LR vs SR batteries
IEC 60086 prefixes: L is alkaline, S is silver oxide, R is round. The number that follows is the size, so LR44 and SR44 differ only in chemistry.
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These are not battery names but a code system. The first letter tells you the chemistry: L for alkaline, S for silver oxide. The R means round. So an LR44 and an SR44 are the same size cell — 44 is the size — in two different chemistries. The SR costs more, holds a steadier voltage and lasts longer; the LR is cheap. Once you can read that first letter you can decode any button cell on the shelf.
- Verdict:
- L is alkaline, S is silver oxide — the number after is the size
Side by side
| Specification | LR | SR |
|---|---|---|
| First letter means | Alkaline | Silver oxide |
| Nominal voltage | 1.5 V | 1.55 V |
| Discharge curve | Slopes | Nearly flat |
| Relative capacity | Lower | Around 50% higher |
| Relative cost | Low | Three to five times more |
| Same number means | Same size | Same size |
How the code is built
IEC 60086 sets the first letter to the electrochemical system and the second to the shape. L is alkaline manganese dioxide, S is silver oxide, C is lithium manganese dioxide, P is zinc air. R is round. Everything after is dimensions.
Same number, same size
LR44 and SR44 are both 11.6 × 5.4 mm, which is why a device can take either. That is the practical payoff of the system: the number is a size, so you can substitute chemistry knowingly rather than by guesswork.
Where the trade numbers fit
Retail codes like 357, AG13 and A76 sit alongside the IEC names rather than replacing them. Where a packet gives only a trade number, the IEC code is usually printed somewhere in the small print.
The rest of the alphabet
C is lithium manganese dioxide, as in CR2032. B is lithium carbon monofluoride, as in BR2032. P is zinc air, as in the PR44 hearing aid cell. A cell with no letter at all is old-style zinc carbon. Five letters cover essentially everything on a rack.
What comes after the letters
For round cells the digits are dimensions. A two-digit number like 44 is a catalogue size you have to look up; a four-digit one like 2032 is literal, giving diameter in millimetres and thickness in tenths. The four-digit scheme is the newer and more useful of the two.
Why it is worth learning
Two letters tell you the chemistry and therefore the voltage, and the number tells you whether it fits. Between them they answer both questions a substitution raises, without needing a cross-reference table at all.
Check before you swap. Batteries with similar dimensions are not always interchangeable. Always verify voltage, chemistry and the requirements printed in your device manual before fitting a replacement.
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LR vs SR batteries: common questions
What is the difference between LR and SR?
These are not battery names but a code system. The first letter tells you the chemistry: L for alkaline, S for silver oxide. The R means round. So an LR44 and an SR44 are the same size cell — 44 is the size — in two different chemistries. The SR costs more, holds a steadier voltage and lasts longer; the LR is cheap. Once you can read that first letter you can decode any button cell on the shelf.
Which should I choose, LR or SR?
L is alkaline, S is silver oxide — the number after is the size. IEC 60086 prefixes: L is alkaline, S is silver oxide, R is round. The number that follows is the size, so LR44 and SR44 differ only in chemistry.
First letter means — how do they compare?
LR: Alkaline. SR: Silver oxide.