CPSIA
On 14 August 2008, President George W. Bush signed landmark legislation: the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) of 2008. The Act has stated rules that define lead limits and phthalates specifically for juvenile products and requires that testing for certain juvenile products be completed and documented by accredited Third Party Testing Labs before these products may be imported to the USA.
On October 18, 2017, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) issued a final rule prohibiting children’s toys and child care articles containing more than 0.1 percent of certain phthalate chemicals.
Getting your children’s products CPSIA-compliant is crucial if you’re targeting the U.S. This involves understanding CPSIA requirements, establishing internal policies for tracking compliance, and ensuring products are tested by CPSIA-approved labs. Both manufacturers and retailers must also keep accurate and updated compliance records to provide in case of audits or investigations.
To comply with CPSIA, your products must adhere to several key regulations that cover everything from chemicals to mechanical performance. Here’s a quick overview of some areas that may apply to your product depending on the type:
- Heavy metals and chemicals: This includes testing for harmful substances like lead, cadmium, and phthalates, which are banned at unsafe levels.
- Small parts bans: Products for younger children need to be free of small, detachable parts that could pose choking dangers.
- Mechanical performance: Does your product have small parts that could pose a choking hazard? CPSIA sets strict rules to prevent such risks.
- Flammability: Products like clothing or soft toys must pass flammability tests to ensure they won’t catch fire easily.
CPSIA Testing approved labs by CPSC
Our testing lab has been accredited by the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to test toys and children’s products based on CPSC regulations as follows:
- Lead Paint: 16 CFR Part 1303
- Pacifiers: 16 CFR Part 1511
- Small Parts Rule: 16 CFR Part 1501
- Textile flammability test: 16 CFR Part 1610
- Rattle-drum: 16 CFR Part 1510
- Lead in Children’s Metal Jewelry: CPSC-CH-E1001-08
- Lead in Children’s Metal Products: CPSC-CH-E1001-08
- Lead in Children’s Non-Metal Products: CPSC-CH-E1002-08
- ASTM F963-17
Issues and resolutions
- Lead limit
- Phthalate limit
- Mandatory toy safety standard ASTM F963
- Third party testing requirement
- Tracking labels for children’s products
- GCC (General Conformity Certification)
Further Reading
- CPSIA Comprehensive Guide
- How to obtain the Children Product Certificate (CPC)
- CPSIA Tracking Label Requirements
- CPSIA for Amazon
