Battery shipping labels help identify lithium batteries during transportation and communicate the battery type and shipping configuration to carriers and handlers.
Battery Recycling and Solutions offers labels for the four primary lithium battery UN classifications: UN3480, UN3481, UN3090, and UN3091.
The correct label depends on two main factors: battery chemistry and whether the battery is being shipped alone or with equipment.
UN3480 and UN3481 apply to lithium ion batteries, while UN3090 and UN3091 apply to lithium metal batteries. The difference between each pair comes down to whether the battery is traveling by itself or packed with or contained in equipment.
UN3480 identifies lithium ion batteries shipped by themselves, without the equipment they are designed to power. Common examples include replacement laptop batteries, rechargeable power tool batteries, loose lithium ion cells, battery packs, and power banks.
UN3481 identifies lithium ion batteries packed with equipment or contained inside equipment. Examples include a laptop shipped with its battery installed, a cordless tool containing a rechargeable battery, or a device packaged with a separate lithium ion battery intended to power it.
UN3090 identifies lithium metal or lithium alloy batteries shipped by themselves, without equipment. Common examples include loose lithium metal cells, lithium coin batteries, primary lithium batteries, and replacement lithium metal batteries.
UN3091 identifies lithium metal or lithium alloy batteries packed with equipment or contained inside equipment. Examples can include watches, cameras, medical devices, tracking devices, or other equipment shipped with the lithium metal batteries used to power them.
Print without scaling so markings stay legible and meet minimum size requirements.
Place labels flat on one side of each box or drum, not across seams or edges.
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