What is EN71 CE toy certification and how to properly apply for a test report?

Many customers still have a lot of questions about how to import toys from China to the corresponding countries, and do not understand what the product CE certification and the EN71 test report are, and what are the test contents of EN-71. Alpha science toys, as a professional China educational toy manufacturer, has accumulated a wealth of experience in manufacturing and OEM services for children's educational toys over the years and takes this opportunity to We take this opportunity to explain in detail the content of CE certification and EN-71 test report to help solve the doubts and problems.

1. Why do your country's customs require CE certification for toy testing when importing toys?

Manufacturers exporting products to Europe should determine whether their products must be CE certified to demonstrate compliance with EU health, safety, and regulatory requirements.

Many products exported to Europe require the CE mark, or "Conformité Européenne". The good news for exporters is that CE marking covers all of the European Economic Area (EEA), which includes 28 EU countries, as well as Iceland, Lichtenstein, and Norway.

Alpha science toys' CE certification experts say, "CE certification is often described as a passport to trade because it allows products to move freely in the European market.

For U.S. exporters, products that meet U.S. testing and certification requirements still need to be certified separately for compliance with EU standards. It is also important to remember that CE marking is an indicator that a product complies with EU regulations, but not proof. alpha science toys say, "If your product falls within the scope of a directive that requires CE marking, you must ensure that the product meets the applicable requirements and affix the CE mark before placing it on the market in the European Economic Area.

2. What are the safety standards for children's toys?

Many Chinese educational toy manufacturers and European and American children's toy retailers are increasingly importing children's toy products and components from around the world. In order to ensure that children can play safely, the European Union has introduced the EU Make Children's Toys Safe Directive 2009/48/EC, which aims to establish minimum safety standards related to toy characteristics, flammability, substances, documentation, etc.

The EU Children's Toy Safety Directive requires manufacturers to CE mark their products to prove that children's toys comply with these standards. Bearing the CE mark for children's toys is mandatory for sales in the EU, and manufacturers must conduct tests and present documentation to prove that they comply with the standards.

3. What countries require CE marking?

The countries that require CE marking are the 31 countries in the European Economic Area. This includes.

All 28 EU member states. Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and the UK.

Three members of the European Free Trade Association. Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway.

4. What is CE marking and En71 certification for children's toys?

EN71 is a set of European product safety standards that apply to all children's toys sold in the EU.

EN71 is also part of the CE Directive, which was introduced to ensure that all children's toys sold in the EU meet certain minimum safety standards in terms of the following factors

Mechanical properties

Noise

Flame resistance

Chemical composition

Electrical safety

Environmental Health

Radiation

To make things more complicated, the EN 71 Directive does not have one part but consists of 13 parts.

EN 71-1: Mechanical and physical properties

EN 71-2: Flammability

EN 71-3: Migration specifications for certain elements

EN 71-4: Experimental setups for chemical and related activities

EN 71-5: Chemical toys (sets) other than experimental sets

EN 71-6: Pictorial symbols for age warning labels

EN 71-7: Fingerpaints

EN 71-8: Swings, slides, and similar activity toys for indoor and outdoor home use

EN 71-9: Organic chemical compounds - Requirements

EN 71-10: Organic chemical compounds - Sample preparation and extraction

EN 71-11: Organic chemical compounds - Methods of analysis

EN 71-12: N-nitrosamines and N-nitroso substances

EN 71-13: Olfactory board games, make-up kits, and taste games

The number of EN 71 sections that apply to a particular product depends on the nature of the product.

The most important parts are EN 71 Part 1, Parts 2, and 3, so most suppliers' En71 reports only test Part 1, Parts 2, and 3.

4.1 En71 Part 1.

EN71 - Safety of children's toys

Part 1: Mechanical and physical properties

EN71-1 is concerned with the mechanical and physical elements of children's toys. In short, it examines whether any mechanical or physical properties of the toy could cause injury when played with/used by children.

This includes determining whether there are sharp points on the child's toy or whether there are parts of the child's toy that can be easily swallowed.

4.2 EN71 Part 2.

EN71-2 Flammability

The law requires ensuring that children's toys and dress-up clothes are tested by EN71 Part 2 "Flammability". This is required in the Children's Toys Directive 2009/48/EC.

EN71-2 regulations look at several different factors that can lead to injury to children due to flammability. These factors include determining the presence of any prohibited flammable materials in children's toys, the time it takes for the item to burn and the rate at which the flame spreads over it. Different types of items have different speeds that are considered to pass.

4.3 EN 71 Part 3.

EN 71-3 Migration of certain elements

Alpha science toys are tested to determine compliance with BS EN 71-3: 2013, which is the accepted standard set by the Children's Toy Safety Directive. It limits the amount of lead released (not the amount of lead), and it also identifies 18 other toxic elements that may be more harmful than lead.

The reason for analyzing all of these potentially toxic elements is to allow for the substitution of other elements for lead; for example, cadmium is more toxic than lead but cheaper. Many such examples have been reported in the United States, where lead is limited.

In June 2018, the European Committee for Standardization (CEN) published EN 71-3:2013+A3:2018, a new toy safety standard on "migration of certain elements".

The important changes in EN 71-3:2013+A3:2018 are mainly amendments to the migration limits for lead according to Directive (EU) 2017⁄738. According to this directive, the new limits will come into force on October 28, 2018.

One tests parts 1, 2, and 3, but the other just tests parts 1 and 2.

Even they just ask the lab to test 1 and 2 parts. The lab will also issue a qualified test report. But if your customer has strict requirements, then this report is useless.

6.2 Test Photos

Check out the following pictures, one of the ordered YAM TENNIS toy item and the other is a photo of the toy certification part - the appendix item.

You need to make sure that the item is really put into the Appendix Item Photo section.

6.3 Testing Elements.

The most important part is here.

Part 3 of En71 is the content of the test element.

Therefore, the report in part 3 will show if the content of the element is less than the limit.

Make sure that all elements in the report are tested and do not just show "N.R (NO require)"

Where can I import children's toys wholesale from China and provide EN71 certification?

Yiwu toy market and Shantou toy market are the two main places to import wholesale toys from China.

However, most Yiwu suppliers do not have EN71 certification, so Shantou toys are a better choice for you.

But Shantou suppliers are more likely to offer good quality children's toys so that they can be more sure that their products can pass the En71 certification.

Or, a simpler way, find a wholesale supplier of children's toys from China who can arrange for you to source quality toys.

Above, Alpha science toys explain in detail the content of CE cognition and EN-71 product testing cognition for everyone, what questions do you have

Of course, you can also choose Alpha science toys, a quality China educational toy manufacturer, that focus on children's science experiment kits production work, with 15 years of rich experience in product production and sourcing, good at a variety of children's educational toys production, design, OEM and ODM work, own products BIG BANG SCIENCE brand series sold to Our products have CE certification and EU EN-71 product report, environmental protection and non-toxic, will not have any health risks for children, excellent product quality, you can rest assured that the purchase and cooperation, Alpha science toys will be your most reliable partner in China.