Transport of lithium batteries — Test manual

What this standard covers and how we test it

UN 38.3 is the test manual behind the UN Model Regulations: a lithium cell, battery or battery-powered device cannot be shipped by air, sea or road without a UN 38.3 test summary. Revision 7 tightened the rules for cells tested as part of a large battery and made the structure of the summary report mandatory rather than advisory.

The eight tests run in sequence:

• T.1 altitude simulation, T.2 thermal cycling, T.3 vibration, T.4 shock
• T.5 external short circuit, and T.6 impact or crush
• T.7 overcharge of the battery, T.8 forced discharge
• Cycle life, cell identification and the drop test added in the latest revision

Cells must come from a production batch no more than six months old, and samples used for T.1 to T.5 can rarely be reused for T.6 to T.8, so the test plan has to reserve the right quantity or the carrier will reject the report.

We normally test UN 38.3 together with UN Model Regulations: one sample set, one set of test dates, and a single report pack that the declaration of conformity can reference.