"Battery Mark" May No Longer Display Phone No. As of 1/1

An important change to the “battery mark,” formerly known as the lithium battery mark, takes effect on January 1, 2027. The battery mark (shown below) is required on packages containing “excepted” lithium batteries shipped by ground, air, or vessel. 

As of January 1, 2027, the battery mark may no longer display a phone number. Previously, shippers were required to include a phone number on the mark that could be called for more information about the shipment. PHMSA removed the phone number requirement with a Final Rule in 2024, harmonizing the US Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR) with international standards including the IATA DGR and the IMDG Code. 

The asterisk shown on the mark must be replaced with the appropriate UN ID number for the shipment. 

[49 CFR 173.185(c)(1)(3)]
 

Why Change the Battery Mark?

PHMSA removed the phone number requirement in 2024 to align the US regulations with international requirements, and for other reasons. The agency explained the decision in the 2024 Final Rule: 

(A phone number) "can now be readily obtained through other means, such as a bill of lading, shipping labels, or other papers, thereby rendering the telephone number requirement as a piece of information on the lithium battery mark effectively redundant." 

"...the telephone number adds little value, and removing the telephone number requirement from the mark would not reduce the effectiveness of the mark and therefore, not impact safety of transportation." 

Federal Register, Vol 89, No. 70. April 10, 2024.

Shippers who are currently using a battery mark that displays a phone number must switch to a version of the mark without the phone number before the January 1, 2027 deadline. Packages marked with the "old" style mark after that date may be rejected by carriers, removed from transportation by regulatory inspectors, or cause confusion in the supply chain.

Online Training to Ship Lithium Batteries 

Get trusted step-by-step training to ship lithium batteries in full compliance with the latest US and international regulations for ground, air, and vessel transportation. Learn online at your own pace with the Shipping Lithium Batteries online course or the Shipping Excepted Lithium Batteries online course.

For training with an instructor, check out the schedule of webinars and join us live before the year ends—on October 22 or December 9.