EN    EN EN  
EN    EN  COMMISSION OF THE E UROPEAN COMMUNITIES 
Brussels,  
D006629/01  
  
Draft 
COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No …/.. 
of 
establishing, pursuant to Directive 2006/66/EC of the European Parliament and of the 
Council, rules as regards capacity labelling of portable secondary (rechargeable) and 
automotive batteries and accumulators 
(Text with EEA relevance) 
EN 2   EN Draft 
COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No …/.. 
of 
establishing, pursuant to Directive 2006/66/EC of the European Parliament and of the 
Council, rules as regards capacity labelling of portable secondary (rechargeable) and 
automotive batteries and accumulators 
(Text with EEA relevance) 
THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, 
Having regard to the Treaty esta blishing the European Community, 
Having regard to Directive 2006/66/EC of the Eu ropean Parliament and of the Council of 6 
September 2006 on batteries and accumulators and waste batteries and accumulators and 
repealing Directive 91/157/EC1, and in particular Article s 21(2) and 21(7) thereof, 
Whereas: (1) Reduction in waste quantities could be obt ained by the increase of the average life 
duration of secondary (recharge able) batteries. Choosing the right battery for a device 
would reduce the amount of waste batteri es and accumulators through increased 
product-life. 
(2) It is essential that capacity data be provided through harmonised, controllable and 
repeatable methods in order to ensure fair  competition and consistent quality values 
for manufacturers. 
(3) Directive 2006/66/EC requires that all portable and automotive batteries and 
accumulators be provided with a capacity la bel. The capacity labe l aims at providing 
useful, easily understandable and comparab le information for end-users when 
purchasing portable and automotive batteries and accumulators.  
(4) Pursuant to Article 21(7) of Directive 2006/66/EC exemptions may be granted from 
the labelling requirements. 
(5) It is appropriate to grant such exemptions  for batteries and accumulators which cannot 
bear a label because they are too small or which are sold incorporated in appliances, and to batteries and accumulators that are not  intended to be removed by end-users for 
safety, performance, medical or data integr ity reasons and continui ty of power supply. 
These batteries and accumulators have longer lifespan than the appliance, they are not 
                                                
 
1 OJ L 266, 26.9.2006, p. 1., as last amended by Directive 2008/103/EC (OJ L 327, 5.12.2008, p. 7–8).  
EN 3   EN accessible to end-users and the end-users do not have to make buying decision for 
them.  
(6) An exemption should also be granted to memory back-up portable secondary 
(rechargeable) batteries and accumulators inco rporated in appliances because they are 
not accessible to end-users and they represent at most below 1 % by weight of batteries placed yearly on the Community market. 
(7) It is desirable to base information on exis ting International and European Standards so 
as to provide a sound scientif ic and technical basis for the accuracy of the information 
provided to end-users.  
(8) The existing capacity labelling rules fo r portable secondary (rechargeable) and 
automotive batteries and accumulators need to be harmonised. Possible harmonisation 
of capacity labelling rules fo r portable primary (non-rechar geable) batteries should be 
assessed.  
(9) Producers of batteries and accumulators need at least 18 months to adapt their 
technological processes to the new capacity labelling requirements. 
(10) The measures provided for in this Regulati on are in accordance with the opinion of the 
Committee established by Artic le 18 of Directive 2006/ 12/EC of the European 
Parliament and of the Council of 5 April 2006 on waste
2, 
HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:  
Article 1 
Scope 
1. This Regulation shall apply to portabl e secondary (rechargeable) and automotive 
batteries and accumulators placed on the market for the first time eighteen months 
after the date referred to in Article 5.  
2. This Regulation shall not apply to porta ble secondary (recharg eable) batteries and 
accumulators as listed in Annex I. 
Article 2 
Determination of capacity 
1. The maximum total electric charge that a battery or an accumulator can deliver under 
a specific set of conditions shall be consider ed as the capacity of  the battery or the 
accumulator. 
2. The capacity of portable secondary (rechargeable) batteries and accumulators shall 
be determined on the basis of IE C/EN 61951-1, IEC/EN 61951-2, IEC/EN 60622 
                                                 
