Battery Market Intelligence · Last reviewed 2026-09-15
| HS code | Category |
|---|---|
| 8507.10 | Lead-acid — starter (piston-engine) batteries |
| 8507.20 | Other lead-acid batteries |
| 8507.30 | Nickel-cadmium |
| 8507.50 | Nickel-metal hydride |
| 8507.60 | Lithium-ion |
| 8507.80 | Other accumulators |
| 8507.90 | Parts |
Codes follow the Harmonized System (HS); the 6-digit level is globally harmonised, with country-specific digits beyond it.
The HS code is the key to trade data and tariffs. It is how customs counts volume and value, and how governments apply duties — which is why a trade dispute over "batteries" is really a dispute over specific codes. When a headline says "battery exports," it almost always aggregates several 8507 subheadings, so the code is the only way to know what is actually being measured.
China is the world's largest battery exporter across both major chemistries — lead-acid (where it ships hundreds of millions of units) and lithium-ion (where it holds roughly 80% of global capacity). The trade picture splits by chemistry: lead-acid is a high-volume, low-unit-value flow, while lithium-ion is a higher-value flow concentrated toward EV- and storage-manufacturing markets. See China lead-acid and China lithium for the output behind the trade.
| HS code | Product |
|---|---|
| 8507.10 | Lead-acid — of a kind used for starting piston engines |
| 8507.20 | Other lead-acid accumulators (motive, standby) |
| 8507.60 | Lithium-ion accumulators |
| 8507.90 | Parts of accumulators |
The four-digit heading (8507) covers all accumulators; the sub-codes separate the chemistries and duties — the classification the trade statistics are built on.
I would argue: The HS code is the unsung foundation of battery market intelligence — any trade number without its code is a claim without a definition, and the code is what separates a lead-acid flow from a lithium-ion one in the statistics.
Why I think so: Trade figures look precise but are only as precise as the code they aggregate. The analyst who knows 8507.10 from 8507.60 — starter lead-acid from lithium-ion — reads the data correctly and sees the two very different businesses that a single "battery exports" number hides.
This is the author's editorial view, not investment or purchasing advice.
Return to Battery Market Intelligence · World Battery Hub. Informational, not investment or purchasing advice.