IATA Battery Shipping Regulations (BSR) 12th Edition – 2025

What’s inside the BSR?

Making a mistake with marking, labelling or packaging products with batteries can at best cause delays. At worst, the battery could fail or short circuit causing a fire. The BSR covers all aspects of the shipping process from packaging requirements, labelling, marking and what to do if something goes wrong enroute.

• Applicability (definitions, shipper responsibilities, caution, training, dangerous good security)
• Regulations (international legislation, dangerous goods carried by passengers, variations by state and operator, UN Manual of Tests and Criteria, subsection 38.3 )
• Classification (UN Numbers, Class 9 substances, classification scenarios, testing)
• Identification (list of dangerous goods, special provisions)
• Packing (combination packaging, quantity limits, UN specifications, overpacks, instructions, examples)
• UN specification packaging performance tests (test frequency, drop test, stacking test, reports, suppliers)
• Marking and labelling (marks, specifications, shipper’s responsibilities, examples)
• Documentation (declaration form instructions and examples, waybills,)
• Acceptance (checklists, refusals)
• Emergency response

The significant changes that were made to the 12th edition of the BSR include: