Battery sizes
21 common battery sizes with their real dimensions, voltage and the other names each is sold under.
The code is the size
This is the thing worth knowing and almost nobody does. For coin cells and lithium-ion cylinders, the number is the measurement: the first two digits are the diameter in millimetres, and the rest is the thickness or length in tenths of a millimetre.
| Name | Reads as | Which is |
|---|---|---|
| CR2032 | 20 mm across, 3.2 mm thick | 20 × 3.2 mm |
| CR1620 | 16 mm across, 2.0 mm thick | 16 × 2 mm |
| 18650 | 18 mm across, 65.0 mm long | 18 × 65 mm |
| 21700 | 21 mm across, 70.0 mm long | 21 × 70 mm |
Once you know it, a CR2032 and a CR2025 stop being two mysterious codes and become the same 20 mm cell in two thicknesses — which is exactly the question people are asking when they wonder whether one will do instead of the other. The AA, AAA, C, D and 9V names predate the scheme and encode nothing.
Cylindrical
| Cell | Size (mm) | Voltage | Chemistry | Also sold as |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AAA | 10.5 × 44.5 | 1.5 V | Alkaline | LR03, R03, MN2400 |
| AA | 14.5 × 50.5 | 1.5 V | Alkaline | LR6, R6, MN1500 |
| C | 26.2 × 50 | 1.5 V | Alkaline | LR14, R14, MN1400 |
| D | 34.2 × 61.5 | 1.5 V | Alkaline | LR20, R20, MN1300 |
| AAAA | 8.3 × 42.5 | 1.5 V | Alkaline | LR61, MN2500, Mini |
| N | 12 × 30.2 | 1.5 V | Alkaline | LR1, E90, Lady |
| A23 | 10.3 × 28.5 | 12 V | Alkaline | 8LR932, MN21, V23GA |
| CR123A | 17 × 34.5 | 3 V | Lithium | CR17345, 16340 (rechargeable) |
| 18650 | 18 × 65 | 3.7 V | Lithium-ion | NCR18650, INR18650 |
| 21700 | 21 × 70 | 3.7 V | Lithium-ion | INR21700 |
Rectangular
| Cell | Size (mm) | Voltage | Chemistry | Also sold as |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9V | 26.5 × 17.5 × 48.5 | 9 V | Alkaline | 6LR61, PP3, MN1604 |
Coin cell
| Cell | Size (mm) | Voltage | Chemistry | Also sold as |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CR2032 | 20 × 3.2 | 3 V | Lithium | DL2032, BR2032, ECR2032 |
| CR2025 | 20 × 2.5 | 3 V | Lithium | DL2025, BR2025 |
| CR2016 | 20 × 1.6 | 3 V | Lithium | DL2016, BR2016 |
| CR2450 | 24 × 5 | 3 V | Lithium | DL2450, BR2450 |
| CR1220 | 12 × 2 | 3 V | Lithium | DL1220, BR1220 |
| CR1620 | 16 × 2 | 3 V | Lithium | DL1620, BR1620 |
| CR1632 | 16 × 3.2 | 3 V | Lithium | DL1632, BR1632 |
| LR44 | 11.6 × 5.4 | 1.5 V | Alkaline | AG13, A76, 357 (silver) |
| LR41 | 7.9 × 3.6 | 1.5 V | Alkaline | AG3, 392, SR41 |
| LR1130 | 11.6 × 3.1 | 1.5 V | Alkaline | AG10, 389, SR1130 |
Why the same battery has five names
An LR44 is also an AG13, an A76, a 1166A and an L1154, and the silver-oxide version of the same cell is an SR44 or a 357. The IEC code (LR44) describes chemistry and size; the AG number is a retail shorthand; the three-digit numbers come from watch-battery cross-reference tables. None of them is wrong and none of them is universal, which is why a cell is often easier to identify by measuring it than by reading the packet.