Intermediate2h # Lithium Battery Shipping Course: UN38.3, DOT & IATA Ship lithium batteries legally from the US: UN numbers, Wh thresholds, the UN38.3 tests and test summary, DOT/PHMSA and IATA packing, marking and labelling. A hardware seller ships five undeclared lithium-ion batteries through a major carrier. No dangerous goods declaration, no lithium battery mark, no Class 9 label. The package sits in a sorting facility for hours before it starts emitting heat, smoke, and flame. This isn't hypothetical — it's a real 2025 FAA enforcement case, and it cost that company sixty thousand dollars in federal penalties alone. Two other 2025 cases in this course cost their companies seventy-four thousand and one hundred seventy thousand dollars respectively, one after a shipment fire actually melted batteries together. This course teaches US lithium battery shipping compliance from first principles to complete practical application: the UN38.3 testing standard and its eight required tests, DOT and PHMSA's 49 CFR classification and packaging rules, IATA's Dangerous Goods Regulations including the newly mandatory 2026 thirty-percent state-of-charge rule, watt-hour and lithium-content thresholds, packing instructions and the post-2022 Section II changes, marking and labeling requirements, the Shipper's Declaration for Dangerous Goods, and the distinct rules governing ground, air, ocean, and USPS shipment. From there the course covers damaged, defective, and recalled battery handling, large batteries and e-bikes under the new state-of-charge rule, hazmat employee training obligations, PHMSA registration thresholds, real 2025 FAA enforcement cases with their actual fine amounts, and a complete worked compliance walkthrough for a power bank hardware startup. Extended modules cover supplier due diligence, building a repeatable compliance process, e-commerce platform policies including Amazon FBA's hazmat review, customs and import considerations, insurance implications, contract manufacturer agreements, working with freight forwarders and third-party logistics providers, international returns, certification confusions between UN38.3 and CE/UL/FCC marks, and scaling compliance as a hardware business grows. Every module ends with a knowledge check, and the closing stretch consolidates everything into a glossary, a full compliance self-assessment, a one-page mental model, and a sequenced action plan paired with a downloadable compliance toolkit built for your actual product catalog. Common failure patterns — undeclared shipments, unverifiable UN38.3 documentation, working from outdated pre-2026 assumptions — are addressed as they occur throughout the course, illustrated with the real enforcement cases they actually caused. Built on Krono's regulatory research and current 2026 guidance, including the IATA DGR 67th edition's mandatory state-of-charge rule effective January 1, 2026, and PHMSA's 2026 civil penalty figures. This course contains the use of artificial intelligence for asthetic purposes. * Includes the ebook edition, free * 8 downloadable resources included ## What you'll learn * Apply the new mandatory 2026 thirty-percent state-of-charge rule and know exactly which shipments it covers * Build compliant marking, labeling, and Shipper's Declaration documentation for ground, air, and ocean shipments * Handle damaged, defective, and recalled batteries under the correct restricted shipping regime * Build a repeatable, owned compliance process, recurring calendar, and audit-ready documentation system * Recognize the real failure patterns behind 2025 FAA enforcement actions and avoid them in your own operation ## Requirements * ·No prior hazmat or regulatory experience required — the course starts from first principles * ·Some familiarity with hardware products, e-commerce fulfillment, or supply chain operations is helpful but not essential * ·Hardware sellers, e-commerce operators, supply chain and fulfillment leads, and compliance owners will all benefit $149.00 One-time purchase · Lifetime access · No subscription Less than one hour with a compliance consultant. [First lesson free to preview: US Lithium Battery Shipping Compliance](#lesson-f7445b25-0212-4d06-a671-685b0935fae2) * Classify any lithium battery product under the correct UN number and packing instruction for its shipping mode * Verify and interpret UN38.3 test summary documentation, including the eight required tests and six required elements * Calculate watt-hour and lithium content ratings against DOT/PHMSA and IATA exception thresholds Includes the ebook edition, free — read it in your [library](/platform/books) after purchase. Enroll — $149.00 Secure checkout via Paddle Not what you expected? Contact us within 14 days. Built from a regulatory graph already at work 1,600 users this week 658 guides 323 product types 9 markets ## Course content 74 modules·120 min total US Lithium Battery Shipping Compliance Preview7 min The Legal Framework 4 min Is Your Product In Scope? 3 min Lithium Battery Types & UN Numbers 3 min Watt-Hour & Lithium Content Thresholds 2 min UN38.3 Testing: The Eight Tests 3 min UN38.3 Test Summary Documentation 3 min Packing Instructions & Sections 3 min Packaging Requirements 3 min Marking Requirements 2 min Labeling Requirements 2 min State of Charge Rules 3 min The Shipper's Declaration for Dangerous Goods 1 min Ground Shipping: DOT and PHMSA Specifics 2 min Air Shipping: IATA DGR Specifics 1 min Ocean Shipping: IMDG Code Basics 2 min Parcel Carrier Rules 2 min USPS Mailing Rules 2 min Damaged, Defective & Recalled Batteries 2 min Large Batteries & E-Bikes / E-Scooters 2 min Hazmat Employee Training Requirements 2 min PHMSA Registration — Who Actually Needs It 2 min Enforcement & Penalties 2 min Common Mistakes & Failure Patterns 1 min Full Compliance Walkthrough 3 min Case Studies 2 min Documentation & Audit Readiness 1 min Supplier Due Diligence 1 min Building Your Compliance Process 1 min Compliance Calendar & Recurring Deadlines 1 min Common Product Categories, Applied 2 min International Comparison 1 min Recent & Upcoming Regulatory Changes 1 min Training Your Team & Building SOPs 1 min Working With Freight Forwarders & DG Specialists 1 min Compliance Costs & Budgeting 1 min Special Considerations for Startups & Small Brands 1 min Edge Cases 1 min Preparing for a PHMSA/FAA Audit 1 min Frequently Asked Questions 1 min Your Compliance Action Plan 2 min Your Downloadable Compliance Toolkit 1 min E-Commerce Platform Policies 1 min Customs & Import Considerations 1 min Insurance & Liability Considerations 1 min Contract Manufacturer Agreements & Compliance Clauses 1 min Quality Control at Receiving 1 min Working With Third-Party Logistics Providers 1 min International Returns & Reverse Logistics 1 min Common Certification Confusions 1 min Building Compliance Into Product Development 1 min Communicating Compliance to Customers 1 min Scaling Compliance as You Grow 1 min Special Provisions & Exceptions, Deep-Dive 2 min Glossary of Key Terms 2 min Final Review 1 min Common Objections, Addressed Directly 1 min Environmental & End-of-Life Battery Disposal 1 min The Course, Consolidated One Last Time 1 min Emergency Response Information 1 min Recordkeeping Specifics 1 min Chemistry Variations Within Lithium Ion 1 min Managing a Multi-Category Product Catalog 1 min Responding to an Incident 1 min In-House vs. Specialized Compliance Verification 1 min The Right Mindset Going Forward 1 min Compliance Under Seasonal Demand Pressure 1 min Your Compliance Self-Assessment 1 min Questions to Ask a New Supplier 1 min Beyond Avoiding Penalties 1 min One Last Direct Word 0 min The One-Page Mental Model 1 min Closing Thoughts and Your Path Forward 1 min What's Next 0 min Enroll — $149.00 Need more than one? The **All-Access Krono Vault** unlocks every course and book for one payment, or put your whole team on it with **Krono Team Vault**. [See pricing](/pricing) Short on time? ### Rather hand it over than learn it? One consultant from Krono's compliance team takes your product from requirements to legal sale, with a fixed quote before any work starts. 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