Skip to content
Echo Autoparts – home

Battery Guides

DIN and EN Battery Sizes: LN and LBN Guide

European starter battery sizes LN0 to LN6 and LBN1 to LBN5, B13 bottom hold-downs, terminal layouts 0 and 1, and how DIN and ETN battery numbers are built.

·

European vehicles, and a growing number of Japanese and other Asian-brand vehicles, use starter batteries sized to the European standard series. The case sizes are known as LN0 to LN6 for standard-height batteries and LBN1 to LBN5 for low-base batteries, and the batteries themselves are identified by DIN numbers or nine-digit ETN numbers. This guide explains the dimensions behind those designations, how European batteries are held down, how terminal layouts are numbered and what the numbers on the label mean. For the practical differences between European and Japanese batteries, see JIS vs DIN automotive batteries.

Which standards apply

  • EN 50342-2:2019 covers dimensions and terminal marking of 12 V lead-acid starter batteries for passenger cars and light commercial vehicles. It replaced EN 50342-2:2007 and its amendment. Batteries in its scope are fastened either by ledges around the base of the container or by a hold-down that engages the lid.
  • IEC 60095-2:2021 is the international equivalent. It contains dimension tables for European, East Asian and North American batteries, and states that new European battery developments should use only the recommended LN series.
  • EN 50342-4 covers dimensions of batteries for heavy commercial vehicles.
  • EN 50342-1 sets the general requirements and test methods, including the cold cranking test behind the EN current rating.

In Japan, the Battery Association of Japan has also standardised LN-size batteries for Japanese vehicles in SBA S 0102, so LN sizes now appear on some Japanese models as well.

LN case sizes

All LN batteries share a 175 mm width and a 190 mm overall height; only the length changes. IEC 60095-2:2021 gives the following main dimensions:

Size Length at base, with ledges (mm) Length at lid (mm) Width (mm) Overall height (mm)
LN0 175 175 175 190
LN1 207 207 175 190
LN2 242 242 175 190
LN3 278 277 175 190
LN4 315 314 175 190
LN5 353 352 175 190
LN6 394 393 175 190

The standard's dimensions carry negative tolerances (for example +0/−3 mm on height), so these are maximum values. Catalogues round them slightly differently: Exide, for example, lists its L06 batteries at 392 mm.

LBN low-base sizes

Low-base batteries keep the same length and width as the corresponding LN size but are 175 mm high, for vehicles with limited height under the hood or floor.

Size Length × width × height (mm) Published by
LBN1 207 × 175 × 175 Varta, Exide
LBN2 242 × 175 × 175 Varta, Exide
LBN3 278 × 175 × 175 Varta, Exide
LBN4 315 × 175 × 175 Varta, Exide
LBN5 353 × 175 × 175 Exide

An LBN battery fits where an LN battery of the same number fits, provided the hold-down reaches. An LN battery does not necessarily fit an LBN location.

Alternative names for the same sizes

Different catalogues use different labels for identical cases:

EN series Varta labels Exide labels Nearest BCI group (BCI cross-reference)
LN0 H3 L00 153R
LN1 H4 L01 140R
LN2 H5 L02 47
LN3 H6 L03 48
LN4 H7 L04 94R
LN5 H8 L05 49
LN6 H9 L06 95R
LBN2 T5 LB2 90
LBN3 T6 LB3 91
LBN4 T7 LB4 92

The Battery Council International (BCI) describes its DIN/EN cross-reference as a best-fit estimate rather than an exact equivalence, so confirm hold-down and terminal details before substituting a BCI group battery.

Bottom hold-down: B13 and related codes

Most European passenger car batteries are clamped at the base. A ledge moulded around the bottom of the case is held by a clamp on the battery tray, which keeps the top of the battery clear. Catalogues describe the ledge with a B-code:

Code Description (from manufacturer and BCI technical data)
B0 / B00 No base ledge
B1 10.5 mm high ledge on the long sides only
B3 10.5 mm high ledge with notches on the sides and ends (BCI description)
B4 19.0 mm high ledge on the long sides only
B13 10.5 mm high ledge on all four sides

B13 is the ledge used on standard LN and LBN batteries in the Varta and Exide ranges. These codes are an industry catalogue convention; check the drawing when a vehicle uses an unusual clamp. A battery with the right dimensions but the wrong ledge cannot be secured properly, and an unsecured battery is exposed to vibration damage and short circuits.