2 OJ L 114, 27.4.2006, p. 9.  
EN 4   EN (for prismatic cells and batteries), IEC/EN 61960 and IEC/EN 61056-1 standards 
depending on chemical substances contained th erein as specified in Annex II, Part A. 
3. The capacity of automotive batteries and accumulators shall be determined on the 
basis of standard IEC 60095-1/EN 50342-1 depending on chemical substances contained therein as specif ied in Annex II, Part B. 
Article 3 
Unit of capacity measurement 
1. The capacity of portable secondary (rechargeable) batteries and accumulators shall 
be expressed in “milli-Ampere hour(s)” (mAh) or “Ampere hour(s)” (Ah), using its abbreviation.  
2. The capacity of automotive batteries an d accumulators shall be expressed in 
“Ampere hour(s)” (Ah) and “Cold Cranking Amperes” (A), using its abbreviation.  
Article 4 
Capacity label design 
1. All portable secondary (rechargeable) batteries and accumulators shall be marked 
with a label containing the information set out in Annex III, Part A. The minimum size of the label shall be determined acco rding to the type of the battery and 
accumulator as specified in Annex IV, Part A. 
2. All automotive batteries and accumulators shall be marked with a label containing 
the information set out in Annex III, Part B. The minimum size of the label shall be determined according to the type of the battery and accumulator as specified in 
Annex IV, Part B. 
Article 5 
Entry into force 
This Regulation shall enter into force on th e twentieth day following the date of its 
publication in the Official Journal of the European Union . 
This Regulation shall be binding in  its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States. 
Done at Brussels, XXX 2009 
 For the Commission 
 Stavros DIMAS  Member of the Commission  
EN 5   EN ANNEX I: Exemptions from the capacity labelling requirements   
(1) The following portable secondary (rechar geable) batteries and accumulators 
incorporated in appliances and not intende d to be removed pursuant to Article 11 of 
Directive 2006/66/EC are exempted from the scope of application of this Regulation: 
(a) button cells; 
(b) memory back-up batteries and accumulators; 
(c) battery packs.  
EN 6   EN ANNEX II: Capacity measurement of portable secondary (rechargeable) and 
automotive batteries and accumulators  
Part A. Portable secondary (rechargeable) batteries and accumulators  
(1) The rated capacity of portable secondary nickel-cadmium batteries and accumulators 
shall be measured according to sta ndards IEC/EN 61951-1 and IEC/EN 60622 (for 
prismatic cells and batteries). 
(2) The rated capacity of portable secondary  nickel-metal hydride batteries and 
accumulators shall be measured according to standard IEC/EN 61951-2. 
(3) The rated capacity of portable secondary lithium batteries and accumulators shall be 
measured according to standard IEC/EN 61960. 
(4) The rated capacity of portable secondary lead -acid batteries and accumulators shall be 
measured according to standard IEC/EN 61056-1. 
Part B. Automotive batteries and accumulators  
(1) Automotive batteries and accumulators (l ead-acid starters) shall be measured 
according to standard IEC 60095-1/EN 50342-1.  
EN 7   EN ANNEX III: Information contained on capacity labels  
Part A. Portable secondary (rechargeable) batteries and accumulators  
The capacity label of portable secondary (rec hargeable) batteries and accumulators shall 
contain the following information:   
(1) For all portable secondary ni ckel-cadmium (NiCd), nickel -metal hydride (Ni-MH) and 
lithium batteries and accumulators the rate d capacity as specified respectively in 
standards IEC/EN 61951-1, IEC/EN 60622 (for prismatic cells and batteries), IEC/EN 
61951-2, and IEC/EN 61960: 
(a) as an integer when the capacity is e xpressed in “mAh”, excluding portable 
secondary (rechargeable) batteries in tended for power tools application; 
(b) as a decimal number with one digit when the capacity is expressed in “Ah” and 
as an integer when expressed in “mAh”, for all portable secondary 
(rechargeable) batteries intended for power tools application;  
(c) with a level of accuracy required by standards IEC/EN 61951-1, IEC/EN 
61951-2, IEC/EN 60622 (for prismatic ce lls and batteries) and IEC/EN 61960 
respectively. 
(2) For all portable secondary l ead-acid batteries and accumulators the minimum value of 
the rated capacity within the sample sp ecified in standard  IEC/EN 61056-1:  
(a) as a decimal number with one digit when the capacity is expressed in “Ah”, 
excluding portable secondary (recharge able) batteries for power tools 
application, and  
(b) with a level of ±7 % accur acy of the nominal value (i.e. the measured value).  
Part B. Automotive batteries and accumulators  
The capacity label of automotive batteries and accumulato rs shall contain the following 
information: 
(1) The initial capacity and Cold Cranking Ampe res tests as specified  in standard IEC 
60095-1/EN 50342-1. 
(2) The capacity and the cranking current displaye d as an integer with a level of ±10 % 
accuracy of the nominal value (i.e. the measured value).  
EN 8   EN ANNEX IV: Minimum size and lo cation of capacity labels  
Part A. Portable secondary (rechargeable) batteries and accumulators  
The capacity labels of portable secondary (r echargeable) batteries and accumulators shall 
comply with the following requirements: 
(1) For individual cells sold individually or  with a charger, except button cells and 
memory back-up batteries:  
(a) On the individual cell: the label shal l have a minimum size of 1.0 x 5.0 mm (H 
x L)3; 
(b) On the packaging (front) of the individual cells: the label shall have a 
minimum size of 5.0 x 12.0 mm (H x L); 
(c) The label shall be located on the packag ing (front) and on the individual cells 
inside the packaging; 
(d) For individual cells sold with equipment and without packaging, the label shall 
be located on the cell itself.  
(2) For battery packs:  
(a) For battery packs where the largest side is below 70 cm2 the label shall have a 
minimum size of 1.0 x 5.0 mm (H x L); 
(b) For battery packs where the largest side is above 70 cm2 the label shall have a 
minimum size of 2.5 x 5.0 mm (H x L); 
(c) The label shall be located only on the exte rnal housing of the cell(s) assembly 
and not on each individual  cell inside the housing; 
(d) For battery packs sold with equipment and without packagi ng, the label shall 
be located on the battery pack itself; 
(e) Where the size of the battery or the batt ery pack is such that the label of a 
minimum size is not possible on account of  the nature of the battery or the 
battery pack, the capacity shall be ma rked on the packaging with a minimum 
size of 5.0 x 12.0 mm (H x L). In this sp ecific case, where the battery or the 
battery pack is not supplied with its  own packaging, the capacity shall be 
indicated on the appliance packaging, where the unit is sold with appliance. 
(3) For button cells and memory back-u p batteries sold individually:  
(a) On the packaging (front):  the label shall have a minimum size of 5.0 x 12.0 
mm (H x L); 
(b) The label shall be located on the front of the packaging. 
                                                 
3 Height (H); Length (L).  
EN 9   EN Part B. Automotive batteries and accumulators  
The capacity labels of automotive batteries and accumulators shall comply with the following 
requirements: 
(a) The textual label shall cover at least 3 % of the area of the largest size of the 
automotive battery and accumulator, up to a maximum of 20 x 150 mm (H x 
L).  
(b) The capacity label shall be located on th e battery or accumu lator itself, on one 
of the sides of the battery or accu mulator, excluding the bottom side.