The case holds equipment with a pack inside. Is that 966 or 967?

A: Tools needed means 967; lifting it kills the device means 966. Both cap gross weight at 5 kg.

Can the mark be cut to 100 mm by 92 mm for a narrow panel?

A: No. The short side holds at 120 mm and only enlargement is allowed.

What if the three declaration parts carry different numbers?

A: The form is rejected and refilled. A rejection costs 2 to 4 days plus a new slot.

Does the drop come before or after the stack?

A: Always before. Stacking first hardens the corners and produces figures that cannot be reproduced.

Should the case plant decide which instruction applies?

A: No. Classification and declaration belong to an accredited body; the case is outer packaging and fixing.

Iata Packing: IATA Lithium Battery Packing

Quick answer: Iata packing follows PI 965, 966 or 967, and that choice fixes mark size, paperwork form and the gross weight ceiling before any wall thickness.

Which instruction applies
Mark geometry on the case face
Paperwork form: three parts, one phone number
Two physical gates: 1.2 m drop, 3 m stack
Turning marks and forms into a job card
FAQ

1. Which instruction applies

The relation between the pack and whatever it powers decides the instruction. A bare pack travelling alone is PI 965, UN 3480. A pack sharing a box with its equipment but not fixed to it is PI 966. A pack already inside the equipment shell is PI 967. The last two carry UN 3481.

One question settles it: can the pack be lifted out by hand? Separate item, 965. Lifting it kills the device, 966. Tools needed, 967.

Instruction	Pack to equipment	Gross limit	Case-side focus
PI 965	Bare pack, standalone	35 kg	Two marks per case
PI 966	Same box, not fixed	5 kg simplified	Divided foam, travel ≤10 mm
PI 967	Inside the equipment	5 kg simplified	Thinner foam where a shell exists

Gross weight is the column people skip. The 35 kg figure belongs to the fully regulated route; the simplified route drops to 5 kg, shell and foam included. A 4.2 kg rotomoulded case with 1.8 kg of foam and three 2.6 kg packs reaches 13.2 kg and must be split.

All three instructions also cap state of charge at 30%, measured before the lid closes. Air inside a closed case on a summer floor sits 8 °C above ambient, pulling the reading down about 2 points.

Get the instruction wrong and three things fail at once. Shipping 965 cargo under 967 leaves one mark off, drops the foam divider and widens the ceiling from 5 kg to 35 kg. Reversing it forces UN packaging at roughly 30% more cost.

2. Mark geometry on the case face

The lithium mark is a 120 mm by 110 mm rectangle, white ground, red hatched border, blank lower half for the UN number. The Class 9 label is a 100 mm square with seven vertical stripes. One of each goes on two opposite faces, within 20 mm of the edge.

Iata packing cases on a timber pallet, black shells with pale padding sheets between layers, clear stretch film, cartons and woven sacks beside them

Marks scale up, never down. Shrinking to 80 mm by 73 mm saves space and fails a caliper check. A laminate that cuts the visible area below 120 mm fails too.

Flat panels only. Moulded ribs stand 3 mm proud, so a mark laid across them creases and lifts, and a 2 mm lift peels in transit. Back it with 0.05 mm clear film cut 10 mm oversize.

Clear space counts as well. Marks, address and barcode should not cover more than 70% of a face; keep 30% blank.

Face element	Size	Count	Position
Lithium mark	120 × 110 mm	2 per case	20 mm from the edge
Class 9 label	100 × 100 mm	2 per case	Above the mark
Orientation arrows	50 mm tall	2 sets	Upper edge of sides
Emergency number	5 mm type	1 per case	30 mm below the mark

The adhesive holds from -20 °C to 60 °C, and a laminated mark keeps colour through 200 h of UV ageing.

3. Paperwork form: three parts, one phone number

The declaration comes in three parts: shipper, carrier, cargo. Reference numbers must match across all three, and more than 2 corrections voids the form.

The 24 h number must answer within 30 s, and whoever picks up has to state the cell chemistry and the instruction in force.

Error rate counts per shipment: one mismatch is one shipment in error. Above 200 shipments, sample at 1% and hold the rate under 1%. Two batches above 2% mean the filling instructions are wrong.

Form and case face come from one source: gross weight, piece count and UN number must match the mark and the packing list. A 0.5 kg gap sends the file back.

Transport classification and declaration are issued by an accredited body; the case is only outer packaging and fixing.

Document	Copies	Validity	Typical error
Shipper's declaration	3 parts	Per shipment	References differ
Air transport assessment	1	12 months	Model differs from goods
Training record	1	24 months	Signatory lapsed
Packing certificate	1	Per shipment	Foam weight omitted

4. Two physical gates: 1.2 m drop, 3 m stack

Drop height is 1.2 m, one impact per face, base and one edge mandatory. Pass means no through-crack, no latch release, no foam travel past 10 mm.

Iata packing case standing on a showroom timber floor, moulded ribs and a one-piece handle on the lid, shelving lined with black and orange cases

Stacking runs to 3 m for 24 h, calculated on the bottom case. Three 13 kg cases load the lowest with 26 kg, and permanent set after unloading must stay under 2 mm. A 3 mm wall settles 1.5 mm to 2 mm; a 4 mm wall holds inside 1 mm.

Sequence matters. Drop first, stack second: micro-cracks amplify stacking deflection by about 40%. Reversing it flatters the drop figures, which will not survive a file review.

Conditioning comes first: 23 °C and 50% RH for 24 h, so shell and foam reach equilibrium. Cases off a dry floor turn brittle and fail at the latches.

Foam travel is the softest criterion. Holding a pack within 10 mm depends on 2 mm of interference, not on tape, which goes brittle at -20 °C.

5. Turning marks and forms into a job card

First piece. On the first case of a batch, measure both mark edges, the distance to the edge and the blank ratio, then sign before the line runs.

Sampling. Pull 3 cases from every 200 and check mark flatness plus latch force. Anything under 80 N sends the batch back.

Retention. Keep one complete case and one label set per batch for 24 months. The card carries three lines: which instruction, which marks, who gets the papers.

Conclusion

Iata packing is settled by instruction choice and mark geometry long before wall thickness enters. Sorting PI 965, PI 966 and PI 967 by the pack-to-equipment relation avoids a three-way rework, and keeping the 120 × 110 mm mark and the 100 × 100 mm Class 9 label on opposite faces, 20 mm from the edge, clears most counter checks. Behind that sit the 1.2 m drop and the 3 m stack.

This article covers case-side specifications only and does not address any handling, loading or use of the contents.