Five Facts Needed Before the Drop-Test Question

Collect these facts before asking whether a package has “passed the lithium battery drop test”:

1. Battery chemistry and UN entry: lithium ion or lithium metal, and the UN entry supplied by the responsible party.
2. Physical configuration: batteries shipped alone, packed with equipment or contained in equipment.
3. Packing instruction and section: identified from the current rules by appropriately trained personnel.
4. Completed-package design: the exact outer packaging, inner packaging, closures, protection and content arrangement.
5. Orientation and limiting gross mass: the configuration and weight represented by the available evidence.

A product name is not enough. “Laptop battery,” “tool battery,” “replacement pack” and “medical device battery” do not identify whether the battery is shipped alone, packed with equipment or installed in equipment. A carton code or a photograph also cannot establish the regulatory branch by itself.

What the Lithium Battery 1.2 m Drop Requirement Means

The requirement is a package-performance condition attached to specified air packing branches. It asks whether the relevant package, prepared as it will be offered for transport, can withstand the applicable 1.2 m drop condition while continuing to provide the protection required by the governing instruction.

That is different from saying that every outer box must carry a special certificate. It is also different from saying that any test involving a 1.2 m drop proves compliance. The current complete packing instruction determines the applicable package, test orientation and acceptable outcome. A laboratory, packaging supplier or shipper should not replace those controlled conditions with an unrelated parcel test and treat the result as equivalent without a responsible technical review.

The package is more than a piece of corrugated board. Its performance can depend on:

• the outer packaging material, grade, construction and dimensions;
• joints, flaps, tape, staples and the specified closure sequence;
• inner packaging and any battery enclosures;
• terminal protection and short-circuit controls;
• dividers, cushioning and movement restraint;
• equipment, accessories and other contents;
• the position and orientation of those contents; and
• the completed package's gross mass.

For this reason, evidence for an empty carton, a lighter product or a different internal arrangement may not represent the shipment being prepared.

Which Lithium Battery Air Packing Branches Require Review?

The table below is an orientation map based on IATA's public 2026 battery guidance. It is not a substitute for selecting the correct branch from the current complete rules.

Two exclusions matter.

First, IATA FAQ E.06 also names PI 977 Section II. That packing instruction concerns sodium-ion batteries packed with equipment, not lithium batteries. It should not be folded into a lithium-only article or shipment record.

Second, the FAQ does not name PI 967 or PI 970 in this drop-test question. Those are contained-in-equipment branches. Do not transfer the PI 966/969 packed-with-equipment statement to PI 967/970 simply because the UN number may be the same. The physical configuration changes the applicable instruction.

Section IB and Section II Are Not the Same Pathway

Section IB and Section II can both appear in a discussion of 1.2 m drop capability, but they are not interchangeable labels for “small batteries.”

PI 965 and PI 968 Section IB concern standalone lithium-ion or lithium-metal cells and batteries within the relevant rating or content branch. The current IATA public flowcharts place them under UN3480 and UN3090 respectively and identify both the 1.2 m drop and 3 m stack conditions. Other Section IB requirements still apply; the drop result does not replace classification, quantity, documentation, marking, labelling, training or acceptance checks.

PI 966 and PI 969 Section II concern lithium batteries packed with the equipment they are intended to power, rather than installed in that equipment. That difference controls the physical packing operation and the completed package that IATA discusses in FAQ E.06.

“Section II” does not mean that the shipment is unregulated or that the package may be selected casually. It means the applicable instruction provides a particular branch with its own conditions. The shipper must still establish that every condition for using that branch is satisfied and must check State and operator variations.

If the battery is installed in the equipment, stop and verify the contained-in-equipment instruction rather than continuing with PI 966 or PI 969. Likewise, if a power bank is placed beside a device, do not assume it is a battery contained in equipment. IATA's public guidance treats power banks as batteries, so the physical configuration must be described accurately before the instruction is selected.

Which Completed Package Must Have the Capability?

This is the most important practical question in IATA FAQ E.06. The answer is not always “the small box around the battery” or always the final outer packaging containing the equipment. It is the completed package containing the batteries as prepared for transport under the relevant instruction and packing arrangement.

For batteries packed with equipment, IATA describes two possible arrangements.

Arrangement 1: a prepared battery package placed with equipment

The batteries may first be placed in inner packaging and a battery-only package prepared in full compliance with the relevant packing instruction, including the applicable 1.2 m drop capability. That compliant battery package is then packed with the equipment in a strong rigid outer packaging for transport.

