On November 2, 2023, the Chinese Ministry of Industrial and Information Technology (MIIT), National Railway Administration (NRA), and China State Railway Group Co., Ltd. (CHINA RAILWAY) jointly issued the Guide on Railway Transportation of Consumer-grade Lithium Batteries (hereinafter referred to as the Guide). The Guide details the relevant rules and standardizes transport conditions to strengthen the safety management of railway transportation of lithium batteries.
Consumer-grade lithium batteries in the Guide refer to lithium metal batteries (packs) and lithium-ion batteries (packs) primarily used in consumer electronic products such as mobile phones, laptops, digital cameras, electric toys and power banks. They are classified as Class 9 dangerous goods - Miscellaneous dangerous substances and articles. The codes of them given in the List of Dangerous Goods in Railway (TB/T 30006-2022) are 91042, 91043, 91045, and 91046.
However, the Guide stipulates that consumer-grade lithium batteries are not considered as dangerous goods when transported by rail, if they fall under any of the following:
Lithium metal battery (pack) with lithium content not exceeding 1g (2g)
Lithium-ion battery (pack) with energy rating not exceeding 20Wh (100Wh)
Additionally, consumer-grade lithium batteries should not be transported by rail if they are deemed unsafe, damaged, recycled, or designated for disposal, according to the Provisions on the Supervision and Administration of Railway Transportation Safety of Dangerous Goods.
For the consignment of consumer-grade lithium batteries, the Guide stresses the importance of conducting prior product safety testing following the requirements outlined in Section 38.3 of Part III of the UN Manual of Tests and Criteria (a.k.a. UN38.3 Test). The testing report should provide a clear conclusion regarding whether the tested lithium batteries comply with the UN38.3 Test requirements. The packaging of consumer-grade lithium batteries to be transported by rail should meet the requirements specified in Packaging of Dangerous Goods Transported by Railway (TB/T 2687-2020).
The Guide is available here.
