BR3032

Graphite-fluoride lithium coin cells

Panasonic's Japanese industrial catalog titles the BR series as graphite-fluoride lithium (フッ化黒鉛リチウム). The English coin-cell introduction draws the practical distinction: the CR line, with a manganese dioxide cathode, is the one described for low-temperature behaviour, and the BR line is the one described for holding its charge in storage. Both are nominal 3 V. Where the size code matches, the outline matches. Panasonic's September 2022 table lists BR2032 at 20.0 mm by 3.2 mm, the same nominal outline as CR2032, and a nominal capacity of 200 mAh at a continuous drain of 0.03 mA. That drain is much lighter than the 0.2 mA continuous rating Panasonic prints for CR2032.

Renata's interchange chart prints 'CR/BR2032' in the Energizer column of the CR2032 row, so the trade treats them as the same socket. They are the same socket. They are not the same cell. A key fob that pulses a transmitter was almost always designed around CR. A memory-backup or a long-life clock that says BR on the old cell is asking for the lower-drain chemistry. If you can still buy the BR part, fit the BR part. Fitting CR into a BR socket will usually power the device; it is not a claim that calendar life will match.