Tool
Power Bank Flight Check
Power banks are sold in milliamp-hours and regulated in watt-hours. This converts one into the other with the arithmetic on screen, so you can do it yourself next time without the page.
Power Bank Flight Check
Convert the number on the bank into the number airlines use
Capacity on the bank
How many banks are you carrying
The arithmetic, printed
Wh = mAh ÷ 1000 × 3.7
10,000 ÷ 1000 × 3.7 = 37 Wh per bank.
1 bank × 37 Wh = 37 Wh carried in total.
Each bank is well below the commonly published 100 Wh figure.
Before you pack it
- Lithium power banks go in carry-on baggage. Never in checked baggage.
- The 100 Wh figure and the rules around it are published by the FAA and by each airline. This tool does the arithmetic and nothing else.
- “Flight-safe” and “TSA approved” in a product listing are seller claims. Neither the TSA nor the FAA approves individual power bank models.
- Check with your own carrier before you travel. This site does not tell you that any particular bank will be permitted, because that is not a decision it can make.
- Do not pack or charge a bank that is swollen, punctured, wet, or hot to the touch.
The capacities in our own data, converted
| Nameplate capacity | Watt-hours at 3.7V | Against the 100 Wh figure |
|---|---|---|
| 5,000 mAh | 18.5 Wh | Well below it |
| 10,000 mAh | 37 Wh | Well below it |
| 25,000 mAh | 92.5 Wh | Below it, but not by a wide margin |
These are conversions of the nameplate figures in our own product data. They are arithmetic, not permission: what any particular airline allows on any particular flight is published by that airline.
Why 3.7 and not 5
The 3.7 volt figure is the nominal voltage of the cells inside the pack, and it is the voltage that describes the energy stored. Five volts is what comes out of the port after conversion, which is a different question and a smaller number of watt-hours once the conversion losses are counted. Using 5 would overstate the stored energy, which is the opposite of useful when the whole point is to compare against a published threshold.