# Sodium ion cells and batteries shipped by themselves (UN 3551) — Postal shipping restrictions by item category

For Sodium ion cells and batteries shipped by themselves (UN 3551), carrier is IATA (air cargo); restriction type is prohibited; scope is cargo on passenger aircraft; conditions is Forbidden as cargo on passenger aircraft; all packages under Packing Instruction 976 must bear a Cargo Aircraft Only label, recorded from its source on 2026-08-10.

- **Item category:** Sodium ion cells and batteries shipped by themselves (UN 3551) _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Carrier:** IATA (air cargo) _(our reading, not quoted from the source)_
- **Restriction type:** prohibited _(our reading, not quoted from the source)_
- **Scope:** cargo on passenger aircraft _(our reading, not quoted from the source)_
- **Conditions:** Forbidden as cargo on passenger aircraft; all packages under Packing Instruction 976 must bear a Cargo Aircraft Only label. _(verified: appears in the quote below)_

## What the source says

> All sodium ion cells and batteries shipped by themselves (UN 3551) are forbidden for transport as cargo on passenger aircraft. All packages prepared in accordance with Packing Instruction 976, must bear a Cargo Aircraft Only label, in addition to other required marks and/or labels.

## 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/).