UPS has assembled this illustrative guide to help you safely pack and ship many
USPS isn’t the only game in town when it comes to shipping lithium-ion batteries; you can use other carriers like UPS, too! The thing is, UPS also considers lithium-ion batteries as a type of hazardous material, so you’ll need to follow a certain process when it comes to shipping them. We’ve laid out what you need to do below.
Just like the process with USPS, if you intend to ship lithium-ion batteries by themselves, UPS will relegate you to Ground service only. That means you won’t be able to use any of their air-based domestic services, such as 3 Day Select, 2nd Day Air, and Next Day Air. For shipments of lithium-ion batteries by themselves—meaning they’re not packed within the equipment they power—you’ll also need to affix this UN3480 label to your package. This label indicates what the contents of the shipment are, and UPS won’t accept the package into their network without it.
Of course, UPS also allows for air transportation of lithium-ion batteries if they’re packed within the equipment they power (just like USPS does). Some examples of this sort of equipment are laptops, tablets, and rechargeable cameras. In this case, you’ll need to affix the UN3481 label to your package, and you can pay for any of the air-based services listed in the above paragraph. You won’t need to do anything else!
If you want to send lithium-ion batteries by themselves with any of the UPS air services, there is a way to do so…it’s just a tad more complicated. For this process, UPS will require you to sign a Dangerous Goods Contract, which you need to include with your package and present to your local UPS Access Point when you drop off your shipment. You can download a UPS Dangerous Goods Contract here. That’s the only way you’ll be able to send lithium-ion batteries packed outside of any equipment with any of the UPS air services.
Some shipping software platforms have different rules when it comes to allowing lithium-ion battery shipments with UPS. While you can send these types of packages when shipping directly with UPS, each company that sells discounted UPS postage likely has a different policy. In most cases we’ve seen, you’ll only be allowed to send lithium-ion batteries with UPS if the batteries are packed within the equipment they power, and if the item you’re sending is brand new with unopened packaging. If that’s the case, you’ll need to meet the following requirements to ship with any UPS service you like:
While the process for shipping lithium-ion batteries is fairly similar between UPS and USPS, the details of the ground services they both offer couldn’t be more different. First of all, UPS Ground is way faster than USPS Retail Ground (or “Parcel Select Ground,” if you’re using shipping software to buy postage online). While ground service from USPS can often take up to 7 days for delivery, the timeframe for UPS Ground only runs between 1-5 days. In our experience, though, UPS typically delivers Ground packages within 3 days. Sometimes they even deliver Ground packages overnight, if the destination is close enough to the origin ZIP code!
Secondly, if you use online shipping software to buy discounted labels, UPS labels often come with $100 of carrier liability…including any labels for Ground service. Parcel Select Ground from USPS, on the other hand, doesn’t include any built-in insurance whatsoever, whether you’re using shipping software or buying postage at your local Post Office. So, between the quick delivery speed and the built-in insurance you get, UPS is clearly the winner over USPS when it comes to Ground service.
Learn more about the differences between UPS Ground and USPS Ground.
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Take the recent fire that burned for several days in Morris, Illinois. The cause? Lithium batteries.
Almost 200,000 pounds of lithium batteries stored in an old paper mill went up in flames due to improper storage. This released toxic smoke and contaminants into the local air and water, displacing thousands of residents in local homes and businesses.
Hazardous conditions like these are why batteries have earned their dangerous goods classification. When damaged or improperly stored, they can release extreme levels of heat, leading to situations like the Morris fire.
This is why extensive requirements are crucial when it comes to the shipping and handling of lithium batteries, particularly lithium ion. Due to their rechargeable design, they can provide high levels of power and generate great levels of heat if damaged.
To safely and properly ship lithium ion batteries, you will need to focus on 3 main factors: documentation, packaging, and labels.
Lithium batteries pose a dangerous risk when it comes to transporting them across the country. They can become a chemical and electrical hazard if damaged or mishandled.
To help ensure complete safety and minimize the risks involved, most carriers specify how they require lithium ion batteries to be mailed. These are broken down into 3 categories:
Other shipping requirements of lithium ion batteries include:
All of these factors differ depending on the specifics involved with the battery shipment, the carrier being used, and the mode of transportation. They also account for how the container must be documented, packaged, and labeled in order to stay within compliance.
Documentation can be required with many types of shipping, but particularly with hazardous materials and dangerous goods.
These pieces of paper hold vital information necessary for carriers and transporters to understand the contents of the packages they are handling and follow proper safety protocols.
Failure to include these documents or fill them out properly can result in delays of shipments from arriving on time or large fines.
There are several different documents associated with transporting lithium batteries. Which ones you will need to include with your packaging will depend on your carrier and mode of transportation.
A Shipper''s Declaration of Dangerous Goods (DGD) is needed for air transport of lithium ion batteries.
Hazardous materials transported by air incorporate standards put in place by the IATA (International Air Transport Association) Dangerous Goods Regulations. These guidelines were written by experts to present the requirements for shipping dangerous goods in a way that is easy for users to interpret.
Many shipments to, from, or passing through the US require a DGD as a key form for sending dangerous goods. It must be completed correctly and attached to shipments containing the following information:
Different options must be checked depending on the configuration of the batteries or cells, if applicable. This means if they are being shipped as stand alone, packed with equipment, or contained in equipment.
Once all of the proper documentation is in order, the next step in shipping your lithium batteries is to prepare how they will be packaged.
A waybill is a document that contains information about the contents of a shipment. This can include its point of origin, the intended route, and its final destination. It acts as a contract of carriage between the shipper and carrier through air or sea. Because of this, it can also serve as a receipt for the shipper (or consignor).
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