Lithium Batteries

Why choose lithium

Lithium batteries do three things better than alkaline cells. They hold their charge for years in storage, they keep working in cold weather, and their voltage stays steady until they are nearly spent instead of fading away. That makes lithium the right choice for anything that sits unattended for months, like a car key, a wireless sensor or a spare remote in a drawer, and for devices that draw a lot of power in short bursts, such as cameras and torches. For a clock or a TV remote in daily use, an ordinary alkaline battery is usually the cheaper answer.

Reading the code on a coin cell

The code printed on a coin cell tells you exactly what fits. C stands for the lithium chemistry and R for round. The first two digits are the diameter in millimetres and the last two are the thickness in tenths of a millimetre, so a CR2032 is 20mm across and 3.2mm thick, and a CR1620 is 16mm across and 2mm thick. The safest way to buy a replacement is to read the old cell, or the device manual, and match the code exactly. Most of our lithium range is coin cells, and every one of them is a 3V cell.

CR2032, CR2025 and CR2016

The three 20mm coin cells are the sizes most homes need. The CR2032 is the commonest of all: it powers car keys, bathroom scales, glucose meters, item trackers and the clock on a computer motherboard. The CR2025 and CR2016 are the same width but thinner, and they turn up in slimmer remotes, key fobs and watches. A thinner cell may go into a slot meant for a thicker one, but it may not make proper contact and will not last as long, so replace like for like. We stock all three as single cells and in multipacks.

Smaller coin cells for keys and remotes

Car keys and small remotes often take a narrower cell from the CR16 or CR12 families, such as the CR1616, CR1620, CR1632 or CR1220. These are easy to mix up, because a CR1616 and a CR1632 are the same width and differ only in thickness, so check the code before you order. They are often bought as spares and kept for years, which is where the long shelf life of lithium earns its keep.

Photo cells and other lithium sizes

Alongside the coin cells, around a third of our lithium range is cylindrical. Photo lithium cells such as the CR123A, CR2, 2CR5 and CRP2 were designed for film cameras and are now just as common in torches, rangefinders and the wireless sensors used by alarm and smart home systems. We also stock lithium versions of standard cylindrical sizes for high-drain and outdoor devices, where they outlast alkaline cells and cope with the cold. Always fit the type the device manufacturer specifies, and test the device after changing the battery.

Keeping lithium cells safe

Coin cells need care around children. A swallowed coin cell can lodge in the throat and cause serious burns within hours, so keep new and used cells out of reach, make sure the battery covers on toys and remotes are secure, and if you think a child has swallowed one, go to A&E straight away. Store spares in their packaging: loose cells touching each other, or a coin in a pocket, can short and heat up. The lithium cells on this page are single-use: never put them in a charger. When they are spent, tape over both sides of a coin cell and take it to a battery recycling point rather than the household bin, where a damaged lithium battery can start a fire.

Single cells or multipacks

More than half of our lithium range comes in multipacks, from twin packs up to packs of twelve. Because lithium cells keep so well, a multipack is good value for anything you replace regularly, such as a car key or a household of remotes, while a single cell suits a one-off replacement. Whichever you choose, match the code on the old cell and the new one will fit.