Battery and accumulator sizes
Battery and accumulator sizesDate of publication: 06-06-2022 Update date: 10-04-2026 🕒 5 min read
Historically the term "battery" referred to a collection of electrochemical cells connected in series. The long history of disposable dry cells means that many manufacturer-specific and national standards were used to designate sizes, long before international standards were agreed.
Using the most popular batteries, commonly known as AA batteries, we usually have no problem buying the right batteries for the equipment used.
Finding suitable replacements, however, can be troublesome when we deal with devices powered by other cells and encounter unknown abbreviations or names. Sometimes technical specifications list compatible battery replacements; these are following the “ANSI” or “IEC” nomenclature. Sometimes in the technical specifications, you may also encounter statements in the battery descriptions, such as: The LR44 replaces the A76. It is also identical in size to SR44. Replacements are usually designated by long strings of numbers.
Two major standards bodies – ANSI and IEC
Let's look at two leading standardization systems - ANSI and IEC.
ANSI, or the American National Standards Institute, is a non-profit organisation whose purpose is to oversee the development of technical standards for products, technological processes, or services within the United States. The organisation also accredits standards introduced by other similar entities, government agencies, or companies, especially in the international arena. The organisation adapts American standards to international standards, ensuring that both the characteristics and performance of products and the terms and definitions relating to them are consistent. ANSI also accredits organisations that that carry out product or personnel certification in accordance with requirements defined in international standards.
The IEC, or International Electrotechnical Commission, is an international standards organization that prepares international standards for all electrical, electronic, and related technologies. IEC activities cover a very wide range of technologies, processes, and products. All electrotechnologies are covered by IEC Standards, including energy production and distribution, electronics, magnetics, and electromagnetics, electroacoustics, multimedia, telecommunication and medical technology, as well as associated general disciplines such as terminology and symbols, electromagnetic compatibility, measurement and performance, dependability, design and development, safety, and the environment.
It is worth noting the three new editions of the standards published by the IEC in 2021, mainly concerning primary batteries, which are easy to recycle and provide an energy-efficient solution for many applications, from children's toys to watches or pacemakers. These are:IEC 60086-1 , IEC 60086-2, and IEC 60086-3. The first document specifies requirements for primary cells and batteries. The new edition includes in particular a new table of performance tests related to storage and discharge conditions. IEC 60086-2 establishes more detailed requirements. It supplements the general information and requirements of IEC 60086-1. The third document sets out the performance and safety requirements for watches. All three are available in redline versions, highlighting changes from previous editions (these are highlighted in red). At the same time, engineers from the IEC Technical Committee are recommending that European regulators adopt IEC TC 35 standards as performance and safety indicators for primary batteries.
Different battery designations? AA and LR44 batteries
To indicate how different the designations can be, we can look at the popular and commonly used AA batteries. ANSI and IEC publish standard guidelines for battery sizes and battery chemistry, even in cases where the manufacturer's battery model may precede their standardisation. The full battery nomenclature will reveal, among other things, the chemical composition of the battery, the approximate or exact dimensions, and even the shape. Although there may be minor brand-specific nuances - for example, the AA battery may be a fraction of a millimetre taller or narrower depending on the brand — the standards set very specific tolerance ranges in their classifications to ensure that your battery purchase will satisfactorily meet your needs. It is worth noting that a standard AA battery in IEC may, depending on its chemical composition, have different designations (LR - alkaline; R6 - carbon-zinc; FR6 – Li-FeS2; HR6- NiMH; KR6 – Ni-Cd; ZR6 - NiOOH) while in ANSI these are: 15A (alkaline); 15D (carbon-zinc); 15LF (Li-FeS 2); 1.2H2 (NiMH); 1.2K2 (Ni-Cd). Tables of names and sizes of batteries and rechargeable batteries can be found on the web and should always be consulted before purchasing the correct batteries, especially with less known models and unclear markings in technical specifications of equipment.
Let us now examine the LR44 battery and, using its example, try to decipher the information contained in the IEC markings. This is a very common size of watch batteries. It is worth noting at this point that watch manufacturers have the right to name batteries any way they want and often do so, forcing customers to buy a particular type of battery in a dedicated version for a particular model. For example, in the case of Seiko watches, you may find the designation Seiko SR927W or Seiko TR927 on the battery. For Bulova watches, the same battery has the designation Bulova 613. Other manufacturers offer replacement batteries. For example Duracell version is called D399, while [Panasonic]((/mx/en/manufacturers/p,panasonic_131/) version is SP399. These names, despite their differences, indicate the same coin-shaped battery, known as LR1154, which is more widely known as LR44.
IEC name LR1154 reveals the chemical composition, size and dimensions of the battery, respectively. It unifies the various manufacturer designations under one standard as follows:
| Code | Feature | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| L | chemistry | „L” means alkaline * |
| R | shape | "R" means round. |
| 11 | nominal diameter | "11" is the designated code for 11.6 mm. * |
| 54 | nominal height | "54" is the designation for a height of 5.5 mm. * |
*Caution: ‘L’ stands for alkaline, ‘11’ stands for 11.6 mm, and ‘54’ means 5.5 mm are not typographical errors.
How to read battery information
So, at first glance, the LR1154 name tells us that it is analkaline battery, which is round and has 11.6mm in diameter and 5.4mm in height.
If the first letter was "S" instead of "L", for example " SR1154 ", it would mean that it contains silver oxide. So, the SR1154 is a silver oxide battery that is round, measuring 11.6mm in diameter and 5.4mm in height. These are commonly known as 357 batteries.
Having learned that the 'C' in the first position of the symbol means that the battery contains lithium chemistry, it is now fairly easy to deduce that the popular coin-shaped battery called CR2032 is a round lithium battery that is 20mm in diameter and 3.2mm high. This is a common 3-volt battery; its numerous replacements, such as CR2016 and CR2025, are simply thinner. These very popular batteries can be found in a wide range of small devices such as car keys, calculators, toys, medical equipment (e.g., pacemakers), motherboard CMOS, in computers, micro-instruments and many others. Other lesser known but common batteries include the A27 - used in small RF devices such as car alarm remotes. It is used in some lighters It can consist of eight LR632 cells. Its IEC designation is: 8LR732.
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