Safety and compliance
IEC 62133
The international safety standard for sealed portable secondary lithium cells and batteries, with part 2 covering lithium systems.
What it changes in practice
IEC 62133 is the reference for portable applications: devices, tools, instruments. Where the end use is industrial or stationary rather than portable, IEC 62619 is normally the applicable standard instead. Both are model-scoped: the certificate lists what it covers, and the check is whether the model being purchased appears in that list.
Why it matters when you specify a cell
For portable products this is the safety assessment your certification body will ask about, and it applies to the battery assembly as well as the cell. A cell with a UN38.3 summary and no IEC 62133-2 coverage is a gap in the file, not a shortcut through it. Budget the assessment time before the design freeze.
Related terms
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Other terms in this group
Transport, safety and what the documents actually cover.
UN38.3
The transport test regime lithium cells and batteries must pass before they can be moved by air or sea, covering eight tests including altitude, thermal, vibration, shock and external short circuit.
Read the entry →IEC 62619
The international safety standard for secondary lithium cells and batteries used in industrial applications, including stationary energy storage.
Read the entry →UL 1642
The North American standard covering lithium cells, with UL 2054 covering battery packs assembled from them.
Read the entry →Thermal runaway
A self-sustaining internal heating process in which a cell generates heat faster than it can dissipate it, leading to venting, fire or propagation to adjacent cells.
Read the entry →MSDS / SDS
The safety data sheet describing the chemical hazards of a cell, its handling requirements and the response to fire, leak or exposure.
Read the entry →