For this arrangement, the battery-only package is the package to which FAQ E.06 applies the 1.2 m capability. Its evidence must match the actual battery package, contents, mass, arrangement and closure. The strong rigid outer packaging used to place that package with the equipment remains part of the final packing operation and must satisfy the other applicable conditions of the complete current instruction; it should not be substituted for or confused with the battery-package evidence.

Arrangement 2: batteries and equipment in one outer packaging

Properly protected batteries may be placed with the equipment or other non-dangerous goods directly within one strong rigid outer packaging. In that case, the package includes the battery inner packaging, the equipment, any accessories, cushioning, dividers and the outer packaging as one completed transport configuration.

The evidence should therefore identify:

• the outer package drawing or specification;
• material and construction;
• internal battery position;
• equipment and accessory positions;
• protection against contact and movement;
• cushioning and void fill;
• closure method;
• intended orientation; and
• completed gross mass.

If any of these details differ from the configuration represented by the evidence, the difference should be assessed before the package is offered to an airline.

What Must the Package Evidence Demonstrate?

A useful record must show more than the height from which something was dropped. It should identify the applicable controlled requirement and document that the completed package remained acceptable against each outcome specified there.

Depending on the current instruction, the responsible reviewer may need to consider whether the drop caused unacceptable damage to cells or batteries, harmful shifting or contact, loss of containment, or reduced package effectiveness. Those outcomes must be taken from the effective instruction. They should not be reconstructed from an old blog post, a generic e-commerce packaging guide or a historical working paper.

The record should make the evaluation reproducible enough for a competent reviewer to understand:

• which package was evaluated;
• which contents and mass it represented;
• how it was closed and oriented;
• which current requirement was applied;
• when and by whom the work was performed;
• what observations were made after the drop; and
• what conclusion was reached within the stated scope.

This does not require publishing proprietary laboratory procedures on a marketing page. It requires traceability. A short statement such as “box passed” is weak if it does not identify the box, contents, mass, arrangement, method, outcome and rule basis.

1.2 m Drop Capability Is Not the 3 m Stack Requirement

Drop impact and sustained top load are different physical demands. A package can perform differently under a sudden impact than under a load applied for 24 hours. Evidence for one must not be substituted for the other.

The distinction also prevents a common document error. A UN 38.3 test summary can be valid for the battery design while the completed shipping package is inadequately documented. Conversely, package drop evidence cannot establish that the battery design passed UN 38.3.

A Generic Box Certificate Is Not Automatically Package Evidence

A packaging supplier may provide valuable specifications, quality records or test data. Those materials are useful only when their scope matches the completed package being offered.

Ask these questions before relying on a supplier record:

1. Does it identify the same packaging design, dimensions, material grade and construction?
2. Does it cover the same closure components and closure method?
3. Does it represent the same orientation and gross mass?
4. Does it include a comparable internal arrangement and load distribution?
5. Does it address the applicable current air-packing requirement rather than a general parcel standard?
6. Is the tested or assessed packaging still produced to the same specification?

A certificate for an empty box answers a different question from evidence for the applicable completed package containing the batteries. A record based on a lighter product may also be unsuitable for a heavier configuration, even if the outer dimensions look identical.

An independent laboratory may be appropriate when a responsible party needs controlled testing or stronger third-party evidence. A packaging designer or manufacturer may also help interpret design-specific information. Task 62 does not claim that one universal independent certificate is always required, and it does not say that informal supplier assurance is enough. The correct evidence route depends on the effective instruction, responsible-party procedures and any authority or operator requirements.

Can a Routine Courier Drop Test Be Used?

A courier, ISTA or product-distribution test may provide useful information about package robustness. It does not automatically prove the lithium-battery air requirement.

The two evaluations may differ in:

• drop height;
• sequence and orientation;
• conditioning;
• contents and mass;
• acceptable damage criteria;
• test objective; and
• documentation required.

The responsible reviewer would need to compare the complete methods and outcomes and decide whether the external test provides relevant evidence for the current air requirement. Matching only the number 1.2 m is not an equivalence assessment.

If no responsible comparison exists, describe the courier test as supporting packaging data, not as proof of compliance with the applicable lithium-battery packing instruction.

Package, Retail Box, Pallet and Overpack Are Different Levels

Confusing physical levels is one of the easiest ways to document the wrong object.

IATA defines an overpack as an enclosure used by one shipper to contain one or more packages for convenient handling and stowage. The packages inside must already be properly prepared and in suitable condition. Marks, labels, segregation and securing also remain separate checks under the applicable rules.

