UAV Drone Battery
How to Buy Drone Batteries from China? (Complete Process Guide)
A Step-by-Step Guide to Navigate Procurement Challenges and Ensure Reliable Drone Battery Suppliers in China, from Specification to Customs Clearance!
I. Determine Battery Type and Specifications
1. Choose the Right Material Type
Mainstream drone batteries in the Chinese market include:
Lithium Polymer Batteries (Li-Po): Lightweight with high energy density, preferred by 90% of consumer drones (e.g., DJI Air series);
Lithium Iron Phosphate Batteries (LiFePO₄): High-temperature resistant and long-lasting, suitable for industrial scenarios such as agricultural inspection drones;
Solid-state/semi-solid-state batteries: Emerging technology with high safety but low mass production, suitable for high-end customized needs.
2. Clarify Specification Parameters
In addition to voltage, capacity, and size, focus on clarifying these:
Discharge rate (C-rate): Only batteries with a continuous discharge rate of ≥5C can withstand the sudden ascent and descent of agricultural drones; be careful not to be deceived by factories that mix up instantaneous discharge rate and continuous discharge rate.
Interface protocol: Some DJI models have private communication protocols, and third-party batteries may trigger a no-fly zone. Therefore, it is best to find official dealer channels for DJI drone batteries;
Temperature adaptability: Batteries suitable for -20℃ low temperatures are 30% more expensive but essential for operations in cold regions.
3. Types of Batteries Allowed for Export from China
Legally exportable batteries must meet:
✅ UN38.3 certification (8 tests including drop/thermal shock);
✅ Capacity ≤100Wh (over 100Wh requires special packaging and declaration as dangerous goods);
✅ Non-military use declaration (mentioning “military use”? The factory will hang up immediately);
✅ Consignee in non-embargoed countries (Iran, Syria, etc., are basically impossible).
II. Find Suppliers
1. Three Ways to Find Suppliers
① Online channels. Common ones are Google independent websites or B2B platforms such as Alibaba International Station, Made-in-China.com, etc., where you can find Chinese suppliers. At the same time, you can also search for public pages on major social media platforms to find suppliers or sales personnel.
② Attend industry exhibitions. Such as the Canton Fair, specialized drone exhibitions, etc., where you have the opportunity to directly contact technical teams and inspect factories.
The following picture is a direct shot of Ariana attending the battery exhibition.
③ Visit industrial areas. Visiting industrial areas to find suppliers can largely avoid trading companies and directly find source factories. Trading companies are typically located in office buildings, while factories are often situated in suburban areas.
Many factories in China still cannot achieve the integration of industry and trade. Professionals do professional things, which means that trading companies are better at sales and factories are better at manufacturing. Of course, some factories have trained specialized sales teams to expand new paths for the factory under the crowded inland market in China, such as enovbattery.
Our story: In 2018, the boss came out of the university laboratory with cell technology to build a factory, and the foreign trade team was just formed last year – small factories like us that understand technology and have just expanded overseas are more cost-effective!
2. Clearly Express Product Needs
If you are purchasing an existing model from the factory, directly send the parameter table and ask “if there is a matching model”;
If there is no existing product specification, you can ask the factory whether it supports OEM & ODM services, and provide the factory with the customized parameters, application scenarios and special needs of the battery you need.
3. Verify Supplier Qualifications
China’s battery manufacturing is in a leading position globally, which means that China has strong strength in battery manufacturing and a complete industrial chain. However, the industry is complex. Before purchasing batteries, you must ensure that the supplier’s product quality can meet your requirements.
You can first purchase small batches of samples for testing, or ask the factory for videos and pictures of the production line, or directly go to the factory to verify the quality.
It should be noted that China will further tighten the export of drone batteries in 2025. The supplier you are looking for needs to ensure that the drone batteries can be delivered to your country, especially in sensitive areas such as Iran and some Middle Eastern countries, where goods may be detained during customs clearance.
III. Logistics and Transportation
1. Determine Transportation Methods and Terms
You need to confirm with the factory in advance whether the goods will be transported by sea, air or land. The freight and transportation time of these three methods are different. For urgent goods, air transportation is used. For large quantities, sea transportation is used.
| Method | Freight | Timeliness | Applicable Scenarios |
|---|---|---|---|
|
🛳 Sea freight |
Cheap |
30-45 days |
Full container purchase, no time limit |
|
🚁 Air freight |
Expensive |
3-7 days |
Urgent sample orders, ≤100kg |
|
🚂 China-Europe Railway Express |
Medium |
15-22 days |
European orders, avoiding Red Sea risks |
Factories usually have commonly used freight forwarding companies, but it should be noted that battery products pose greater risks for freight forwarders in summer. If the cargo volume is small and the country/region is sensitive, it may be difficult to find a freight forwarder or the freight may be higher. After determining the transportation method, you need to confirm the transportation terms with the manufacturer, such as EXW, CIF, FOB, etc.
2. Necessary Customs Clearance Documents
You need to determine in advance what certificates and materials are required for importing drone battery products in your country to ensure that both the factory and you can meet these conditions and avoid the goods being unable to clear customs after arriving in your country.
For customized batteries, although the factory has export qualifications, the customized specifications of the battery may not have the certificates required for customs clearance in your country, and special certificates need to be made for this customized battery, which is one of the reasons why customized batteries cost more.
In addition, you need to clearly understand your country’s import policies, such as import license regulations, tariffs, etc.
3. Packaging Method
Factories usually have commonly used packaging methods to ensure safety and compliance. If you have other special needs, please inform the factory in advance.
4. Obtain PI and Make Payment
After clarifying the product model, quantity, transportation method and terms, you can ask the factory to send a Proforma Invoice (PI) to confirm the final payment; however, before payment, you need to confirm whether your payment can be transferred to the other party’s account to avoid wasting handling fees. One of our company’s customers had encountered this problem many times before and learned a lesson, so he repeatedly confirmed the payment issue when cooperating with our company.
Finally, a reminder:
“Battery procurement is essentially a supply chain trust battle – finding a supplier who is willing to test with you, modify plans, has stable quality, and stable output is much more important than haggling over $0.1/Wh. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions, let’s communicate directly!”
—— Ariana
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