Ship battery products right first time, by air and road
Battery Dispatch checks each product's UN38.3 test summary, works out its UN number, packing instruction and section, and writes the packing, marking and carrier steps your team follows. We prepare the file and checklists but never sign: where a shipment is fully regulated, a person trained under IATA DGR 1.5, yours or your forwarder's, signs the Shipper's Declaration.
Updated
- Per-product sheet: lithium ion or metal, Wh or lithium content, UN number, PI 965 to 970, section and state-of-charge rule
- Written packing and marking procedure plus the instruction record IATA's guidance describes for Section II shippers
- Carrier matrix for the carriers you name, checked against their published rules when you order
Battery rules change every year, and small sellers find out at the depot
Almost anything that charges now ships with a lithium battery inside or in the box. Each product falls into a different set of rules depending on chemistry, size, whether the battery is loose, packed with the device or installed in it, and how it travels. Getting it wrong can mean a returned parcel, a closed carrier account, or a dangerous goods incident report.
The air rules moved again on 1 January 2026. Under the IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations, lithium-ion batteries packed with equipment must now fly at no more than 30% state of charge, except Section II batteries of 2.7 Wh or less. Lithium-ion batteries shipped by themselves were already limited to 30%, and lithium batteries shipped by themselves are forbidden on passenger aircraft unless the authorities approve. Every cell or battery must have passed UN38.3 testing, and manufacturers and distributors, resellers included, must make the test summary available.
Small sellers rarely have a dangerous goods adviser. Supplier test summaries arrive incomplete, carrier pages differ, and the packer has never seen the Section II wording. Battery Dispatch fills that gap.
- IATA's Lithium Battery Guidance Document, revised for the 2026 regulations (67th edition DGR), says manufacturers and subsequent distributors of cells, batteries and battery-powered equipment must make the UN38.3 test summary available; a website link or QR code can be used instead of paper with every consignment. Source: iata.org
- From 1 January 2026, lithium-ion batteries packed with equipment (PI 966) must be shipped at no more than 30% state of charge under Section I, and under Section II when the battery exceeds 2.7 Wh, according to the same IATA guidance. Source: iata.org
- The IATA guidance says Section II shippers are not subject to formal DGR 1.5 training but must give staff adequate instruction: documented procedures, a record of who was instructed and when, and refreshers at least every two years. Section IB shipments need full dangerous goods training. Source: iata.org
Without it
- A lithium battery training course: Logistics UK runs a two-day CAA-approved Carriage of Lithium Batteries by Air course at £480.22 ex VAT for non-members…
- Your forwarder's dangerous goods desk: Forwarders can prepare fully regulated shipments for a fee per shipment. It suits occasional pallets; for daily…
- Reading the rules yourself: IATA publishes a lithium battery guidance document each year. It is thorough and long; our Product check applies it to…
With Battery Dispatch
- Per-product sheet: lithium ion or metal, Wh or lithium content, UN number, PI 965 to 970, section and state-of-charge rule
- Written packing and marking procedure plus the instruction record IATA's guidance describes for Section II shippers
- Carrier matrix for the carriers you name, checked against their published rules when you order
- Test summary check
- Classification per product
How it works
- 1
Send your products
Product names, battery spec sheets, supplier UN38.3 test summaries and the carriers and services you use. A spreadsheet and a folder of PDFs is fine.
- 2
We check and classify
For each product we check the test summary has the items the UN Manual requires, then set chemistry, Wh or lithium content, configuration, UN number, packing instruction, section, quantity limits and the state-of-charge rule. Within 2 business days for one product.
- 3
We write your procedures
A packing and marking procedure per product group, the air waybill or label wording, a carrier matrix and a one-page instruction sheet with a sign-off record for your packers.
- 4
You ship, with the right people signing
Section II air shipments can go out with your instructed staff; road parcels follow the ADR notes we set out per product. Fully regulated shipments use our prepared data, and a DGR-trained person, yours or your forwarder's, completes and signs the Shipper's Declaration.
Features
Test summary check
Checks each supplier's UN38.3 test summary for the required items: manufacturer and lab details, report number and date, cell or battery description, tests and results, Manual edition and a responsible person. Missing items go on a supplier request letter.
Classification per product
UN 3480, 3481, 3090 or 3091, packing instruction 965 to 970 and Section IA, IB, I or II, with the per-package limits for passenger and cargo aircraft.
Marks and labels
When the lithium battery mark, Class 9 label or Cargo Aircraft Only label is needed, including the exception for one or two small packages of equipment with installed batteries.
State-of-charge instructions
Which products must ship at 30% or less from 1 January 2026, and a simple step for your team to confirm it before packing.
Carrier matrix
For the carriers you name (for example UPS, FedEx, DHL Express, Royal Mail or Parcelforce): what they accept, on which services and with what account set-up, checked against their pages when you order.
