Coin Battery Chart
The 3 V lithium coin cells, 29 of them, sorted by size. The four digits are the measurement: the first two are the diameter in whole millimetres, rounded down, and the last two the height in tenths of a millimetre, so a CR2032 is 20.0 mm across and 3.2 mm thick.
Showing 29 of 29 cells.
| Typical mAh | Also sold as | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BR2335 | lithium (Li-CFx) | 3 | 23 | 3.5 | 165 | |
| CR1025 | lithium (Li-MnO2) | 3 | 10 | 2.5 | 30 | 5033LC |
| CR11108 | lithium (Li-MnO2) | 3 | 11.6 | 10.8 | 160 | |
| CR1130 | lithium (Li-MnO2) | 3 | 11.5 | 3 | 70 | |
| CR1216 | lithium (Li-MnO2) | 3 | 12.5 | 1.6 | 25 | 5034LC, DL1216, ECR1216 |
| CR1220 | lithium (Li-MnO2) | 3 | 12.5 | 2 | 35–40 | 5012LC, DL1220, ECR1220 |
| CR1225 | lithium (Li-MnO2) | 3 | 12.5 | 2.5 | 50 | 5020LC |
| CR1612 | lithium (Li-MnO2) | 3 | 16 | 1.2 | ||
| CR1616 | lithium (Li-MnO2) | 3 | 16 | 1.6 | 50–55 | DL1616, ECR1616 |
| CR1620 | lithium (Li-MnO2) | 3 | 16 | 2 | 75–78 | 5009LC, DL1620, ECR1620 |
| CR1632 | lithium (Li-MnO2) | 3 | 16 | 3.2 | 140 | DL1632, ECR1632 |
| CR2012 | lithium (Li-MnO2) | 3 | 20 | 1.2 | 55 | |
| CR2016 | lithium (Li-MnO2) | 3 | 20 | 1.6 | 90 | 5000LC, DL2016, ECR2016 |
| CR2020 | lithium (Li-MnO2) | 3 | 20 | 2 | 115–125 | |
| CR2025 | lithium (Li-MnO2) | 3 | 20 | 2.5 | 160–165 | 5003LC, DL2025, ECR2025 |
| CR2032 | lithium (Li-MnO2) | 3 | 20 | 3.2 | 225 | 5004LC, DL2032, ECR2032 |
| CR2040 | lithium (Li-MnO2) | 3 | 20 | 4 | 280 | |
| CR2050 | lithium (Li-MnO2) | 3 | 20 | 5 | 350 | |
| CR2320 | lithium (Li-MnO2) | 3 | 23 | 2 | 110–175 | |
| CR2325 | lithium (Li-MnO2) | 3 | 23 | 2.5 | 165–210 | |
| CR2330 | lithium (Li-MnO2) | 3 | 23 | 3 | 265 | |
| CR2354 | lithium (Li-MnO2) | 3 | 23 | 5.4 | 560 | |
| CR2412 | lithium (Li-MnO2) | 3 | 24.5 | 1.2 | 100 | |
| CR2430 | lithium (Li-MnO2) | 3 | 24.5 | 3 | 270–290 | 5011LC, DL2430, ECR2430 |
| CR2450 | lithium (Li-MnO2) | 3 | 24.5 | 5 | 610–620 | 5029LC, DL2450, ECR2450 |
| CR2477 | lithium (Li-MnO2) | 3 | 24.5 | 7.7 | 1000 | |
| CR3032 | lithium (Li-MnO2) | 3 | 30 | 3.2 | 500–560 | |
| CR425 | lithium (Li-MnO2) | 3 | 4 | 25 | 25 | |
| CR927 | lithium (Li-MnO2) | 3 | 9.5 | 2.7 | 30 |
Capacities are typical values, not a guarantee. Sizes are the measured case dimensions: in a four-digit code the first two digits are the diameter in whole millimetres, rounded down, and the last two are the height in tenths of a millimetre.
Reading a coin cell code
A coin cell code is a measurement with a chemistry letter in front of it. C is lithium manganese dioxide and B is lithium carbon monofluoride; R means round. After that the digits are the case: the diameter in whole millimetres, then the height in tenths. The diameter is rounded down to the whole millimetre, so the digits are a floor rather than an exact figure: CR2450 is 24.5 mm across and 5.0 mm thick, and CR1220 is 12.5 mm across and 2.0 mm thick. The table above carries the measured size for every cell.
