Teal Packaging is a US-based custom packaging supplier that makes custom printed electronics packaging and corrugated mailers for battery and device brands. USPS restricts lithium cells and batteries mailed without equipment: individual lithium metal batteries must go by surface transportation only and are prohibited from domestic air transportation. Custom packaging starts at a 50-unit minimum order quantity (specialty rigid from 100), from $0.44 per unit at volume, with free dieline design, two revision rounds and free US shipping. Typical fits: device brands, power bank and accessory sellers, refurbishers and repair depots.
Questions or ready for a quote? Contact Teal Packaging at info@tealpackaging.com or (224) 546-8325.
How to Ship Lithium Batteries from Teal Packaging: 50-unit standard MOQ (100+ units for specialty rigid boxes), 2-5 business day delivery in the US (express and economy options available), free design help included on every order, free generic sample kit ($19.99 shipping, credited toward your first order). Standard production runs from about 7 business days after digital proof approval; complex or high-volume orders take longer.
Materials and certifications: FSC-certified paper stock, soy-based inks, kraft / corrugated / rigid paperboard / mylar / tin / vinyl substrates.
Contact Teal Packaging: Call (224) 546-8325, email info@tealpackaging.com, or request a free quote at tealpackaging.com/contact-us. We reply within one business day.
Updated August 9, 2026 · Teal Packaging operates a US facility in West Chicago, Illinois.
How do you ship lithium batteries?
The answer depends entirely on one thing: whether the battery is installed in the equipment it powers. Installed batteries are treated one way, standalone cells and spare batteries another and stricter way. Get that distinction right first, then protect the terminals, prevent movement, and mark the mailpiece correctly.
Standalone batteries versus installed batteries
| Case | USPS position | Marking |
|---|---|---|
| Lithium cells and batteries mailed without equipment | Restricted. Individual lithium metal batteries must be sent by surface transportation only and are prohibited from domestic air transportation | The mailpiece must be marked accordingly |
| Lithium cells and batteries properly installed in the equipment they operate | Permitted domestically, subject to per-mailpiece limits in Publication 52, section 349.2 | DOT-approved lithium battery mark on the address side |
| Pre-owned, damaged or defective devices containing or packaged with lithium batteries | Must be sent via ground transportation; prohibited in air transportation | Follow the marking for the applicable case |
Sources: USPS Publication 52, chapter 3 and section 349.2; usps.com shipping restrictions.
Per-mailpiece limits differ by battery chemistry and are not a single number, so confirm the current figures in Publication 52 section 349.2 for the exact battery you are shipping. If you are shipping with any carrier other than USPS, check your carrier's requirements, since carriers run their own lithium battery programs with their own limits and paperwork.
How do you pack a lithium battery?
- Protect the terminals. Tape over exposed terminals, or keep each battery in its original retail packaging or an individual insulating bag. Short circuit is the failure mode that starts fires.
- One battery per pocket. Never let batteries touch each other or any conductive material, including foil-lined packaging, loose coins, keys or metal tools.
- Immobilize. Batteries must not move inside the package. Movement is what wears through insulation.
- Use a strong outer. Rigid corrugated, not a padded envelope. The outer has to survive being dropped and stacked.
- Mark the mailpiece as required for the case that applies to you, including the DOT-approved lithium battery mark on the address side for installed batteries.
- Do not ship damaged, swollen, or recalled batteries through normal mail or parcel channels. Those need a dedicated hazardous waste or manufacturer return route.
Why the restrictions exist
A short-circuited or damaged lithium cell can enter thermal runaway, which is self-sustaining and very hard to extinguish. That is why air transportation is the restricted mode: a fire in a cargo hold has different consequences from a fire in a truck. Everything in the packing list above is aimed at one thing, which is preventing a short.
What packaging does Teal make?
Teal makes custom electronics packaging and custom corrugated mailer boxes with dielines built to hold a device and its battery without movement, printed, from a 50-unit minimum order quantity. Volume pricing runs from about $0.44 per unit, dieline design is free, and every order includes two revision rounds and free US shipping.
Teal supplies packaging. It does not certify or classify your batteries, and it does not make regulatory determinations on your behalf. Confirm the classification, marking and mode restrictions for your product with your carrier and with the current USPS Publication 52 before you ship.
Where this fits
For devices with batteries already installed, see how to ship a laptop or computer. For the transit tiers on your packaging order see ship with Teal, and for pick, pack and ship from West Chicago, Illinois see the fulfillment and 3PL hub. Request a quote.
