Choosing a Hearing Aid Battery

Types of Hearing Aids

There are a variety of hearing aids for people with different types and severity of hearing loss. There are four common types of hearing aids available:

Completely-in-the-Canal (CIC)		This is the smallest hearing aid currently available on the market. It is almost invisible in the ear.
In-the-Canal (ITC)		These are a little bigger than the CIC. ITC hearing aids fit into the ear canal and is used for mild to moderate hearing loss.
In-the-Ear (ITE)		These hearing aids are used for a wider range of hearing losses. Their larger size means they can accommodate more features such as larger sound amplifiers and a telephone coil. They are easier to handle than CIC and ITC hearing aids.
Behind-the-Ear (BHE)		BTE hearing aids sit behind the ear. These hearing aids require a custom made ear mould. A clear plastic tubing joins the BTE hearing aid to the ear mould. BTE hearing aids provide more amplification than the smaller hearing aids due to a stronger amplifier and larger battery. The Nucleus ESPrit, ESPrit 22, ESPrit 3G and Freedom cochlear implant processor is also a BTE design.

 
Common Battery Sizes

The most common hearing aid battery sizes are the 675, 312, 13 and 10.

To identify the size, manufacturers use an industry standard colour code on the packaging. A colour coded peel-off tab is also attached to the base of zinc air batteries.

Below is a summary of the various sizes and the corresponding colour codes.

		Type of Hearing Aid				BHE Cochlear Implant*
		CIC	ITC	ITE	BTE
	Size 675 Colour Coding: Blue dot				ü	ü
	Size 312 Colour Coding: Brown dot		ü	ü
	Size 13 Colour Coding: Orange dot			ü	ü
	Size 10 Colour Coding:Yellow dot	ü	ü
	Size 5 Colour Coding:Red dot	ü

* Nucleus ESPrit, ESPrit 22, ESPrit 3G and Freedom cochlear implant processor.

Check out our range of hearing aid batteries and cochlear implant batteries!

Some hearing aids do not use standard hearing aid batteries. If this is the case with your hearing aid, please email, fax or post to us the details of the battery size and hearing aid. We will try our best to to obtain the battery for you.

 
'Zinc Air' vs 'High Power Zinc Air'

In addition to the various sizes of batteries, there are also standard and high-powered batteries. This is can be confusing for hearing aid users.

Zinc air batteries are the most popular power system for hearing aids. These batteries will suit the majority of hearing aids currently available on the market.

These batteries utilise air outside the battery as a source of power and pack much more power into a cell than the mercury, silver-oxide and alkaline systems. However, the downside is they have a limited life one the air activates the battery. This is why silver-oxide batteries are used for watches.

Battery chemistries are interchangeable provided you use the correct size battery. For example it is possible to use the equivalent silver-oxide battery in a hearing aid, you will most likely receive better sound quality and battery life with zinc air batteries.

Check out our batteries for hearing aids.

High-powered zinc air batteries are specifically designed to reduce sound distortion and provide longer life in high-output hearing aids (particularly some brands of digital hearing aids) and the ESPrit cochlear implant processor. While these batteries may be used instead of standard hearing aid batteries, it does not guarantee longer life or improved loudness or clarity.

If you are not sure whether to use standard or high power batteries to use, please consult the documentation for your hearing aid. Alternatively, consult your hearing specialist.

The Nucleus ESPrit, ESPrit 22, ESPrit 3G and Freedom cochlear implant processors require high-powered zinc air batteries. However, many implantees use standard zinc air hearing aid batteries with good results - this depends very much on the implantee's map (which varies from implantee to implantee).

Check out our batteries for the cochlear implant.

 
Selecting the Right Battery

If you are not sure which battery your hearing aid uses, there are two ways of doing this:

1. Identify the numerical size on the front of the packaging. Some manufacturers include letters with the size number (eg: U675A).
   
2. Match the colour code with the peel-off tab of your current supply of batteries.

Manufacturers have different battery quality and performance, however, the battery dimensions are standardised. For example, the size 312 battery by different manufacturers should fit in hearing aids designed to use the size 13 battery.

If you are still unsure which battery size suits you, we suggest you post us an empty packet of your current batteries along with some details of your hearing aid (if possible). We will then identify the size and make a recommendation.

Use only the correct size and type battery in your hearing aid / cochlear implant. If you are not sure what size or type of battery to use, consult the documentation for your hearing aid / cochlear implant or contact your hearing professional.

Do not attempt to force a battery into your hearing aid or cochlear implant. This will result in damage. It could be the sign of an incorrect battery type or size.