Specifications for an LR41 Battery

If you're wondering if you need an LR41 button cell battery for your electronic device, learning about the specifications of the battery can give you an idea of whether it's the right option. Generally speaking, LR41 batteries are used for small electronic devices that require a very compact power source, such as watches. Because many batteries have the same size and similar specifications, you can interchange an LR41 battery with many differently-named cells you might see on the market.

LR41s are used in a range of electronic devices, but almost exclusively in small devices with limited power needs. Devices that may use an LR41 include watches, clocks, laser pointers, interactive children's books, thermometers, digital voice recorders, glucometers, cholesterol testers and children's toys. This isn't an exhaustive list, though, and if your device takes an LR41 battery, it should be indicated in the manual or on the packaging.

It's worth noting that a device may take multiple LR41 batteries stacked one on top of the other, rather than just a single cell. This increases the voltage and power output for more energy-intensive applications.

The main LR41 battery specs you're likely to need are the voltage and capacity of the cells. The voltage of a battery tells you the difference in electrical potential between the two terminals of the battery and is expressed as a number in volts. The capacity tells you how much current it can provide for a specified period of time, expressed in milliamp hours (mAh), with milliamp meaning "one thousandth of an amp."

The LR41 voltage is 1.5 V, but for a brand new battery this can be 1.55 V or even up to 1.62 V. The capacity of an LR41 battery ranges from 25 mAh to 32 mAh, for alkaline forms of the battery and depending on the cut-off point chosen (1.2 V or 0.9 V) and the specific cell. For silver oxide versions of the battery, the capacity can range from 38 to 45 mAh.

The physical size of an LR41 battery is consistent across different cells. The battery is a circular disc-shaped cell, so its size can be expressed as a diameter (the distance from one edge of the circle to the opposite edge, passing through the center) and the height of the battery. The diameter of an LR41 battery is 7.9 mm (5/16") and the height from top to bottom is 3.6 mm (9/64"). However, this height measurement includes the button section protruding up from the center, without this the height is 3.2 mm (1/8").

LR41 batteries are alkaline batteries, but there are batteries that are similar enough to be interchangeable that use silver oxide chemistry. For most applications, the difference between these two won't be important, but silver oxide versions have larger capacities (as described in the "LR41 Voltage and Capacity" section) so these are better for devices with a higher power drain.

It's best to look for LR41 batteries that are marked with zero percent Hg, meaning that they are free from mercury. This is for safety purposes in the event of leaking.

The LR41 battery can be interchanged with a range of batteries with different names. For example, the LR41 is an AG3 battery equivalent, and can also be used interchangeably with SR41, SR41SW, 392, 392A, 192, 384, 92A, G3, GP192, V36, V36A, V3GA, LR736 and CX42 cells.