Lithium Battery Guidance Document: Transport of Lithium Metal and Lithium Ion Batteries

Many of you may be familiar with IATA’s annual lithium battery publication called the Lithium Battery Guidance Document. This is published every year, is often updated, and serves as a handy reference guide for anyone who wants to ship lithium batteries or lithium cells by air.

Under ICAO/IATA, Most (!) Rechargeable Batteries Now Limited to a 30% State of Charge
It is no secret that there is significant confusion surrounding the updated lithium battery regulations for 2026. To ensure compliance and safety, let’s keep the facts straight and to the point.

The 30% Rule: What Changed with IATA PI 966, 967, and 952
The most critical distinction to understand is that not all lithium batteries are subject to the 30% State of Charge (SoC) limit. This requirement specifically targets batteries that are not contained in equipment.

* Contained in Equipment (Still 100%): Your laptops, cell phones, iPads, earbuds, and toothbrushes can still be shipped fully charged.
* Spare Batteries & Vehicles (Strictly 30%): This is where it gets tricky. Spare batteries are now strictly limited to 30% SoC. For vehicles, the limit is 30% (or potentially 25%, depending on your specific measurement methods).

The Regulatory Breakdown
* PI 965 and PI 966 (Sections I and II): These packing instructions mandate the 30% SoC limit.
* PI 967: While a 30% SoC is not mandatory for batteries contained in equipment, IATA strongly recommends it.

Why We Recommend the 30% Limit for Everything
Even when it isn’t legally required, we agree with the IATA recommendation to reduce all rechargeable batteries to 30% SoC if possible.

The difference in fire intensity and explosive potential between a fully charged battery and one at a limited charge is astounding. We are currently working to secure these videos to share online, it’s incredible what a difference it makes.

The bottom line: If you can reduce the charge, do it. It’s a small step that makes a massive difference in transport safety.

We also publish the Lithium Battery Wizard, which can help walk you through determining exactly what configuration is needed, not only with the state-of-charge requirements, but also with the overall shipping configuration.

You will also see references in the guidance document to a resource called Lithium Battery Shipping Guidelines or LBSG. This is not a regulatory document but a book that IATA sells to the public. As with other IATA for-sale products, they create their own internal reference numbers, which have nothing to do with the regulations. There is nothing prohibiting them from doing this; of course, they can create any reference they want as long as it’s correct.

For compliance purposes, you must ensure that your shipment complies with the ICAO Technical Instructions as they are published in the IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations.

We have several Lithium Battery training programs to choose from and Transportation Development Group (TDG) LLC can always help you with lithium battery shipping questions and training, so please reach out to us if you have any questions at support@dgtraining.com.