What does plates mean in battery? What is plate in battery?

​What does plates mean in battery? “Plates” refers to the number of internal lead plates within the cells of a battery. The larger the number of plates, the larger the battery power capacity. Also, as the number of plates increases, the size of the battery increases and its strength increases.

The term plates in reference to a lead acid car battery is only used in Ghana (and probably in Nigeria) by automotive electricians and spare parts dealers. You will not find it shown on the website of any auto battery manufacturer. You will not find it written in any car manual or on any battery label. (If you find “plates” specified on a battery, you can be quite certain that someone printed the label locally and just stuck it on the battery).

A recent survey of automotive batteries available on the local market (aka Abossey Okai in the Accra Metropolitan area) includes products such as

• Med Energy Battery (Italy)
• Amaron Battery
• Bosch Battery,
• Boliden Battery
• MF Car Battery,
• Platinum Car Battery,
• Atlas Batteries,
• Aokly Battery,
• Tech Batteries
• AGS Battery etc.

None of the above brands show the number of auto car battery “plates” anywhere on their labels.

How do you check a battery plate?

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So how do you check a battery plate?

It is not possible to physically count the internal plates of a battery when you are trying to buy one. So auto electricians, mechanics and battery retailers have adopted certain unspoken rules and naming conventions using specifications written on the label of every lead acid battery.

All models within this range should have a similar performance. All battery manufacturers list three specifications on their labels which you can easily find and read for yourself:

1. Voltage
2. Ampere Hour (AH)
3. Cold Cranking Amps (EN/CCA)

The term 15 plates is used to describe the range of car batteries that fall within the following specifications.

• Voltage: 12V
• Ampere Hour: Between 70Ah to 80Ah
• Cold Cranking Amps: Between 540Amps and 700Amps

The most important specification for cold climates is the cold cranking amps. It shows the ability of a battery to start when the engine is cold. The most important of these specifications for a warm climate is the ampere hour (AH). The bigger the ampere hour rating, the more electrical components (e.g. air conditioning) the battery can handle.

A battery with an ampere hour specification between 70Ah and 80Ah is called 15 plates. An example of the specification found on a quality car battery model would be 12V, 72Ah Car Battery and 600A(EN).

There are two shapes of 15 plates car battery the FLAT 15 plates battery (also known as Group 27 or D31) 

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and the BLOCK TYPE 15 plates car battery (also known as Group 24F).

Is 15 plates car battery good?

Is 15 plates car battery good? Yes, if it is the same or better than the original battery fitted by the carmaker. You can use this size of battery for cars with large petrol engines, most saloon vehicles and most petrol engine SUVs. You can also install a 15 plates battery for diesel engine saloon vehicles.

There are many exceptions to this, e.g. Honda Civic, Honda CRV, Toyota Yaris. These car manufacturers design the battery compartment for smaller batteries. Their original batteries are in the 13 plates and 11 plates range. Don’t feel pressured into changing to a larger size battery. A good quality battery of this smaller size will still last a long time.

What are the different car battery sizes?

In Ghana, we have adopted (invented) the naming convention of battery plates. Plates are only in odd number so you can have the following range of battery sizes:

• 9 plates
• 11 plates
• 13 plates
• 15 plates
• 17 plates
• 19 plates, etc

Which car battery is the best in Ghana?

We can only speak to the batteries we handle. We carefully test and source the strongest brands of battery from all over the world.

We also:

• Provide free battery installation
• Check your alternator
• Offer a wide range of batteries
• Battery Delivery
• Battery Maintenance
• Advance Payment through Mobile Money or Cash on Delivery Service
• Warranty on all batteries sold

Contact us for our current battery price.