85.

07  Electric accumulators, including separators therefor, whether or not rectangular (including
square).

8507.10 - Lead-acid, of a kind used for starting piston engines

8507.20 - Other lead-acid accumulators

8507.30 - Nickel-cadmium

8507.50 - Nickel-metal hydride

8507.60 - Lithium-ion

8507.80 - Other accumulators

8507.90 - Parts

Electric accumulators (storage batteries or secondary batteries) are characterised by the fact that
the electrochemical action is reversible so that the accumulator may be recharged. They are used
to store electricity and supply it when required. A direct current is passed through the
accumulator producing certain chemical changes (charging); when the terminals of the
accumulator are subsequently connected to an external circuit these chemical changes reverse
and produce a direct current in the external circuit (discharging). This cycle of operations,
charging and discharging, can be repeated for the life of the accumulator.

Accumulators consist essentially of a container holding the electrolyte in which are immersed
two electrodes fitted with terminals for connection to an external circuit. In many cases the
container may be subdivided, each subdivision (cell) being an accumulator in itself; these cells
are usually connected together in series to produce a higher voltage. A number of cells so
connected is called a battery. A number of accumulators may also be assembled in a larger
container. Accumulators may be of the wet or dry cell type.

The main types of accumulators are :

(1)  Lead-acid accumulators, in which the electrolyte is sulphuric acid and the electrodes lead
plates or lead grids supporting active material.

(2)  Alkaline accumulators, in which the electrolyte is usually potassium, or lithium hydroxide

or thionyl chloride and the electrodes are, for example :

(i)   Positive electrodes of nickel or nickel compounds and negative electrodes of iron, cadmium
or metal hydride;

(ii)  Positive electrodes of lithiated cobalt oxide and negative electrodes of a blend of graphite;

(iii) Positive electrodes of carbon and negative electrodes of metallic lithium or lithium alloy;
(iv) Positive electrodes of silver oxide and negative electrodes of zinc.

The electrodes may consist of simple plates, grids, rods, etc., or of grids or tubes covered or
filled with a special paste of the active material. The containers for lead-acid accumulators are
usually made of glass or, in the case of car batteries, are moulded from plastic, hard rubber or
composition material.  In big stationary accumulators, glass or lead lined, plastic or wood boxes
are used, while containers for alkaline accumulators are usually of steel or plastics. Alkaline
accumulators may be of a specific size and shape, so designed to fit the device for which they are
the source of electricity. They may be within waterproof containers. Many alkaline accumulators
may have the external appearance of primary cells or batteries of heading 85.06.

Accumulators are used for supplying current for a number of purposes, e.g., motor vehicles, golf
carts, fork-lift trucks, power hand-tools, cellular telephones, portable automatic data processing
machines, portable lamps.

Some lead-acid accumulators are fitted with a hydrometer, which measures the specific gravity
of the electrolyte and so indicates roughly the degree of charge of the accumulator.

Electric accumulators remain classified here even if presented without their electrolyte.

Accumulators containing one or more cells and the circuitry to interconnect the cells amongst
themselves, often referred to as “battery packs”, are covered by this heading, whether or not they
include any ancillary components which contribute to the accumulator’s function of storing and
supplying energy, or protect it from damage, such as electrical connectors, temperature control
devices (e.g., thermistors), circuit protection devices, and protective housings. They are
classified in this heading even if they are designed for use with a specific device.

PARTS

Subject to the general provisions regarding the classification of parts (see the General
Explanatory Note to Section XVI), the heading also covers parts of accumulators, e.g., containers
and covers; lead plates and grids, whether or not coated with paste; separators of any material
(except of unhardened vulcanised rubber or of textile material), including those in the form of
flat plates merely cut into rectangles (including squares), meeting very precise technical
specifications (porosity, dimensions, etc.) and hence ready for use.

The heading does not cover :

(a)   Terminals (heading 85.36).

(b)   Spent electric accumulators and waste and scrap thereof (heading 85.49).
85.49 -  Electrical and electronic waste and scrap (+).

