Charging Forklift Batteries: A Complete Guide

April 16, 2025 | Categories: Blogs, OSHA, Batteries, Chargers, Efficiency, Management, Safety

While charging forklift batteries isn’t a particularly complicated process, it’s a crucial task for keeping your operation running smoothly — and many businesses make key mistakes that lead to poor throughput, early battery replacement, and unnecessary hazards for workers.

In this article, we’ll explain how to charge lead-acid forklift batteries the right way. We’ll also provide a few checklists to help you build better processes and keep your battery charging areas well outfitted in both single-shift operations and multi-shift operations.

Visually Inspect Forklift Batteries Before Charging

Routine maintenance ensures your electric forklift batteries perform optimally, which leads to less downtime (and less frequent replacements). Given that the cost of an electric forklift battery is often comparable to the cost of the forklift itself, you want to protect your investment.

That process starts with routine inspections, which should be performed every time the battery is charged, watered, cleaned, or handled.

Visual inspections should include the following checks:

Charger cables are not damaged, cracked, or frayed.
The battery case does not show signs of damage such as cracks or leaks.
Battery connectors are clean and fastened securely.
Vent caps are in place and secure.
There are no signs of corrosion on positive terminals, negative terminals, or connectors.

Operators, don’t skip visual inspections! A damaged cable or connector can cause huge efficiency issues that reduce battery performance over time, so make sure you’re working with appropriate equipment.

We also recommend investing in Cable Retractors to protect cables and keep them out of the way when they’re not in use.

The Battery Charging Process, Step By Step

The basic process for charging a battery is simple:

Wear appropriate safety gear.
Disconnect the battery from the forklift.
Connect the charging cable and start the charge.
Charge to an appropriate level and stop the charge.
Water the battery, if necessary.
Reconnect the battery to the forklift.

Below, we’ll explain a bit more about each step.

1. Wear Appropriate Safety Gear.

In addition to a quick visual inspection (see above), operators should don personal protective equipment (PPE) including gloves and eye protection to prevent chemical burns. They should also remove any metal jewelry.

Lead-acid batteries should be charged in a designated, well-ventilated area that can dissipate the fumes from gassing batteries. Workers should have fast access to spill response supplies for dealing with boilovers (including additional protective equipment for cleaning sulfuric acid). OSHA also requires appropriate emergency stations such as Emergency Eyewash Stations and Emergency Showers.

2. Disconnect the Battery Cable.

Disconnect the battery cable on the forklift side. Don’t pull on the wires — that puts unnecessary stress on the connection. Most forklifts have a lever or a similar mechanism that allows the cable to pop out.

Batteries may be removed prior to charging, either with an Operator Aboard Battery Extractor, a Mobile Battery Extractor, a Gantry Crane, or a similar system. Learn about battery extractor systems from BHS.

3. Connect the Charging Cable.

With some conventional chargers, the connection will start the charge automatically after a brief countdown. Other forklift battery chargers must be manually activated.

Note that forklift batteries should be charged when they reach a 20-30% discharge. This “red zone" is the ideal time for charging; below this number, batteries may overheat or sulfation buildup may occur on the positive and negative plates. These issues greatly reduce the lifespan of the battery.

4. Charge to an Appropriate Level.

Electric forklift batteries should be charged until they’re full to maximize battery life. Lead-acid batteries have a limited number of charge cycles, so if you interrupt the charge, you’re wasting a cycle. This is even true for fast charging and opportunity charging; the higher charge rates of opportunity charging operations don’t magically add more cycles to the battery’s operating lifespan. Learn more about fast charging and opportunity charging.

Occasionally, it’s necessary to perform an equalization charge, a purposeful overcharge that equalizes the power capacities across the battery’s cells. Only perform an equalization charge if you’ve measured the specific gravity with a hydrometer.

Standard forklift batteries, fully charged, should usually have an ideal specific gravity of 1.285 for optimal performance (check with your battery’s manufacturer to confirm this number). If specific gravity differs from one cell to another, an equalization charge may be necessary.

5. Water The Battery, If Necessary.

We’re focusing on charging in this article, not on other forms of routine maintenance. However, one important point: Batteries should never be watered before or during a charge. While watering is crucial, boilovers present a significant hazard, particularly for operations that utilize opportunity charging.

Make sure battery electrolyte levels are within the manufacturer’s recommended range after the charging process. Batteries should be watered every 5-10 charges, and water levels should be checked at least once per week if forklifts are used regularly. To learn more about water levels and their impact on electric forklift battery health, read: Watering Forklift Batteries: The Complete Guide for Battery Room Operators

6. Reconnect the Battery to the Forklift.

At this point, you’re ready to get the forklift back out on the floor. Make sure to follow the best practices of forklift battery maintenance, which include regular washing, watering, and occasional equalization charges to maintain battery health.

Battery Room Outfitting: Meeting OSHA Regulations

Electric forklift battery handling causes a small percentage of injuries each year, but those injuries can be severe. Acid spills, falling equipment, and trip-and-fall hazards must be minimized, so it’s no surprise that OSHA has quite a few rules for employers.

Those regulations are slightly outside of the scope of this article, but we’ve provided comprehensive information to help managers meet their legal obligations:

Building a Forklift Charger Station: Outfitting Tips

BHS helps businesses build charger stations that enforce best practices — while keeping lift trucks on the floor. In addition to our range of battery extractors, we’ve engineered Charger Stands and heavy-duty System Stands to help your operation manage change-outs while optimizing space in the battery room.

Battery Charger Stands:

Single Tier Charger Stands provide robust support for smaller battery rooms. These stands, constructed from durable steel, can reliably hold up to 800 pounds (or 1,200 pounds for the CS-72 model).
BHS Multi-Tier Charger Stands (CS-Multi) are designed to maximize storage capacity by stacking forklift battery chargers vertically, increasing charging capacity without requiring additional floor space.
BHS System Stands are optimized for use with Operator Aboard Battery Extractors and Battery Carriage Systems. They feature poly-roller battery beds for quick and safe change-outs, integrated charger stands to streamline charging, and spark-proof rollers to enhance product longevity and reduce maintenance.

Cable Management Equipment:

The Universal Forklift Charger Stands allows you to mount chargers back-to-back, side-by-side, or vertically, giving you the flexibility to configure your charging setup according to your needs.
The Vertical Charger Mount (VCM) securely attaches to a Charger Stand or racking, allowing you to position chargers strategically throughout your facility.
The Cable Retractor (CR-1) is a dedicated cable management tool that keeps cables off of the floor, extending cable life and keeping travel paths free from obstructions.

Our sales team can create tailored solutions for your operation. From basic charger stands to advanced Operator Aboard Battery Extractors, we help you maximize throughput and floorspace.

Contact our sales team at 1.800.247.9500 to get started.