Shipping lithium batteries in Canada
Which lithium batteries you can ship within Canada: installed, packed with a device or on their own, and what each carrier and ProtonShip allow.
Updated
Short answer. Ship a lithium battery installed in the device it powers, undamaged, with the device secured against switching on. Canada Post and FedEx accept that within their rules, while Purolator treats any lithium battery as dangerous goods. Loose batteries, power banks and damaged or recalled batteries can’t go with a ProtonShip label.
How the battery travels
Carriers sort lithium batteries by how they travel: installed in a device, packed in the same box as a device, or on their own. Canada Post’s table shows how much that changes:
| The battery is | Canada Post by air | Canada Post by ground | With a ProtonShip label |
|---|---|---|---|
| Installed, up to 4 cells or 2 batteries | Accepted | Accepted | Accepted, with a carrier that takes it |
| Installed, more than 4 cells or 2 batteries | Not accepted | Accepted, with the lithium battery mark | Ask us before you book |
| Packed with the device, not installed | Not accepted | Accepted, with the lithium battery mark | Ask us before you book |
| On its own, power banks included | Not accepted | Accepted, with the lithium battery mark | Not accepted |
Canada Post treats a power bank or portable charger as a battery on its own. With ProtonShip, that makes it a loose battery.
Most phones, laptops and cameras have a single battery inside, which puts them in the first row. Power tools with several packs, and devices with spares in the box, fall further down the table, so count before you book.
What each carrier says
- Canada Post accepts batteries that meet the conditions in Canada’s Transportation of Dangerous Goods Regulations, as in the table, but not to remote air stage locations. If you send more than two packages to the same address, each one needs the lithium battery mark.
- Purolator treats a lithium battery as dangerous goods whether it’s alone, inside a device or packed with one, and takes dangerous goods only from pre-approved account customers. Book a device with a battery on another carrier.
- UPS classes batteries as dangerous goods and prohibits damaged, defective or recalled lithium batteries within Canada. Its battery page sets out US rules for devices, so ask us before choosing UPS for one.
- FedEx accepts lithium batteries that meet IATA Section II, and refuses waste, damaged or defective batteries.
- UniUni hasn’t published a rule for lithium batteries within Canada, and its terms prohibit dangerous goods.
What a ProtonShip label allows
- Accepted: a device with its battery installed and undamaged, with a carrier whose rules take it.
- Not accepted: loose lithium batteries, spares and power banks on their own, any damaged, defective or recalled battery, and anything that needs a dangerous goods declaration.
- Ask us first: a spare battery packed in the box with its device, or a device with more than four cells or two batteries.
The full list is on the prohibited and restricted items page.
Battery-powered bikes and scooters
Canada Post won’t take lithium battery-powered vehicles, including hoverboards, self-balancing boards, bicycles, and mobility aids such as wheelchairs and scooters. Their batteries are large lithium batteries that travel as dangerous goods, so ship them through a carrier’s own dangerous goods service. How to ship a bike
Packing a device with a battery
- Switch the device off and keep it off: lock it, tape over the switch, or take out a removable key.
- Cover any exposed battery terminals with tape or a plastic bag, or keep the device in its original packaging.
- Pack it in a strong, rigid box so it can’t move or touch anything else inside.
- Ship the battery that came with the device. UPS asks for batteries original to the equipment.
Pick a carrier whose rules fit
See every carrier and speed that fits your parcel, then book one that accepts what's inside.
Sources, checked October 11, 2026
Related reading
Ship devices with the right carrier
Compare every carrier for your parcel, then book one whose battery rules fit what's inside.