A Children's Product Certificate (CPC) is a document in which the US importer or manufacturer certifies that a children's product meets all the safety rules that apply to it. It must be based on tests at a third-party lab accepted by the CPSC. Jewellery designed or intended primarily for children aged 12 and under needs one before it can be sold in the US.
The importer issues the CPC, not the lab and not the Indian factory. If you import the goods, the certificate is your responsibility.
What a CPC must contain
The CPC can be kept electronically, but it must be available to the CPSC and customs, and passed to your distributors and retailers.
- A description of the product, detailed enough to match the certificate to the goods.
- Each US safety rule the product is certified to, such as the CPSIA lead limits.
- The importer's or US manufacturer's name, address and phone number.
- Contact details for the person who keeps the test records.
- Where and when the product was made.
- Where and when it was tested, and the name of the accepted lab.
What testing sits behind it
For children's jewellery, the key mandatory test is lead: no more than 100 ppm in the substrate and 90 ppm in paint and surface coatings. Depending on the piece, other rules may apply, and many retailers also require ASTM F2923, which covers cadmium, small parts, magnets and batteries.
After the first certification, you need periodic tests on continuing production and retests when materials change.
Do not confuse the CPC with the GCC
Adult jewellery does not need a CPC. If an adult product is subject to a US safety rule, the importer issues a General Certificate of Conformity (GCC) instead, which does not always require third-party testing. The GCC here has nothing to do with the Gulf Cooperation Council.
What this means for a buyer
If any of your range could be seen as children's jewellery, plan for a CPC from the start and choose a CPSC-accepted lab. Creston & Co works for buyers only, for a fixed fee agreed in writing. We arrange testing at accepted labs, collect the production details your CPC needs and check that the bulk matches the tested sample. Start with a free sourcing review.