Indicative classification tool · UK & EU

Before that pack leaves your yard

Six questions to give you an indicative condition rating for a retired traction battery — and what that rating means for how it must be packed and moved.

UK & EU scope. The regulatory signposting in this tool follows ADR and the UN packing instructions as applied in the UK and EU. Other jurisdictions — including the United States, which regulates battery transport under 49 CFR and battery waste under EPA rules — use a different framework. The hazard assessment itself is universal; the references are not.

Indicative guidance only. This is a simplified demonstration of a rules-based assessment method. It is not a substitute for competent assessment, and it does not discharge your obligations under dangerous-goods or hazardous-waste regulations. You remain responsible for compliance. If in doubt, treat the pack as hazardous.

What this means

Handling & packaging implications

    ADR / UN signposting — UK & EU

    Likely UN entries
    Packing instruction
    Documentation

    Signposting only — this is not an ADR classification. An actual ADR and UN determination can only be made against a specific, physically inspected pack by a competent person, and the applicable packing instruction depends on a severity judgement this tool cannot make. Nothing here constitutes a dangerous-goods classification, discharges any ADR obligation, or replaces the advice of a Dangerous Goods Safety Adviser. Verify all references against the current edition of ADR. These references apply to the UK and EU only — outside that scope, including in the United States, a different regime governs and none of this signposting applies.

    Assessment trail

    This is the stripped-down version. The full assessment process handles the edge cases this one doesn't — weight thresholds, damage gradations, chemistry variations, and the routing decision that follows. That's the work I do on a contract basis. hello@ionworth.com