That makes most of the guesswork disappear. If your old cell is marked CR2032 and the shop has CR2025, you already know the difference is 0.7 mm of thickness, not a different battery. Whether that 0.7 mm matters is a question about the holder, not the chemistry.
Diameter first, then thickness
These cells come in 11 diameters: 4, 9.5, 10, 11.5, 11.6, 12.5, 16, 20, 23, 24.5, 30 mm. The diameter is the hard constraint, because a cell that is too wide will not go in and a cell that is too narrow will rattle and lose contact. Thickness is the softer one: a thinner cell of the right diameter will often sit in the holder and may still work, if the sprung contact can reach it.
The 7 cells at 20 mm are where this comes up most, because CR2032, CR2025 and CR2016 all turn up in the same devices. Going thinner costs you capacity, so the device runs for less time, and if the contact does not reach, the device cuts out when it is jogged. Going thicker may not close the battery door at all. What you must never do is stack two thin cells to make up the height: two cells in series give 6 V, not 3 V.
Capacity, and what it buys
Capacity rises with volume, so the big cells hold far more than the small ones. In this chart the thickest is CR425 at 4 × 25 mm, and the highest typical capacity belongs to CR2477 at 1000 mAh. Those numbers are typical values measured at a low, steady drain. A cell that is asked for short bursts of heavy current, as in a camera flash or a bright LED, will deliver less than the figure on the chart.
Lithium coin cells hold their charge on the shelf for years, which is why they are used for memory backup and why a cell can be years old and still good. The flip side is that a cheap multipack that has sat in a warehouse is still worth checking: look for a date on the pack.
Where coin cells turn up
Car key fobs, computer motherboards, bathroom scales, kitchen thermometers, tyre pressure sensors, LED tea lights, garage remotes, fitness bands, and the clock in almost anything with a clock. Because so many of them take a 20 mm cell, it is worth keeping a note of which size each device wants rather than buying on memory.
Questions people ask
- What is a coin battery?
- In everyday use, a coin battery is one of the 3 V lithium cells with a four-digit code: CR2032, CR2025, CR2016 and the rest. This chart holds 29 of them, from 4 mm to 30 mm across.
- What does the number on a coin battery mean?
- The first two digits are the diameter in whole millimetres and the last two are the height in tenths of a millimetre, so CR2032 is 20.0 mm across and 3.2 mm thick. The diameter is rounded down, which is why a CR1220 measures 12.5 mm rather than 12.0 mm.
- Are all 20 mm coin cells interchangeable?
- No. 7 cells here are 20 mm across and they differ only in thickness, from 1.2 mm to 5 mm. A thinner cell may not reach the contact, and stacking two to make up the height doubles the voltage instead of fixing it.
- What is the difference between CR and BR?
- Both are 3 V lithium in the same case sizes: CR is lithium manganese dioxide, BR is lithium carbon monofluoride. They are not the same cell, and each coin cell page states which swaps apply.
- Can I use a rechargeable LIR instead of a CR?
- No. An LIR is rechargeable lithium-ion in the same case: 3.6 V to 4.2 V charged, with a fraction of the capacity, and meant only for devices built to charge it.
Other charts
Button cells and children
A swallowed button cell is a medical emergency, not a wait-and-see. A cell lodged in the oesophagus can burn through tissue in a couple of hours, and the larger lithium coin cells do the most damage.
If you think a child has swallowed a button or coin battery, go to the emergency room immediately. Don't wait for symptoms. For treatment advice on the way, call the National Battery Ingestion Hotline at 1-800-498-8666 or Poison Help at 1-800-222-1222.
In the United States, Reese's Law now requires child-resistant packaging and warning labels on button cells and on the compartments of the products that take them, which is why new packs are hard to open and why battery doors increasingly need a screwdriver. Keep loose cells and dead cells out of reach; a used cell still has enough charge to injure.
Sources: CPSC button cell and coin battery information center · CPSC on Reese's Law and the new federal safety standard