           - Waste and scrap of primary cells, primary batteries and electric accumulators; spent
primary cells, spent primary batteries and spent electric accumulators :

8549.11 - -   Waste and scrap of lead-acid accumulators; spent lead-acid accumulators

8549.12 - -   Other, containing lead, cadmium or mercury

8549.13 - -   Sorted by chemical type and not containing lead, cadmium or mercury

8549.14 - - Unsorted and not containing lead, cadmium or mercury

8549.19 - -   Other

            - Of a kind used principally for the recovery of precious metal :

8549.21 - - Containing primary cells, primary batteries, electric accumulators, mercury-switches,

glass from cathode ray tubes or other activated glass, or electrical or electronic components
containing cadmium, mercury, lead or polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)

8549.29 - - Other

             - Other electrical and electronic assemblies and printed circuit boards :

8549.31 - - Containing primary cells, primary batteries, electric accumulators, mercury-switches,

glass from cathode ray tubes or other activated glass, or electrical or electronic components
containing cadmium, mercury, lead or polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)

8549.39 - - Other

            - Other :

8549.91 - - Containing primary cells, primary batteries, electric accumulators, mercury-switches,

glass from cathode ray tubes or other activated glass, or electrical or electronic components
containing cadmium, mercury, lead or polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)

8549.99 - -   Other

Electrical and electronic waste and scrap (“e-waste”) of this heading covers a wide range of
goods, and any goods that have a plug or requires a battery will generally be e-waste at the end
of their life cycle.
E-waste for the purposes of this heading are goods suitable only for recovery, recycling or
disposal, and not for repair, refurbishment, renovation, reuse or repurposing to render them fit for
their original purpose or for subsequent use.  Simply being used goods is not sufficient to render
goods e-waste. E-waste goods may be physically intact (but non-functional) or in a scrapped
condition, for example, broken, cut-up, or otherwise worn or destructed.

E-waste includes, but is not limited to :

(1) waste, scrap, or spent primary cells, primary batteries or electric accumulators;

(2) consumer electronics;

(3) office, information and communications technology devices;

(4) household appliances;

(5) power tools;

(6) electrical or electronic parts, including printed circuit boards.

As goods of this heading are not intended to be reused as individual articles, they are generally
shipped in bulk and normally traded by weight rather than unit quantity. Packaging of goods to
prevent damage to the individual articles normally indicates that they are not intended for
recovery, recycling or disposal and goods presented in such a manner are not classified as e-
waste. For example, televisions, cellular phones or batteries individually wrapped in protective
wrappings and boxed are not considered to be a shipment of e-waste.

Mixed consignments of electronic waste and other waste and scrap remain classified in this
heading.

The expression “original purpose”, in Note 6 to Section XVI, refers to functional use as an
electrical or electronic good.

°     °

The heading does not cover :

(a) radioactive waste (heading 28.44).

(b) unsorted municipal waste (heading 38.25).

°     °
Subheading Explanatory Notes.

Subheadings 8549.11 to 8549.19

These subheadings cover waste and scrap of primary cells, primary batteries, and electric
accumulators of heading 85.06 and 85.07, including spent primary cells and batteries as well as
spent electric accumulators as described in Subheading Note 5 to this Chapter.

For the purposes of these subheadings, the terms “spent primary cells”, “spent primary batteries”,
and “spent electric accumulators” mean articles, whether physically intact or in a scrapped
condition, for example, broken, cut-up, or otherwise worn or destructed, that are suitable only for
recovery, recycling or disposal or, in the case of spent electric accumulators, not capable of being
recharged or holding a charge.

These products generally come from : manufacturers of primary cells, primary batteries, and
electric accumulators; scrap merchants who buy waste and scrap from manufacturers or
merchants who collect and dismantle electric accumulators or collect primary cells and primary
batteries.

Consignments from battery manufacturers may consist of positive and negative plates in various
proportions or half-assembled elements (e.g., reels made up of a negative plate and a positive
plate separated by a fabric “separator” and coiled). The reels may also be pre-assembled inside
the container or mixed with unusable defective finished batteries

Consignments from the dismantling or reclamation of old batteries may contain a mixture of
positive and negative plates, with or without separator, as packs, plates or reels.

Spent primary cells, spent primary batteries, and spent electric accumulators are generally
intended for processing to recover metals (lead, nickel, cadmium, cobalt, etc.), metal compounds,
or slag.

Subheadings 8549.21 and 8549.29

These subheadings cover electronic waste that contains precious metals or precious metal
compounds and of the type which are used principally for the recovery of these precious metals.

Subheadings 8549.21, 8549.31 and 8549.91

For purposes of these subheadings, the term “containing primary cells, primary batteries, electric
accumulators” means primary cells, primary batteries, and electric accumulators, whether spent
or functional, and whether physically intact or in a scrapped condition (for example, broken, cut-
up, or otherwise worn or destructed), that are contained in or with electronic waste.