A lithium battery has two journeys
Customs needs classification, value, origin, quantity, and product details. The carrier may separately require test summaries, packaging, marks, labels, and transport documentation.
The four-step journey
Separate customs classification from dangerous-goods transport requirements for batteries, battery packs, and products containing batteries.
- Battery configuration is documented
- Customs and transport data split into lanes
- Carrier and agencies review
- The shipment moves when both lanes clear
What the broker checks
- Cell, battery, pack, or installed in equipment
- Chemistry, watt-hours, and quantity
- Origin, value, and transport documents
Why it matters
Release by one authority does not automatically satisfy every rule governing the shipment.
- PGA: An agency other than CBP that may regulate admissibility.
Official sources
- USITC — Harmonized Tariff Schedule
- CBP — Basic Importing and Exporting