UN 38.3: Design Type Testing, Test Summaries and Shipment Review
Distinguish design type testing, test summaries, full reports and carrier requests. Understand approval-based prototype routes and shipment review requirements.
Design type testing and shipment acceptance are separate checks
UN 38.3 addresses cell and battery design type testing. Match the shipped model to its applicable test evidence. Testing does not approve a courier service or require a new test for each consignment. Applicable tests depend on cell or battery type, rechargeability and assembly; not every product undergoes all eight tests.
Keep the documents separate
| Document | Purpose and checks |
|---|---|
| UN 38.3 test summary | Check model, manufacturer, laboratory, report reference, date, results and edition. It must be available under applicable rules, including through an accessible electronic source with matching identifiers. A paper copy is not universally required with each shipment. |
| Full test report | Detailed laboratory records are distinct from the summary. Additional review or carrier requirements must be identified separately. |
| MSDS | Not a substitute for the summary or a universal IATA battery transport document. Confirm any channel-specific request. |
| Shipment documents | Confirm model, parameters, configuration, quantity, state of charge, packaging, route, parties and applicable declarations, marks and labels. |
Source: IATA 2026 Battery Guidance, C.05, C.06, G.01 and G.04.
The test-summary exception concerns equipment, including circuit boards, containing only installed lithium button cells. It is not a blanket exemption from testing or shipment review for all button cells or installed batteries. Button cells shipped separately do not fall within this installed-in-equipment case. IATA 2026 Battery Guidance, C.01 and G.01.
What do the eight tests address?
This is a purpose overview, not a laboratory procedure. Check test applicability, samples, sequence, duration and acceptance criteria against the applicable edition.
- T.1 Altitude simulation: performance at low air pressure.
- T.2 Thermal test: effects of temperature cycling.
- T.3 Vibration: performance under transport vibration.
- T.4 Shock: the specified mechanical shock procedure, not a generic free-fall drop.
- T.5 External short circuit: specified temperature, resistance and short-circuit conditions; distinct from protective packaging for shipment.
- T.6 Impact/crush: the method applicable to the cell format and conditions.
- T.7 Overcharge: applicable rechargeable batteries; check current, voltage and duration against subsection 38.3.4.7.
- T.8 Forced discharge: applicable cells; check current and duration against subsection 38.3.4.8 rather than using a fixed 90-minute rule.
Preserve technical notation: ± denotes tolerance, ≤ means “not greater than”, and Ω denotes ohms, not a multiplication factor. Do not use simplified legacy T.7/T.8 parameters as a test procedure. Acceptance criteria differ between tests; a single “no leakage or heating in all eight tests” statement is inaccurate.
Edition and clause access: UNECE Manual of Tests and Criteria, Rev.8 (2023) and Amendment 1 (2025). Confirm the edition and transitional provisions referenced by the applicable transport rules.
Prototypes and low-production batteries
A88 provides a specific approval route for qualifying pre-production prototypes sent for testing and low-production runs of no more than 100 cells or batteries annually. It involves cargo aircraft, State of Origin and State of the Operator approvals, and Packing Instruction 910 of the ICAO Technical Instructions Supplement. Confirm operator acceptance and comply with the approval and packaging conditions. This is not permission to send untested batteries by ordinary courier. GENORDA assesses feasibility; approval is not guaranteed.
Source: IATA 2026 Battery Guidance, B.04.
Prepare a shipment for assessment
- Provide the manufacturer, actual model, photos and cell or battery specifications. State whether batteries are shipped alone, packed with equipment or contained in equipment.
- Obtain matching test evidence and identify changes that may require re-testing.
- Provide quantity, weight, packaging, state of charge, origin and destination. For an approval-based proposal, provide the approval documents and purpose.
- Confirm the carrier, service, route, supplementary documents, packaging and declaration requirements before handing over the goods.
Frequently asked questions
Does the summary automatically expire after two or three years?
No fixed two- or three-year renewal rule applies. Confirm that the model remains the tested type and whether a change triggers re-testing. The report date alone does not answer this question. IATA 2026 Battery Guidance, B.02 and C.10.
Does a summary guarantee FedEx or DHL acceptance?
No. Model, configuration, quantity, packaging, route and carrier conditions still require review. Submit battery details for a transport assessment.
Sources checked: 2026-10-10. This date records source checking; a shipment-specific assessment is still required.