CR1220 vs CR1216
The CR1220 and CR1216 are the two most common members of the 12.5 mm lithium coin family, both 3 volts. The CR1220 is 2.0 mm tall with 35 to 40 mAh; the CR1216 is 1.6 mm with about 25. Slim devices are built around one height, and 0.4 mm decides whether a cover closes.
| CR1220 | CR1216 | |
|---|---|---|
| Chemistry | Lithium manganese dioxide (Li/MnO2) | Lithium manganese dioxide (Li/MnO2) |
| Voltage | 3 V | 3 V |
| Diameter | 12.5 mm | 12.5 mm |
| Height | 2 mm | 1.6 mm |
| Capacity | 35-40 mAh | 25 mAh |
| Also sold as | DL1220, ECR1220, BR1220 (wide-temp variant), 5012LC | DL1216, ECR1216, BR1216 (wide-temp variant) |
At this scale the height gap matters proportionally more than it does for larger coins: 0.4 mm is a quarter of the CR1216's total thickness. Thin car remotes, slim watch modules and shelf-label electronics that specify the CR1216 usually have no headroom at all, and a CR1220 will bulge the housing or crack a snap-fit cover. Devices built for the CR1220 mostly reject the thinner cell too, though holders with firm spring contacts sometimes hold a CR1216 acceptably in an emergency.
Capacity follows thickness. The CR1220's roughly 38 mAh against 25 translates to visibly longer service in remotes and backup circuits, which is why designers only choose the CR1216 when the last half millimeter genuinely matters. There is also a CR1225 above both, at 2.5 mm and 50 mAh, completing a three-step family in one diameter.
These sizes also attract a naming hazard: the similar-sounding CR1620 and CR1616 are 16 mm cells and entirely different batteries. Read codes as diameter plus height (12-20, 12-16) and no near-miss purchase survives the checkout.