11
US Regulation Requirements Overview
For any transport of cells or batteries inside the US borders, by road or rail, Table 4 and Table 5 summarize how
cells and batteries are classified with respect to Class 9 Dangerous Goods. For such shipments, cells and batteries
are classified by their equivalent lithium content (ELC) as either Class 9 or
Excepted
.
Table 4 – US transportation classification of cells
Watt hours
Cell Size Shipping
Classification
Required Testing
Are there Special Packaging / Markings?
ELC less than
1.5 g per cell
Small
Excepted
UN 38.3 Tests T1-T8
Yes. Packages containing more than 24
cells must meet certain packaging, marking,
and shipping paper requirements. (See
IATA.org for details)
ELC less than
5.0 g per cell
Medium
Excepted for
Road and Rail
transport in
the US.
ELC greater
than 5.0 g
per cell
Large
Class 9
Yes. Requires Class 9 markings, label,
specification packaging, and shipping
papers.
Table 5 – US transportation classification of batteries
Watt Hours
Battery
Size
Shipping
Classification
Required Testing
Are there Special Packaging / Markings?
ELC less than
8.0 g per
battery
Small
Excepted
UN 38.3 Tests T1-
T5, & T7
Yes. Packages containing more than 12
batteries must meet certain packaging,
marking, and shipping paper requirements.
(See IATA.org for details)
ELC less than
25 g per
battery
Medium
Excepted for
Road and Rail
transport in
the US.
ELC greater
than 25 g per
battery
Large
Class 9
Yes. Requires Class 9 markings, label,
specification packaging, and shipping
papers.
