Ship lithium batteries by air
from Italy
Loose, packed with the device or inside it: we classify your batteries, a dangerous-goods specialist repacks them for the flight and we deliver them to your customer's door. You tell us the watt-hours and how they are packed; we tell you whether and how they can fly.
Quote your dangerous goods
In the pallets tab, answer Yes to “does it contain dangerous goods?” and fill in type, content per unit, units per box, boxes and packing. A specialist reviews it and we reply with the quote.
From Italy, we reply with your quote within 24 business hours.
Why batteries get stuck
Your carrier refuses it
Most couriers and postal services will not take dangerous goods. The sale is closed and the goods stay on the shelf.
Loose batteries cannot take a passenger flight
Loose lithium-ion batteries fly on cargo aircraft only and at a reduced state of charge. Many routes simply have no option unless someone plans it.
The UN 38.3 test summary is mandatory
Without the manufacturer's test summary, lithium batteries do not ship. We ask for it before quoting, not at the airport.
The paperwork is specialised
Classification, UN-approved packaging, marks, labels and the shipper's declaration. A mistake means the cargo is stopped. We handle it with a specialist.
Warehouses and receiving points across key global markets
We can receive your packages in multiple strategic countries, giving you access to stores, suppliers and marketplaces that would otherwise be hard to reach internationally.
The kind of goods we can ship for you
How a dangerous-goods shipment works
Most carriers simply refuse batteries, perfume or aerosols. We do the opposite: we ask the right questions first, so the cargo is classified, packed and documented as the rules require, and then it flies.
You do not need to know the regulations. You tell us what it is, how it is packed and how many boxes there are, and the specialist tells you whether it can fly and on what terms. From Italy, the goods first travel to Spain by road under ADR, where the air shipment is prepared.
- 1. You describe the cargo in the quoter: type, content per unit, units per box, number of boxes and packing
- 2. A dangerous-goods specialist checks whether it can fly and on what aircraft, and quotes the repacking
- 3. We collect from your premises in Italy and the goods travel by road (ADR) to Spain
- 4. The specialist repacks, marks and labels the cargo and we prepare the dangerous-goods paperwork
- 5. It flies and we deliver it to your customer's door; duties and taxes are paid by the recipient
What we need to quote
The repacking is quoted by a dangerous-goods specialist, and it depends on how your goods arrive. That is why the quoter asks more than for an ordinary shipment. The more complete it is, the faster and more accurate the quote.
- What it is and, if you know it, the UN number
- Content per unit: ml for liquids, Wh or grams of lithium for batteries
- Units per box and number of boxes
- How it is packed: retail box, master carton, loose or UN-approved packaging
- The cargo's composition and whether it is mixed with non-dangerous goods
- The safety data sheet (SDS), if you have it
Lithium batteries by air: the rules that decide your quote
Three questions decide how a lithium battery can fly: is it lithium-ion or lithium metal, is it loose, packed with the device or inside it, and how many watt-hours (or grams of lithium) it has. That is why the quoter asks for them.
The strictest case is the loose lithium-ion battery. Since April 2016 it cannot travel as cargo on passenger aircraft, only on cargo aircraft, and it has to be shipped at no more than 30% state of charge. IATA updates the rules every year, so we check your shipment against the edition in force.
- Loose lithium-ion batteries (UN3480): cargo aircraft only, at no more than 30% state of charge
- Batteries packed with or inside equipment (UN3481 / UN3091) follow different, less strict conditions
- The watt-hour rating changes the regime: 20 Wh per cell and 100 Wh per battery are the key thresholds for lithium-ion
- The manufacturer's UN 38.3 test summary is required to ship lithium batteries
- Damaged or defective batteries cannot fly
Last updated: Reviewed October 2026. General information, reviewed October 2026; it does not replace the IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations. The specialist classifies each shipment against the edition in force. Source: IATA — lithium battery guidance.
What it costs and how long it adds
Dangerous-goods handling is quoted on top of the freight. It starts at €120 and moves with the amount of cargo, the number of packages and the weight. It is a starting point, not a flat price.
The process adds at least 5 business days before the cargo can leave: inspection, repacking and labelling. Those days are added to the normal transit, and so is the road leg from Italy to Spain. We do not promise a delivery date.
- Handling from €120, depending on cargo, packages and weight
- At least 5 business days added to the process, on top of transit
- Freight is priced on chargeable weight, like any air shipment
- Whether the cargo can fly is confirmed before you ship
What we do, and what falls to your customer
The point is that you do nothing but sell. This table shows who handles each part, so you can explain it to your customer before the goods leave.
The one thing outside our hands is the destination country's duties and taxes: its customs sets them and whoever receives the goods pays them.
| Step | Who handles it |
|---|---|
| Collection from your warehouse or office (or drop-off at ours) | Us |
| Packing and palletizing, if it does not come ready | Us (a separate line in the quote) |
| Export paperwork | Us, with the details you give us |
| Air freight, in boxes or on a pallet | Us |
| Import clearance at destination | The customs agent at destination; we coordinate |
| Import duties and taxes | Your customer, in their country |
| Delivery to the customer's door | Us |
Duties are paid by whoever receives it: tell your customer first
We deliver to the door, but the destination country's import duties and VAT or sales taxes are on the recipient. That is standard in exporting, and it keeps you from advancing a tax you do not control.
The practical advice is to tell your customer before the goods leave. A recipient who does not expect to pay on arrival may refuse the delivery, and that does cost money. If you like, we will help you explain how it works in their country.
- Your quote covers collection, export paperwork, air freight and delivery
- Import duties and taxes are paid by the recipient in their country
- How much depends on the product, the declared value and the country's rules at the time
- If your goods are of EU origin and the destination has a trade agreement with the EU, the origin statement on the invoice can lower your customer's duty
How the price is worked out
Air freight charges the greater of two weights: the actual one and the volumetric one, which is length × width × height in centimetres divided by 6,000. A large, light box pays for its volume; a pallet of metal parts, for its weight.
We do not publish a fixed rate because it changes with the route, the collection and the packing. What we do is reply with a concrete price within 24 business hours. The calculator above gives you a first idea for boxes.
Questions from companies that export
Yes, but only on cargo aircraft and at no more than 30% state of charge, as lithium-ion batteries have since 2016. Whether your route has a cargo option is something we confirm when quoting.
Whether they are lithium-ion or lithium metal, loose or with the device, the watt-hours (or grams of lithium), how many there are and how they are packed. Also the manufacturer's UN 38.3 test summary.
Damaged or defective batteries cannot fly. If it is a return of faulty units, tell us in the form so we can look at what options exist.
Usually, yes: batteries inside or packed with equipment follow less strict conditions than loose ones. The watt-hours and the number of units still matter.
Other destinations and services
From Italy, for businesses.
From Italy, for businesses.
Ordinary cargo too: collection, paperwork, air freight and delivery to the door.
What your customer meets at customs, and who pays what.
What your customer meets at customs, and who pays what.
What your customer meets at customs, and who pays what.
Prefer to write to us?
The quickest way is the quoter above with its dangerous-goods section. If you would rather tell us by email, these are the details the specialist needs.