The label OVERPACK does not turn a retail box into a compliant package, and stretch-wrapping a weak package to a pallet does not transfer the pallet's strength to the package evidence.

What a Defensible Drop-Capability Record Should Contain

The following is a BAT Logistics information-gathering checklist, not an IATA certificate. It is designed to make a shipment enquiry more reviewable. The responsible technical and operating parties decide whether the supplied evidence is sufficient.

1. Shipment and product identifier — purchase order, SKU, product family or other traceable reference.
2. Battery chemistry and UN entry — as supplied or confirmed by the responsible party.
3. Physical configuration — standalone, packed with equipment or contained in equipment.
4. Packing instruction and section — identified by appropriately trained personnel under the effective rules.
5. Outer package identity — manufacturer, style, material, dimensions and specification revision.
6. Closure system — tape, staples, fasteners and the documented closure sequence.
7. Inner protection — inner packaging, terminal protection, separators, cushioning and movement restraint.
8. Completed contents — batteries, equipment, accessories and other goods included in the package.
9. Orientation and gross mass — including the limiting configuration the evidence represents.
10. Representative-package basis — why the evaluated sample represents the packages offered.
11. Requirement reference — applicable edition, instruction, section and any relevant variation.
12. Evidence and observations — test or assessment reference, date, images, measurements and post-drop findings.
13. Responsible reviewer — organization, role and the limits of the conclusion.
14. Change-control status — confirmation that materials, design, contents, mass and rules have not changed outside the evidence scope.

The record should travel with the technical shipment file, not be reduced to a filename that cannot be matched to the package. The broader lithium battery shipping documents checklist explains how package information sits beside commercial, battery, dangerous-goods and transport records.

When the Package Should Be Re-Evaluated

Evidence is only as reliable as the configuration it covers. Re-evaluate or obtain a responsible comparison when a change could affect package performance or applicability.

Common triggers include:

• changing the outer packaging supplier, material grade, dimensions or construction;
• changing tape, staples, fasteners or the closure sequence;
• changing battery inner packaging, terminal protection, separators or cushioning;
• adding or removing equipment, chargers, cables, tools or other accessories;
• changing the battery position, product orientation or internal load distribution;
• increasing the gross mass or changing the limiting product variant;
• using packaging that is wet, crushed, punctured, deformed or previously used outside an approved process;
• moving from standalone to packed-with or contained-in-equipment configuration;
• changing the assigned packing instruction or section;
• changing the applicable regulatory edition, addendum, State variation or operator variation; or
• discovering supplier-quality drift between the evaluated sample and current production.

A small visual difference may be technically important. For example, changing the flute grade, reducing tape width or moving a dense battery closer to a package corner can alter impact behavior even when the external dimensions remain unchanged.

Common 1.2 m Drop-Test Errors

What the Drop-Capability Result Cannot Decide

Even a well-documented result answers only one part of the air-shipping decision. It does not by itself determine:

• whether the battery is lithium ion, lithium metal or another chemistry;
• the correct UN number or physical configuration;
• Watt-hour rating or aggregate lithium content;
• whether the battery design passed UN 38.3;
• the applicable state-of-charge condition;
• net battery quantity, package count or aircraft limits;
• required marks, labels or documents;
• whether an overpack is prepared correctly;
• whether a State or operator variation applies;
• whether the origin, transfer or destination station can handle the shipment; or
• whether the airline will accept the booking.

Use the completed-package evidence only after the configuration has been established. The UN3480 versus UN3481 guide addresses lithium-ion configuration, while the UN3090 versus UN3091 guide addresses the lithium-metal companion decision. The air-shipping quantity-limits guide keeps net quantity and package/consignment limits separate from package-performance evidence.

Pre-Enquiry Completed-Package Checklist

Before requesting an air route or quotation, assemble one consistent shipment record:

• battery chemistry and proposed UN entry;
• standalone, packed-with or contained-in-equipment configuration;
• packing instruction and section supplied by the responsible party;
• Watt-hour rating or lithium content, battery quantity and condition;
• package drawing, specification and closure instructions;
• terminal protection, inner arrangement, cushioning and movement control;
• completed-package dimensions, orientation and gross mass;
• 1.2 m drop-capability evidence and evaluation date;
• differences between the evidence package and the shipment package;
• applicable 3 m stack evidence where separately required;
• origin, destination and proposed air route;
• requested airline or service constraint, if any; and
• unresolved questions for trained dangerous-goods, packaging or operating personnel.

Photographs should show the package at useful stages: empty package identification, inner protection, battery position, equipment arrangement, closure and the finished package. Images support identity and review; they do not replace the required evidence.