Battery Marking

Battery Marking

Performance
The performance of a car battery is normally expressed as follows:
- Cold cranking amperes, CCA.
- Reserve capacity, RC.
- Capacity, C20 (in certain cases).

Recommended charge current

The cold cranking amperes according to the SAE and DIN norms and the corresponding capacity and recommended charge current are shown in the table below







Cold cranking amperes according to the DIN norm and the corresponding capacity and recommended constant charge current







Volvo battery labels

American labels







1. The nominal terminal voltage of the battery (12 V)*
2. Capacity (60 Ah)
3. Cold cranking amperes, CCA (550 A)
4. Reserve capacity, RC (100 min)
5. Volvo part number (9459947).

* 12 V is the nominal terminal voltage. This means that the battery has a stand-by voltage of 12.72 V when fully charged. Note that a battery with a stand-by voltage of 12 V is only charged to approximately 35% of capacity.

Cold cranking amperes
A measurement of the ability of the battery to start the car. The cold cranking amperage is expressed as a CCA value. Volvo batteries are usually marked with a CCA value according to the SAE norm. The cold cranking amperes according to the SAE norm is defined as the current that a fully charged battery can supply at a temperature of -17.8°C (0°F) for 30 seconds without the voltage dropping below 7.2 V. The higher the cold cranking amperes value, the better the starting capacity of the battery. In certain markets the batteries are marked according to the DIN norm.


Reserve capacity, RC
The reserve capacity, RC, is measured in minutes and is, according to the SAE norm, the time taken to discharge a fully charged battery at 25 A to a voltage of 10.5 V at a temperature of +25°C (+77°F). The reserve capacity is the length of time the battery is able to supply necessary components with current when the generator (GEN) in the car is not functioning. Volvo batteries are marked with the RC value according to the SAE norm.

Capacity
The capacity is the ability of a fully charged battery to provide a constant current over a certain time and is given in ampere-hours (Ah). The time taken to discharge depends on the intended use of the battery. For starter batteries one refers to 20 hours capacity (K20). This refers to the amount of current the battery can provide over 20 hours at an ambient temperature of +25°C (+77°F) without the pole voltage falling below 10.5 V. Example: A battery with a listed capacity of 70 Ah should be able to provide a current of a maximum 3.5 A (3.5A x 20h = 70 Ah) for 20 hours.