By far, the most popular battery sizes on the market are AA and AAA (along with lithium “coin” cells like the CR2032), and a bit further behind we find C and D batteries. Obviously, the market offers a wide variety of formats, and some are very specialized (without even getting into proprietary territory), but in the standard there seem to be strange gaps, starting with the B battery...
A Love-Hate Relationship with Batteries
Our love-hate relationship with batteries hasn't changed much in recent decades. We need lots of energy, that is portable, and fundamentally cheap, but reality tells us we always have to sacrifice at least one of these points.
The options available to us are (all things considered) satisfactory, however, deep down we wish battery technology could make that evolutionary leap that would allow it to rewrite some rules.
What Happened to B?
In fact, batteries have done that more than once, adopting and abandoning formats, establishing new standards, and gaining both capacity and stability. AA, AAA, C, and D essentially dominate the market, but a common question users ask is: What happened to B?
The Chaotic Early Days and the Birth of Standards
The early days of batteries were truly chaotic. Each manufacturer adapted its format as it saw fit, and the lack of a solid standard complicated things greatly, something the military forces learned the hard way during World War I.
That led the American Standards Association to develop a new series of battery formats in 1928, which would later be expanded and refined by its successor agency, ANSI.
The process took its time: For example, the classic AA battery became an ANSI standard in 1947, 40 years after its launch, and something similar happened with AAA (standard in 1959, created in 1911).
Why B Batteries Disappeared
The reason we don't find B batteries on the market comes down to a matter of popularity. The demand simply wasn't there, and companies redirected resources to other formats, but that doesn't mean they aren't being manufactured...
Where to Find B Cells Today
The best way to locate B cells is by opening a 3LR12 4.5-volt battery. Its measurements are 21.5 by 60 millimeters (a bit larger and thicker than the AA), and according to available information, its maximum capacity is 8350 mAh (alkaline C batteries of 26.2 x 50 have a similar capacity).
The rest of the missing letters (like A and F) followed a very similar path. A cells ended up in batteries for some laptops, and F cells in square batteries for 6-volt flashlights.
