China: Updated safety standards for toys

 

China has recently published several safety standards for toys, these are:

• National Standard of the P.R.C., Safety of Toys -Part 1: Basic code (available HERE)
• National Standard of the P.R.C., Safety of Toys -Part 2: Safety of toys – Part 2: Mechanical and physical properties (available HERE)
• National Standard of the P.R.C., Safety of Toy-Part 3: Flammability (available HERE)
• National Standard of the P.R.C., Safety of  toys —Part  4:  Migration of certain elements (available HERE)

The first one specifies basic safety requirements for toys, including mechanical and physical properties, explosion and flammability properties, chemical properties, electrical properties, hygiene requirements, radiation properties, and labeling requirements. It applies to all toys (including trial and free gifts), which are any products or materials designed or clearly intended for use in play by children under 14 years of age, as well as to products intended for use by children under 14 years of age that are not specifically designed for play but have play values.

The second one specifies mechanical and physical safety requirements for toys, including acceptable criteria for structural characteristics of toys, such as shape, size, contour, spacing as well as parameter requirements for the performance of certain toys.  It applies to all toys (including trial and free gifts), which are any products or materials designed or clearly intended for use in play by children under 14 years of age, as well as products not specifically designed for play but having play values and intended for use by children under 14 years of age.

The third one specifies the categories of flammable materials that are prohibited in all toys, and requirements concerning flammability of certain toys that may come into contact with small source of ignition.

The fourth one specifies maximum acceptable levels and methods of sampling, extraction and determination for the migration of the elements antimony, arsenic, barium, cadmium, chromium, lead, mercury and selenium from toy materials and from parts of toys.

Maximum acceptable levels are specified for the migration of the elements from the following toy materials:

— coatings of paints, varnishes, lacquers, printing inks, polymers and similar coatings;

— polymeric and similar material, including laminates, whether textile-reinforced or not, but excluding other textiles and non-woven textiles;

— paper and paperboard;

— natural, artificial or synthetic textiles;

— glass/ceramic/metallic materials;

— other materials, whether mass-coloured or not (e.g. wood, fibreboard, hardboard, bone and leather);

— materials intended to leave a trace (e.g. the graphite materials in pencils and liquid ink in pens);

— pliable modelling materials, including modelling clays and gels;

— paints to be used as such in the toy, including finger paints, varnishes, lacquers, glazing powders and similar material in solid or liquid form.

The requirements in this document apply to the following toys and toy components and toy materials:

— all intended food and oral contact toys, cosmetic toys and writing instruments categorized as toys, irrespective of any age grading or recommended age labelling;

— all toys intended for or suitable for children under 72 months of age;

— accessible coatings, irrespective of any age grading or recommended age labelling;

— accessible liquids, pastes, gels (e.g. liquid paints, modelling compounds), irrespective of any age grading or recommended age labelling.

Packaging materials are not included, unless they are intended to be kept, e.g. boxes, containers, or unless they are part of the toy or designed to have play value.

To find out more about regulatory requirements for toys in China and worldwide, please contact the Product Compliance Institute directly.