UN38.3 Certification

UN38.3 Certification is a technical specification for lithium battery safety testing, established by the UN Committee of Experts on the Transport of Dangerous Goods in the "Recommendations on the Transport of Dangerous Goods - Manual of Tests and Criteria", Section 38.3: "United Nations Tests for the Safe Transport of Lithium Batteries".

This standard is established by the UN Committee of Experts on the Transport of Dangerous Goods. Both the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the International Air Transport Association (IATA) base their lithium battery air transport regulations on this standard.

UN38.3 is a mandatory condition for the transport of lithium batteries and lithium battery-containing products by sea, land, and air worldwide. Lithium batteries that have not passed this test may not be transported as non-restricted dangerous goods.

The latest version of the standard is ST/SG/AC.10/11/Rev.7 (7th revised edition), in which Section 38.3 comprehensively specifies the testing requirements for lithium cells and battery packs.

4. Various small secondary batteries (e.g., laptop batteries, digital camera batteries, camcorder batteries, various cylindrical batteries, wireless communication batteries, portable DVD batteries, CD and MP3 player batteries, etc.)

T.6 Impact/Crush Test: Impact test (for cylindrical cells with diameter ≥18mm): Place a 15.2mm diameter steel bar across the center of the cell and drop a 9.1kg weight from a height of 61±2.5cm. Crush test (for prismatic and pouch cells): Apply a crushing force of 13±1k N between two flat surfaces. Battery surface temperature shall not exceed170 °C, with no disassembly or fire within 6 hours after test.

T.7 Overcharge Test: Charge the battery at no less than the manufacturer's recommended maximum charging current. Stop when charging voltage reaches any of the following: not less than10 V(if the charging voltage limit does not exceed18 V) or not less than 2 times the manufacturer's recommended maximum charging voltage (if the charging voltage limit exceeds18 V. Test duration: 24 hours. No fire, no disassembly within 7 days after test. This test applies to rechargeable batteries only.

Cells must pass T.1 through T.6; rechargeable cells must also pass T.7 and T.8. Battery packs, in addition to using tested cells, must undergo additional vibration (T.3), shock (T.4), and external short circuit (T.5) tests.

Open circuit voltage after test shall not be less than 90% of pre-test voltage. This does not apply to fully discharged cells and batteries.

Sample (battery) shall show no leakage, no venting, no disassembly, no rupture, and no fire.

UN38.3 classifies lithium batteries into small (≤12kg) and large (>12kg) types. Both share the same test items but differ in vibration and shock parameters. Battery packs assembled from UN38.3-tested cells with effective overcharge, overdischarge, and overcurrent protection may be exempt from additional testing upon design verification. However, packs with parallel or series configuration changes require re-evaluation. Additionally, for rated energy exceeding100 WWh lithium batteries require a dangerous goods transport exemption declaration from IATA, and packaging must meet UN Class II dangerous goods packaging requirements.

Open circuit voltage after test shall not be less than 90% of pre-test voltage. This does not apply to fully discharged cells and batteries.

Sample (battery) shall show no leakage, no venting, no disassembly, no rupture, and no fire.

1. The full UN38.3 package typically includes: UN38.3 test report, test summary, 1.2m drop test report, air transport certificate, sea transport certificate, and SDS report. Please confirm which specific reports are needed when applying.

3. UN38.3 air transport certificates are valid per calendar year. Please ensure timely renewal of certificates.