IB | Cells 20 Wh or less; batteries 100 Wh or less | 10 kg |
| Lithium-ion | II | Cells 20 Wh or less; batteries 100 Wh or less | 5 kg |
| Lithium metal | IA | Cells above 1 g; batteries above 2 g | 35 kg |
| Lithium metal | IB | Cells 1 g or less; batteries 2 g or less | 2.5 kg |
| Lithium metal | II | Cells 1 g or less; batteries 2 g or less | 5 kg |
| Sodium-ion | I | Cells above 20 Wh; batteries above 100 Wh | Per P903 conditions |
Section IA and IB shipments are fully regulated dangerous goods. They require a Shipper's Declaration, a dangerous goods trained shipper, and UN-specification packaging. Section II carries relief from the declaration but not from the lithium battery mark.
The lithium battery mark must measure at least 100 mm by 100 mm, reducible to 100 mm by 70 mm on small packages (IATA Lithium Battery Guidance Document, 2026). Consignments of two packages or fewer, each holding no more than four cells or two batteries, are excepted. Our packaging and overpack guide covers the inner packaging specifications that sit behind these limits.
Air Versus Ocean: The Comparison That Decides Your Mode
| Requirement | Air (IATA DGR 67th) | Ocean (IMDG Amendment 42-24) |
|---|---|---|
| Effective date | January 1, 2026 | January 1, 2026 mandatory |
| State-of-charge cap | 30% for UN 3481 packed with equipment and UN 3556 | No equivalent blanket cap |
| Batteries shipped alone | Cargo aircraft only | Permitted under Class 9 stowage rules |
| Net quantity per package | 2.5 kg to 35 kg by section | Governed by packing instruction, not section |
| Declaration | Shipper's Declaration for Sections IA and IB | Multimodal Dangerous Goods Form |
| Transit time, Asia to US | Days | Weeks |
| Practical fit | Small, urgent, high-value consignments | Volume, full pallets, EV packs, vehicles |
For most commercial exporters moving volume, ocean is the only economically sane mode, and the absence of a charge cap is a substantial part of why. Shipping a partially discharged battery means shipping partially discharged product, which the consignee then has to condition. Our air, rail, and ground mode comparison covers the domestic version of this decision.
Export Documentation: What Travels With the Freight
- UN 38.3 test summary. Required to be made available since January 1, 2020. Forwarders and carriers increasingly demand it before tendering.
- Safety Data Sheet. Not strictly a transport document, but requested at nearly every international handoff.
- Shipper's Declaration for Dangerous Goods. Air, Sections IA and IB.
- Multimodal Dangerous Goods Form. Ocean, in place of the air declaration.
- Container Packing Certificate. Ocean, for containerized consignments.
- Dangerous goods training records. Held by the shipper, produced on audit rather than shipped.
The UN 38.3 test summary is the single most common cause of a refused international tender. It is a summary document, not the full test report, and it must match the exact cell and battery models being shipped. A summary covering a superseded model number will fail review. We cover the format requirements in our UN 38.3 documentation guide.
Battery-Powered Vehicles and EV Packs: The Case Nobody Documents
Almost every international lithium battery guide is written for consumer cells and devices. Vehicles and traction packs move under different entries, and the guidance thins out fast.
Amendment 42-24 created UN 3556, UN 3557, and UN 3558 specifically for battery-powered vehicles, and P912 governs how they are packed. A vehicle is its own package in most cases, which changes the marking question rather than removing it.
Traction packs shipped separately are a different problem. They are large-format UN 3480 in most configurations, which forbids them as cargo on passenger aircraft and makes ocean the practical mode. They also trip the charge-state question at the plant rather than the dock, because conditioning a pack down to a target charge takes equipment and time that most shipping schedules do not allow for.
Our guides to OEM high-voltage pack transport and LTL versus truckload battery freight cover the domestic handling standards that carry over to the drayage legs of an export move.
The Domestic Leg Exporters Forget
An international battery shipment contains at least one domestic movement. Freight travels from plant or warehouse to the port or airport, and it travels under United States hazmat rules for that entire distance.
That leg requires a carrier with hazmat authority, a driver with the correct endorsement, and placarding appropriate to the load. It is not covered by the IMDG or IATA paperwork prepared for the international leg. Shippers who hand a compliant ocean booking to a non-hazmat drayage carrier have an illegal move on the first hundred miles of a compliant shipment.
Storage between the domestic leg and the vessel is its own compliance question, governed by fire code rather than transport regulation. See our coverage of DOT hazard classes and placarding and which carriers will actually accept lithium freight.
Where International Battery Shipments Actually Fail
- Stale charge-state assumptions. Treating the 30% cap as a recommendation, which it stopped being on January 1, 2026.
- Applying the air cap to ocean. Conditioning product unnecessarily and eating the cost.
- Mismatched UN 38.3 summaries. Model numbers that do not match the cells in the box.
- Sodium-ion treated as unregulated. UN 3551 and UN 3552 are new and widely missed.
- Non-hazmat drayage. A compliant international booking moved to port by a carrier without authority.
- Passenger aircraft bookings for UN 3480. A booking that cannot be flown.
Cost exposure follows the same pattern. Refused tenders, demurrage, and reconditioning dominate, and none of them appear in a rate quote. Our breakdown of lithium battery freight costs and the 2026 regulatory roundup cover the domestic cost picture.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the 30% state-of-charge rule apply to ocean shipments?
No. The mandatory 30% cap effective January 1, 2026 is an air transport requirement under the IATA DGR 67th Edition. The IMDG Code does not impose an equivalent blanket limit on lithium-ion batteries moving by sea.
Can lithium batteries ship on passenger aircraft?
Batteries shipped alone cannot. UN 3480, UN 3090, and UN 3551 are forbidden as cargo on passenger aircraft and require a Cargo Aircraft Only label. Batteries packed with or contained in equipment may travel on passenger aircraft subject to section limits.
Do sodium-ion batteries need the lithium battery mark?
Yes. Under IMDG Amendment 42-24, sodium-ion batteries under UN 3551 and UN 3552 require both the lithium battery mark and the Class 9 label, despite containing no lithium.
What happens if the UN 38.3 test summary does not match the cells shipped?
The tender is refused. The summary must correspond to the exact cell and battery models in the consignment. A summary covering a superseded or similar model is treated as no summary at all.
Who is responsible for the domestic leg of an export battery shipment?
The shipper. United States hazmat rules govern that movement regardless of the international paperwork prepared for the ocean or air leg, and the drayage carrier must hold hazmat authority.
Moving Batteries Across Borders Without Refused Tenders
International lithium battery compliance is not one standard applied everywhere. It is a set of overlapping regimes that agree on classification and disagree on almost everything else. The shipper who understands where they diverge books freight that actually moves.
RPM Logistics moves Class 9 freight across all 50 states and Canada through a network of thousands of contracted carriers, with more than 70 storage locations available for staging and compliant holding. Our compliance team reviews classification, documentation, and mode selection before freight is tendered, not after it is refused.
Request a compliance review to have your export battery program assessed against the 2026 rulebooks.
Sources: IATA Lithium Battery Guidance Document 2026 · International Maritime Organization, IMDG Code · PHMSA Lithium Battery Resources · eCFR 49 CFR 173.185