Adequate instruction pack
Written procedures, a one-page packer sheet and a record of who was instructed and when, matching what IATA describes for Section II shippers, with a two-year refresher date.
Declaration-ready data
For fully regulated shipments, the UN number, proper shipping name, packing instruction, net quantity and handling wording laid out for the trained signer.
A look inside
What you get: the working view and the delivery report.
Illustration of the layout, built from this page's own feature list. It shows no real results.
Who it's for
Gadget and electronics sellers
Devices with installed lithium-ion batteries, sold through your own site and marketplaces, shipped by parcel carrier.
Shops selling spare batteries and power banks
Batteries shipped by themselves face the strictest air rules. We tell you plainly which services can carry them.
Makers and small brands
You source batteries from a factory and need to know whether the test summary they sent you is actually usable.
Works with
- IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations, 67th edition (2026)
- UN Manual of Tests and Criteria, sub-section 38.3
- ADR road rules for parcels in the UK and EU
- Published rules of the carriers you name, checked when you order
- Excel or Google Sheets product list
- PDF test summaries from suppliers
Pricing
One-time prices in GBP, paid after we confirm scope. A product is one battery configuration; variants that share the same battery count once. We do not sign Shipper's Declarations or train staff to DGR 1.5 standard. Training courses and carrier dangerous goods charges are paid by you to those providers. Founding customer pricing applies to early-access orders.
Orders are subject to the Battery Dispatch terms.
Product check
£49 one-time
One product, checked and classified
- UN38.3 test summary check
- UN number, packing instruction and section
- Mark, label and state-of-charge rules
- Supplier request letter if items are missing
- Delivered within 2 business days
Shipping pack
£190 one-time
Up to 5 products and your carriers
- Everything in Product check, for 5 products
- Packing and marking procedure per product group
- Carrier matrix for up to 3 carriers
- Adequate instruction pack and sign-off record
- Label and air waybill wording
- Delivered within 5 business days
Catalogue pack
£390 one-time
Up to 20 products, air and road
- Everything in Shipping pack, for 20 products
- Declaration-ready data for fully regulated items
- Road (ADR) notes for UK and EU parcels
- Marketplace listing wording for battery products
- One update included when you add products within 90 days
Compared with the alternatives
- A lithium battery training course
- Logistics UK runs a two-day CAA-approved Carriage of Lithium Batteries by Air course at £480.22 ex VAT for non-members (checked 7 November 2026). Training is the right choice if someone in your team will sign declarations; it does not classify your products for you.
- Your forwarder's dangerous goods desk
- Forwarders can prepare fully regulated shipments for a fee per shipment. It suits occasional pallets; for daily parcels you still need your own procedures.
- Reading the rules yourself
- IATA publishes a lithium battery guidance document each year. It is thorough and long; our Product check applies it to one product for £49.
Your first week
A single product check arrives within 2 business days; a Shipping pack within 5 business days of receiving your files.
- Day 1: You send the product list, spec sheets and test summaries; we confirm scope.
- Day 2: Test summary checks and classifications for your first products.
- Day 3–4: Procedures, marks and carrier matrix drafted.
- Day 5: Full pack delivered, with a call to walk your team through it.
Security and data
- We hold only product data, battery specs and supplier test summaries; no customer data.
- Files are stored in the EU, encrypted in transit and at rest, and shared only with the people you name.
- Supplier documents are never shared with other customers or suppliers.
- Project files are deleted 90 days after delivery or on request.
Questions
Can you sign our dangerous goods declaration?
No. A Shipper's Declaration for a fully regulated shipment must be signed by someone trained under DGR 1.5. We prepare the data and checklists so that person, on your team or at your forwarder, can complete and sign it quickly.
Do our packers need formal training for Section II?
Not formal DGR 1.5 training. IATA's guidance says they need adequate instruction: written procedures, being taken through them, a record of the date, and a refresher at least every two years. Our pack gives you all four.
Our supplier says the batteries are tested. Is that enough?
You need the test summary itself, with the items the UN Manual lists, and you must be able to make it available. We check it and, if something is missing, give you a letter to send to the supplier.
Can we post spare lithium batteries?
Lithium batteries shipped by themselves are forbidden on passenger aircraft unless the authorities approve, and lithium-ion ones must be at 30% charge or less. Carriers and postal services add their own rules on top. We tell you which of your carriers' services, if any, can take them.
What changed in 2026?
From 1 January 2026 lithium-ion batteries packed with equipment must travel by air at 30% state of charge or less, except Section II batteries of 2.7 Wh or less. The 2026 IATA guidance also restructured its material, so older checklists may be out of date.
Is this legal advice?
No. Battery Dispatch prepares classification sheets, procedures and checklists; it is not legal advice and does not replace a dangerous goods safety adviser where you need one. The shipper remains responsible for each consignment.
Know how every battery product ships before it reaches the depot
Product check from £49; Shipping pack for 5 products and 3 carriers at £190, paid once.
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