Lithium Battery Inspection Regulations and Standards

Lithium-ion batteries continue to improve because of their fast-recharging capability and are widely used in consumer electronics and electric vehicles.

While, lithium batteries are potentially dangerous products, as they can catch fire, or even explode. This can happen, for example, because the product or the battery itself is defective, overcharged, or overheated. For this reason, it is key to follow safety standards, regulations and other requirements that help you to ensure that the batteries are safe.

US Lithium Battery Regulations and Standards

U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) staff is participating in voluntary standard activities related to batteries in consumer products. (Batteries: https://www.cpsc.gov/Regulations-Laws--Standards/Voluntary-Standards/Topics/Batteries)

UL Standards for Battery

UL is a globally recognized safety organization that develops product safety standards for lithium batteries and battery-powered products, while also providing testing services to verify compliance.
Compliance with UL standards may be required if you sell products on marketplaces such as Amazon or if your buyer specifies UL certification as a purchasing requirement.

• UL 1642 – Lithium Batteries Safety standard for lithium cells used in consumer products, covering risks such as overheating, fire, explosion, and mechanical abuse.
• UL 60086-4 – Standard For Safety for Primary Batteries – Part 4: Safety Of Lithium Batteries
• UL 2054 – Household and Commercial Batteries Safety requirements for battery packs used in household and commercial applications.
• UL 2056 - Outline of Investigation for Safety of Power Banks  
• UL 2595 – Standard for Safety for General Requirements for Battery-Powered Appliances
• UL 4200A - Standard for Safety for Products that Incorporate Button or Coin Cell Batteries Using Lithium Technologies
• UL 60065 - Standard for Audio, Video, and Similar Electronic Apparatus–Safety Requirements

CPSC Recommendations

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is a federal agency tasked with ensuring that products in the US market are safe.

The CPSC publishes a number of guides for certain product categories and offers recommendations for the application of voluntary standards, including those that apply to lithium batteries. Here are some of the recommended standards by the CPSC for lithium batteries in products:

• ANSI/CAN/UL 2272 - Electrical Systems for Personal E-Mobility Devices
• ANSI/NEMA C18 - Safety Standards for Primary, Secondary and Lithium Batteries  
• ASTM F2951 - Standard Consumer Safety Specification for Baby Monitors 
• ASTM F963 - Standard Consumer Safety Specification for Toy Safety 
• IEEE 1625 - Standard for Rechargeable Batteries for Multi-Cell Computing
• IEEE 1725 - Standard for Rechargeable Batteries for Mobile Telephones  

Requirements for lithium button cell and coin batteries

Reese’s Law

Reese’s Law is an act that affects button cell and coin batteries, and products containing button cell or coin batteries.

It requires the CPSC to publish a safety standard for the battery compartment of products to ensure that they are secure, contains warning labeling requirements, and require child-resistant packaging for button cell or coin batteries.

16 CFR Part 1263 – Safety Standard for Button Cell or Coin Batteries and Consumer Products Containing Such Batteries

The CPSC introduced 16 CFR Part 1263 to put into effect the requirements of Reese’s Law. UL 4200A is incorporated into the regulation, making it a mandatory standard, and serves as the performance standard for battery compartments for products containing button cell or coin batteries, including lithium batteries.

Additionally, 16 CFR Part 1263 contains labelling requirements for the packaging of:

• Button cell and coin batteries
• Products containing button cell or coin batteries

General Certificate of Conformity

A General Certificate of Conformity is a mandatory document that needs to be issued for products that are affected by CPSC regulations (e.g. 16 CFR Part 1263). The certificate should contain the following information about the product’s compliance with the applicable regulation(s):

• Product information
• List of applicable CPSC safety rules
• Your company name and contact details
• Name of the person maintaining the test report(s) records
• Date and place of production and testing
• Information about the third-party testing company that performed the test

International IEC Lithium Battery Standards

The IEC is an international standards organization that prepares and publishes international standards for electrical, electronic, and related technologies. 

• IEC 62133: Safety Testing for Lithium Ion Batteries

IEC 62133 is an international standard for the safety of rechargeable lithium ion batteries, which are commonly used in a wide range of consumer electronics and other applications. The IEC 62133 standard sets out requirements and tests for the safety and performance of lithium ion batteries used in portable electronic devices, including cell phones, laptops, tablets, and other devices. The standard covers various aspects of battery safety, including electrical, mechanical, and chemical safety.

IEC 62133 is widely recognized and used by manufacturers, regulators, and other stakeholders in the lithium ion battery industry as a benchmark for battery safety.

• IEC 62619 – Secondary Cells and Batteries Containing Alkaline or Other Non-Acid Electrolytes – Safety Requirements for Industrial Lithium Batteries
• IEC 62620 – Secondary Cells and Batteries – Performance Requirements for Industrial Applications
• IEC 62660 Series – Secondary Lithium-ion Cells for the Propulsion of Electric Road Vehicles
• IEC 61960 – Secondary Lithium Cells and Batteries for Portable Applications

EU Lithium Battery Regulations and Standards

Lithium batteries are subject to various regulations and directives in the European Union that concern safety, substances, documentation, labelling, and testing. These requirements are primarily found under the Batteries Regulation, but additional regulations, directives, and standards are also relevant to lithium batteries.

The Batteries Regulation covers all types of batteries, including lithium batteries. Here are some of the main areas covered by the regulation:

• Safety requirements
• Substance restrictions
• Declaration of conformity
• Technical documentation
• Labelling requirements
• Testing requirements

Harmonised standards

Here are some standards relevant to lithium batteries that are harmonised under the regulation.

Documentation

Here we list the main documents that are required by the regulation and provide their respective descriptions.

Labelling requirements

Here we list the labelling requirements that are mentioned in the regulation and provide their respective descriptions.

Requirements specific for lithium batteries

Specific to lithium batteries, a company battery due diligence policy should be adopted concerning the use of lithium.

Furthermore, industrial batteries, electric vehicle batteries, LMT batteries and SLI batteries containing lithium or other listed substances in active materials have specific conformity procedures that need to be followed:

a. ‘Module D1 – Quality assurance of the production process’ for batteries manufactured in series; or

b. ‘Module G – Conformity based on unit verification’ for batteries not manufactured in series

EN Standards

Standards can be used to improve the safety and performance of your products, even when they are not harmonised under any regulation. This is especially important for a product like lithium batteries, which can be potentially dangerous.

Here are some examples of standards that are specific to battery products, but are not related to Batteries Regulation:

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