How to Buy LR44 or AG13 Without Choosing the Wrong Cell
By PlainBattery Team
Key takeaways
- Confirm 11.6 × 5.4 mm size and the individual cell marking.
- Use silver oxide when stable voltage matters.
- Reject damaged, corroded, undersize, or poorly labeled stock.
Buying an LR44 is easy when the package states chemistry, voltage, and dimensions. Confusion starts when a listing mixes alkaline brand labels with silver oxide replacements or hides the individual cell markings.
Decode the label before comparing price
LR44, AG13, A76, 76A, and LR1154 commonly describe the 11.6 × 5.4 mm alkaline family. The Energizer A76 sheet identifies the part as IEC LR44, 1.5 V alkaline. The 357/303 sheet documents the same-size silver oxide family at 1.55 V.
| Package marking | Chemistry to expect | Best fit |
|---|---|---|
| LR44, AG13, A76, 76A | Alkaline | Toys, LEDs, simple household devices |
| SR44, 357, 303 | Silver oxide | Watches, calipers, meters, stable-voltage loads |
| LR41 or AG3 | Smaller 7.9 mm cell | Never an LR44-size substitute |
| LR1130 or AG10 | Thinner 11.6 mm cell | Never an LR44-thickness substitute |
Use the LR44 model page for aliases and SR44 vs LR44 for the chemistry decision.
Inspect the listing
Before ordering, look for photographs of the sealed retail pack and the printing on each cell. The listing should state model, chemistry, nominal voltage, pack quantity, manufacturer, and a date or traceable lot. Avoid listings that combine terms such as “LR44 357 silver oxide alkaline”; those words describe two chemical systems.
Compare unit price only after confirming chemistry. A low-cost alkaline multipack may be reasonable for toys. A silver oxide cell often makes more sense for a watch or measuring tool because its voltage remains flatter during discharge.
Run an arrival inspection
This procedure does not prove authenticity, but it catches wrong-size, damaged, discharged, or misleadingly labeled stock.
- Photograph the unopened packaging, seller label, lot marking, and expiry information.
- Confirm every loose cell carries the expected model and polarity mark.
- Measure diameter and height with calipers. LR44/A76 and SR44 should be about 11.6 × 5.4 mm.
- Reject dented, corroded, leaking, swollen, or shorted cells.
- Measure open-circuit voltage with a high-impedance meter and record the result by lot.
- Test one sample in the target device; do not mix lots or old and new cells in a series stack.
Open-circuit voltage is only a screening measurement. It cannot confirm capacity. A controlled load test is more informative, but its resistance, duration, cutoff voltage, and temperature must be recorded. The A76 datasheet’s capacity value is tied to a 7.5 kΩ continuous test at 21°C down to 0.9 V.
Diagnose an early failure
If a new cell fails quickly, check contact contamination, incorrect polarity, a thin look-alike cell, unusually high device current, and mixed cells before blaming capacity. Measure voltage both at rest and while the device operates. A cell that recovers at rest but collapses under load may have high internal resistance or may already be depleted.
For a watch, caliper, or meter that originally used 357/SR44, replace it with silver oxide. For a toy originally marked LR44/AG13/A76, alkaline remains the expected choice.
Keep button cells in child-resistant packaging and away from children. Store loose cells so their terminals cannot contact metal objects or each other.
Related charts
Review record and primary sources
Reviewed by PlainBattery Technical Review Desk on 2026-09-11. Checked: instructions and calculations, battery specifications used in examples, safety limits and linked primary references.
- Energizer A76 / IEC LR44 Product Datasheet — Energizer Holdings, EBC-4407F. LR44 identity, dimensions, voltage, capacity conditions and discharge behavior.
- Energizer 357/303 / IEC SR44 Product Datasheet — Energizer Holdings, EBC-4349C. SR44 chemistry, voltage, dimensions and low-drain performance.
Revision record: source citations and field-level review scope added September 11, 2026. See our sources and methodology and corrections policy.