European heavy commercial batteries differ: Exide's truck ranges, for example, are listed with no base ledge (B0) and are secured by frames or straps.

Terminal layout: 0, 1, 3 and 4

European catalogues number the terminal arrangement. The drawings published by ZVEI, the German electrical industry association, show the battery from above with the terminals along the long side nearest the viewer:

Layout Arrangement Notes
0 Positive terminal on the right, negative on the left The arrangement of most LN and LBN types in the Varta range
1 Positive terminal on the left, negative on the right Reversed variants, often marked R in the size name (Varta lists H5R/LN2R as layout 1)
3 Both terminals at one short end, positive at the far corner Commercial vehicle batteries
4 Both terminals at one short end, negative at the far corner Commercial vehicle batteries

Layout 0 corresponds to the JIS L arrangement. Varta's catalogue, for example, lists D31L as layout 0 and D31R as layout 1. See the battery terminal layout guide for more.

ZVEI's guidance lists a different terminal layout as a cause of damage to the vehicle's electrical system, and notes that the positive and negative posts have different diameters to prevent the cables being swapped.

Terminal posts

Standard European batteries use tapered round posts. IEC 60095-2:2021 specifies a positive post diameter of 19.5 mm and a negative post diameter of 17.9 mm, measured at the base, with a 1:9 taper and a nominal post height of 18 mm. Catalogues call this terminal type 1. Thin posts (type 3, positive 14.7 mm and negative 13.1 mm in Varta's legend) appear on JIS-size batteries listed in the same catalogues.

DIN numbers and ETN numbers

European batteries have long been identified by a German DIN type number, later extended into the nine-digit European Type Number (ETN). ZVEI's guidance leaflet on the ETN explains the structure using the example 536 046 030:

Group Example Meaning
A: voltage and capacity 536 12 V, 36 Ah. For 12 V batteries, 501 to 799 represent 1 to 299 Ah; for 6 V batteries, 001 to 499 represent 1 to 499 Ah
B: type variant 046 A running number covering dimensions, layout, ledge and other features. It has no meaning on its own and must be read with group A
C: cold cranking current 030 EN cold cranking current divided by 10, so 030 means 300 A

In practice:

  • A 12 V ETN starting with 5 is below 100 Ah, 6 is 100 to 199 Ah and 7 is 200 to 299 Ah. A 574 battery is 74 Ah; a 680 battery is 180 Ah.
  • The old five-digit DIN number is groups A and B without the leading zero of group B. ZVEI's example is DIN 536 46, which becomes ETN 536 046 030.
  • Group B starts with 0 for batteries that already had a DIN number and with 1 for types added later; ZVEI also notes that 9 was used for maintenance-free batteries with immobilised electrolyte.
  • The cranking figure in group C is an EN value. It cannot be compared directly with a JIS or SAE rating. See how to select a battery by Ah and CCA.

Because group B is not self-describing, two batteries with the same capacity and cranking current can still differ in layout or ledge. Quote the full number, not just the first three digits.

Heavy commercial vehicle sizes

European trucks and buses use larger boxes with terminals at one end (layout 3 or 4). Exide's range, for example, uses three main boxes:

Exide box Length × width × height (mm) Capacities listed in that box
D04 513 × 189 × 223 120 to 152 Ah
D05 513 × 223 × 223 155 to 185 Ah
D06 518 × 279 × 240 (some types 518 × 274 × 240) 210 to 240 Ah

Other manufacturers list similar but not identical dimensions for the largest box, so check width and height against the battery carrier. For 24 V systems and truck-specific selection, see the truck battery selection guide and truck and bus batteries.

Specifying a European battery

For each line, give the ETN or DIN number, the case size (for example LN3 or LBN3), layout, ledge code, technology and EN cold cranking current. For start-stop vehicles, state EFB or AGM explicitly; see EFB batteries and AGM batteries. Browse DIN and EN batteries or send the list through the battery requirement form.

References

Request a wholesale quote

Upload a parts list or add items to your RFQ. Our team validates part numbers and applications before quoting FOB, CFR or CIF.

Upload parts listView RFQ list