For a battery, paperwork is not the last step — it decides whether the shipment moves at all. We build compliance into the pack from the first drawing, then hand you the test summaries, declarations and dangerous-goods documents your forwarder and your market will ask for.
What determines the paperwork you need
Application
A road-going traction pack, a stationary storage bank and a service part shipped to a workshop are treated differently by regulators. Power level and installation type change the route.
Destination market
The same pack needs CE and UKCA documentation for Europe, UL evidence for many US buyers, PSE for Japan and KC for Korea. Selling into more than one region means more than one file.
Mode of transport
Sea, air and road each have their own rules for Class 9 lithium, and the crate, label and declaration have to match the mode you actually booked.
Common requirements by market
Final scope depends on pack design, application and the regulation in force at the time of shipment. This is the shortlist we are asked for most often.
| Market | Framework | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Global – transport | UN 38.3 (ST/SG/AC.10/11) | Mandatory | Test summary required by air, sea and road carriers alike |
| China Mainland | GB 31241 / GB 38031 | Mandatory for traction | Cell and pack level, with domestic test report |
| European Union | CE (incl. IEC 62133, EMC & RoHS) | Mandatory | Technical file and declaration of conformity |
| United Kingdom | UKCA | Mandatory | Separate marking after Brexit; CE still accepted in some windows |
| United States | UL 2054 / UL 1642, UN 38.3, DOT | Market-driven | Buyers and insurers commonly require UL evidence |
| Japan | PSE (Appendix 9) | Mandatory | Registered importer required |
| Korea | KC 62133 | Mandatory | Validity period applies, renewal per shipment programme |
| Taiwan, China | BSMI (CNS 15364) | Mandatory | Local applicant and labelling |
| Global – substances | RoHS / REACH | Mandatory in EU | Material declaration at component level |
Shipping a lithium pack across a border
This is where most first-time importers lose weeks. A battery is Class 9 dangerous goods; the carrier is entitled to refuse it and the customs broker cannot file without the right documents. We prepare the set as part of the order.
- UN 38.3 test summary – the document every carrier asks for before booking.
- MSDS / SDS – safety data sheet in the language your forwarder needs.
- UN-certified packaging – crate or box rated for the pack, with Class 9 mark and lithium battery mark applied.
- State-of-charge control – packs shipped at the charge level the regulation allows.
- Commercial invoice and HS code – classified correctly so duty is quoted up front rather than at the border.
- Dangerous-goods declaration – completed to match the mode of transport actually booked.
Pre-certification testing
Formal certification is expensive and slow to repeat, so we run the relevant checks in-house first. If a pack is going to fail an insulation, thermal or abuse test, we would rather find that on our bench than in a third-party lab with your project clock running.
- Cell and pack-level pre-testing aligned to IEC 62133, UL 2054 and UN 38.3
- Design changes made before submission rather than after a failure
- Technical file and documentation prepared for the receiving authority
- Engineering support while the formal testing is running
Paperwork under your own brand
If you are buying under a private label, the documentation set can carry your company name: test summaries, manuals, warranty card and safety sheet issued with your details, and crate markings to your specification. See ODM & OEM for how that works.