Power banks on domestic flights in China

For a domestic flight in mainland China, a small power bank still needs a readable 3C mark and must not belong to a recalled model or batch. Capacity is only one check. You also need to count the power banks you carry, inspect their condition, and follow the operating airline's baggage and onboard rules.

This guide covers personal power banks and rules checked on 1 November 2026. Air China and China Eastern currently specify a maximum of two per person, with airline approval for a bank above 100 Wh and no greater than 160 Wh. Check your actual flight before packing, especially for travel in 2027. Laptop batteries, camera spares and medical equipment have separate provisions.

Check each domestic segment

China's domestic-flight restriction on power banks without a clear 3C mark, and on recalled models or batches, took effect on 28 June 2025. The restriction concerns the power bank you bring to the airport. A product listing, familiar brand or previous successful flight does not settle whether your particular unit meets these checks now.

For example, a traveller arriving in Shanghai from abroad and continuing to Chengdu needs to check the domestic segment as well as the incoming flight. Acceptance on the first flight does not establish acceptance on the next. Keep the flight date, route and operating airline together when asking about a power bank; do not apply a mainland domestic checklist to every international or regional flight.

Look for the actual 3C marking, also called CCC, on the unit. If it is absent or unreadable, do not treat a capacity calculation as a substitute. The ChinaClue checklist records your inspection; selecting “Yes” does not authenticate a certification mark or obtain approval from an airline.

Read the battery's own rating

Use the stated watt-hour rating, Wh, when it is readable. If Wh is not stated, the CAAC guidance permits calculating it from the marked nominal battery voltage and capacity. Divide mAh by 1,000 to obtain Ah, then multiply by volts: Wh = Ah × V. The two values must describe the same battery rating.

On a Chinese label, 电池容量 identifies battery capacity and 标称电压 identifies nominal voltage. 电池能量 identifies battery energy. 输出 introduces output specifications, often several USB voltage and current combinations. A number such as 5 V in that output list is not automatically the nominal voltage to pair with a separate battery-capacity figure.

Consider an illustrative label stating 20,000 mAh and 3.7 V. Its energy is 20,000 ÷ 1,000 × 3.7 = 74 Wh. Using a USB output voltage of 5 V instead would give 100 Wh, but would combine unrelated fields. Conversely, do not assume 3.7 V just because it is common: a marked 20,000 mAh battery at 3.85 V corresponds to 77 Wh.

Read the whole label before choosing a value headed 额定容量, or rated capacity. It may refer to output capacity under specified conditions. Keep that figure separate from the battery's own energy rating. A 30 W output specification describes power, not 30 Wh of stored energy. If the original marking does not let you establish the battery energy, leave the result unresolved rather than guessing.

Separate energy from total quantity

Under the Air China and China Eastern rules checked for this guide, the energy bands below apply to each power bank. Exactly 100 Wh is in the lower band; exactly 160 Wh remains in the band requiring approval. A rating above 160 Wh is outside the passenger power-bank allowance. Do not round a value down to cross either boundary.

Quantity is a separate check across all your power banks, including small ones. Three 37 Wh banks exceed the two-bank limit even though each is below 100 Wh. One 74 Wh bank plus one 120 Wh bank gives two items, but the 120 Wh item still needs approval. Adding their energy together is not how you decide which per-bank band applies.

These examples assume readable markings and otherwise eligible products. A 74 Wh bank without a clear 3C mark still fails the domestic-flight marking requirement. A recalled bank does not become acceptable through airline approval of its capacity. Keep each unresolved or disqualifying condition visible instead of reducing the result to a single green capacity number.

Match the model and batch

Record the manufacturer, exact model and any batch or serial information needed by a recall notice. Check the manufacturer's recall information and the consumer-product recall section of China's SAMR Defective Product Recall Technical Center. Match the notice's scope to your unit; a brand name alone is too broad to establish whether it is affected.

If you cannot identify the batch or interpret the notice, keep recall status as “Not checked” and contact the manufacturer. Do not turn an unsuccessful search into “not recalled.” Inspect the casing as well. Air China's current notice excludes swollen, deformed or cracked power banks, independently of their capacity or markings.

For a bank above 100 Wh and no greater than 160 Wh, ask the operating airline about the specific flight and product before departure. Supply the model, clear label information and quantity, then follow its approval procedure. Save the response with your travel notes. The ability to request approval is not a promise that the airline will accept the item.

Pack for access in the cabin

Power banks belong with you in the cabin, never in checked baggage. Protect them against short circuits and accidental damage. If a cabin bag is taken for checking at the gate, remove the power banks before handing it over. Plan their location while packing, rather than discovering that they are in a suitcase already being loaded.

Air China and China Eastern currently prohibit using a power bank to charge another device onboard, charging the power bank from aircraft power, and placing it in an overhead bin. Keep its switch off if it has one. Their instructions provide for stowage under the seat or in a designated location such as the seat-back pocket; follow the crew's directions for your seat.

Have your phone charged before boarding and keep the power bank accessible without connecting it. If a unit becomes hot, swells or emits smoke during the journey, alert cabin crew promptly. A packing checklist helps you prepare; it does not replace the crew's response to an actual battery incident.

Keep a dated check record

Use the China domestic-flight power bank checklist to record each bank's label, 3C inspection, recall check and condition alongside the trip date. Enter the original Wh value, or mAh/Ah with the matching nominal voltage. Add every bank carried by that person so the total is checked as well.

The result separates items that cannot be carried under the selected conditions from items that still need checking. Copy or export the CSV to keep the inputs and outstanding checks together. “Recorded” means the entries have been completed consistently; it is not an airline approval or a security clearance. Leave unknown answers unknown until you have the information.

The tool's current rule snapshot covers travel dates from 4 August through 31 December 2026. Those are the dates covered by this check, not the start and end of China's 3C requirement. IATA's 2027 provisions change the treatment of power banks above 100 Wh, so do not carry a 2026 approval assumption into a later trip. Recheck the operating airline when the date, flight or power bank changes.