# Lithium ion and sodium ion batteries — state of charge limit (UN 3480, UN 3551) — Postal shipping restrictions by item category

For Lithium ion and sodium ion batteries, item category is Lithium ion and sodium ion batteries — state of charge limit (UN 3480, UN 3551); carrier is IATA (air cargo); restriction type is restricted; scope is air cargo; conditions is Must be shipped at a state of charge not exceeding 30% of rated capacity; above 30% only with the approval of the State of Origin and State of the Operator under Special Provision A331, recorded from its source on 2026-08-10.

- **Item category:** Lithium ion and sodium ion batteries — state of charge limit (UN 3480, UN 3551) _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Carrier:** IATA (air cargo) _(our reading, not quoted from the source)_
- **Restriction type:** restricted _(our reading, not quoted from the source)_
- **Scope:** air cargo _(our reading, not quoted from the source)_
- **Conditions:** Must be shipped at a state of charge not exceeding 30% of rated capacity; above 30% only with the approval of the State of Origin and State of the Operator under Special Provision A331. _(verified: appears in the quote below)_

## What the source says

> All lithium ion cells and batteries (UN 3480) and sodium ion cells and batteries (UN 3551) must be shipped at a state of charge (SoC) not exceeding 30% of their rated capacity. Cells and/or batteries at a SoC of greater than 30% may only be shipped with the approval of the State of Origin and the State of the Operator under the written conditions established by those authorities, see Special Provision A331.

## Source

- https://www.iata.org/contentassets/05e6d8742b0047259bf3a700bc9d42b9/lithium-battery-guidance-document.pdf

Last verified: 2026-08-10. Review by: 2027-08-10.
Part of [Postal shipping restrictions by item category](https://referencesource.org/shipping-restrictions-by-class/).