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LetterAgent sells Canada-only Xpresspost labels for parcels up to 5 kg: it does not pack, palletize, or book freight, so heavy tool shipments are outside its service. The general answer is yes, you can ship power tools. The battery, not the tool, decides the rules. Removable lithium-ion packs must travel within carrier watt-hour limits with short-circuit protection; loose cells face the strictest rules; bare tool bodies ship as ordinary goods.
The steel, plastic, and motor of a drill or circular saw are just hard goods. Nothing about a bare tool body is dangerous to a carrier. The battery is the entire decision. Carriers sort batteries into three situations, from most relaxed to strictest:
| What is in the box | How carriers treat it |
|---|---|
| Tool body only, no battery | Ordinary hard goods: cushion it and ship it. Nothing to declare. |
| Battery pack attached to the tool | The most accepted battery case. Terminals are protected by the connection itself, so packs installed in equipment are permitted by most carriers within watt-hour limits. |
| Battery pack removed, packed in the same box | Stricter: each pack must be individually protected against short circuits (terminals taped or capped), watt-hour limits still apply, and some services restrict these. |
| Loose lithium-ion cells, no tool and no pack housing | The strictest category. Exposed cells (like unwrapped cylindrical cells) are restricted or refused by many services, and metal terminals must never be able to touch each other or other metal in transit. |
| Old NiCad or NiMH packs | Generally handled more leniently than lithium-ion for shipping. (The cadmium in NiCad cells is a disposal concern, not a shipping one.) |
The watt-hour (Wh) rating is the number that matters, and it is usually printed on the pack itself. If the label has worn off, you can work it out from the two numbers that are stamped on every pack: volts times amp-hours gives watt-hours. Carriers and postal services set per-package watt-hour ceilings for lithium-ion packs, so knowing the number before you go to the counter saves you a rejected parcel.
A pack shipped separately from its tool needs its terminals protected: a strip of electrical tape over the contacts, or the plastic caps the pack shipped with. The goal is simple physics: nothing conductive may bridge the terminals in transit, because a shorted lithium-ion cell can heat rapidly. Pack each battery in its own bag or box so packs cannot knock against each other.
Air services are stricter than ground on lithium batteries, with dangerous-goods paperwork for many battery shipments. If a tool can go by ground in your timeframe, ground is the calmer choice for anything battery-powered.
Yes, and this is the mistake people actually make. A tool shipped with its battery inserted can switch on when a box gets squeezed in a sorting machine, and a running tool drains the battery, chews through packaging, and can start a fire. Either remove the battery before packing or engage the trigger lock (most cordless tools have one), and never ship a tool loose in a box where shifting cargo can press the trigger.
Pack the body like any heavy hard good: it is dense, it has sharp edges, and it will find the weak corner of any box. Wrap blades and chucks so they cannot cut through the box wall. Use a box rated for the weight, with the tool in the center surrounded by cushioning on all sides, and tape every seam with packing tape rather than masking tape. Remove any fuel (from gas tools) completely; a tank that "looks empty" still carries fumes and residue that carriers treat as hazardous.
Canada Post, like most carriers, draws the line at the battery: batteries installed in a device are treated more permissively than loose batteries, and loose lithium-ion cells face the tightest restrictions. Anything that cannot fly ground must go by ground where ground is available, and items the carrier classifies as dangerous goods need a service that accepts dangerous goods, which standard parcel services are not. If you are shipping within Canada, a single drill plus one attached pack often fits the small-parcel profile; a full kit with spare packs, a charger, and a second tool gets heavy fast and is a better fit for a courier or freight service than for a 5 kg label.
Ready to ship it? Get a shipping label with LetterAgent: describe it to your AI assistant, approve the exact quoted price, and get your label.
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