Reference guide · checked 2 September 2026
CR coin-cell codes make nominal size unusually visible. The code still needs to be read in full because cells with the same diameter can have materially different thickness and capacity.
C identifies lithium manganese dioxide and R identifies a round cell in this reference. “20” indicates a nominal 20 mm diameter. “32” indicates 3.2 mm nominal height. CR2025 is therefore 20 mm by 2.5 mm, while CR2016 is 20 mm by 1.6 mm.
The rule helps interpret a marking; it does not replace a current datasheet or dimensional tolerance.
A thinner cell may sit loosely or lose contact in a compartment designed for a thicker one. Stacking cells to make up height changes the electrical arrangement and is not an approved workaround. Use the complete code specified by the device.
A thicker cell often has more active material, but a capacity number remains product- and test-specific. Compare figures only when load, cut-off voltage and temperature are stated.
CR2016, CR2025 and CR2032 all have a nominal 20 mm diameter. Their heights are 1.6, 2.5 and 3.2 mm. The height gaps are visible in the scaled profiles and can change both compartment contact and available internal volume.
A package that says “20 mm coin cell” is therefore incomplete. The full code supplies the second dimension.
CR1616, CR1620 and CR1632 use the same 16 mm diameter with heights of 1.6, 2.0 and 3.2 mm. Notice that CR1616 and CR2016 share height while differing in diameter; CR1632 and CR2032 share height while differing in diameter.
That cross-pattern is why neither the first pair nor the final pair of digits can identify a cell alone.
DL2032 or ECR2032 may appear as manufacturer-style aliases for the CR2032 family in supported material. Alias evidence resolves identity; it does not authorise shortening the device requirement to “2032-like”.
Use the exact designation named by the device and verify current manufacturer data when a capacity, temperature range or pulse requirement matters.
Confirm the C and R letters, read all four digits and translate the final pair as tenths of a millimetre only for the applicable CR naming pattern. Compare the result with a current manufacturer dimension row. If the device names CR2025, neither a same-diameter CR2032 nor CR2016 becomes acceptable merely because it is also 3 V lithium.
Energizer Battery Cross Reference Guide
Checked 2 September 2026. Device requirements remain authoritative.