US import compliance — certificate types
CPC requirements: which children's products need a certificate
A Children's Product Certificate (CPC) is the certificate of compliance for products designed or intended mainly for children 12 and under. It is backed by third-party testing at a CPSC-accepted laboratory, signed by the manufacturer or importer, and since 8 July 2026 its data must be filed electronically with CBP on every shipment.
The seven data elements on a CPC
These are the elements a certificate must carry, and the same seven are what get eFiled for each entry line (16 CFR 1110):
- Product identity (a GTIN, UPC, SKU, model or serial number, with a description)
- Each CPSC rule the product is certified against, cited by number
- The date and place of manufacture
- The manufacturer or private labeler's name, address and contact details
- The date and place of testing
- The CPSC-accepted third-party laboratory that performed the testing
- A point of contact with a name, address and contact details
Every category that takes a CPC
54 of the 80 CPSC rule categories on this site require a Children's Product Certificate. 13 of them can also take a GCC depending on who the product is for. Each entry links to the rule citations that apply.
Categories where a CPC applies to the children's version (13)
- All-terrain vehicles — CPC or GCC · 16 CFR part 1420
- Bicycle helmets — CPC or GCC · 16 CFR part 1203
- Bicycles — CPC or GCC · 16 CFR part 1512
- Button cell or coin battery — CPC or GCC · 15 U.S.C. § 2056e, 16 CFR § 1263.3, 16 CFR § 1263.4
- Clothing storage units — CPC or GCC · 16 CFR part 1261
- Dive sticks and other similar articles — CPC or GCC · 16 CFR § 1500.86(a)(7), 16 CFR § 1500.86(a)(8)
- Magnets — CPC or GCC · 16 CFR part 1262
- Mattresses and mattress pads — CPC or GCC · 16 CFR part 1632
- Mattresses and mattress sets — CPC or GCC · 16 CFR part 1633
- Paints and similar surface coatings containing lead — CPC or GCC · 16 CFR part 1303
- Toy, look-alike, and imitation firearms — CPC or GCC · 16 CFR part 1272
- Vinyl plastic film — CPC or GCC · 16 CFR part 1611
- Wearing apparel — CPC or GCC · 16 CFR part 1610
CPC only (41)
- Baby changing products — 16 CFR part 1235
- Bassinets and cradles — 16 CFR part 1218
- Bedside sleepers — 16 CFR part 1222
- Booster seats — 16 CFR part 1237
- Bunk beds (for children) — 16 CFR part 1513
- Carpets and rugs — 16 CFR part 1630
- Carriages and strollers — 16 CFR part 1227
- Children's folding chairs and stools — 16 CFR part 1232
- Children's sleepwear: sizes 0 through 6X (FF 3-71) — 16 CFR part 1615
- Children's sleepwear: sizes 7 through 14 (FF 5-74) — 16 CFR part 1616
- Children's toys (ASTM F963) — 16 CFR part 1250
- Clacker balls — 16 CFR § 1500.86(a)(5)
- Crib mattresses — 16 CFR part 1241
- Electrically operated toys or articles — 16 CFR part 1505
- Frame child carriers — 16 CFR part 1230
- Full-size cribs — 16 CFR part 1219
- Gates and enclosures — 16 CFR part 1239
- Hand-held infant carriers — 16 CFR part 1225
- High chairs — 16 CFR part 1231
- Infant bath seats — 16 CFR part 1215
- Infant bath tubs — 16 CFR part 1234
- Infant bouncer seats — 16 CFR part 1229
- Infant sleep products — 16 CFR part 1236
- Infant support cushions — 16 CFR part 1243
- Infant swings — 16 CFR part 1223
- Infant walkers — 16 CFR part 1216
- Non-full-size cribs — 16 CFR part 1220
- Nursing Pillows — 16 CFR part 1242
- Pacifiers — 16 CFR part 1511
- Phthalates — 16 CFR part 1307
- Play yards — 16 CFR part 1221
- Portable bedrails — 16 CFR part 1224
- Portable hook-on chairs — 16 CFR part 1233
- Rattles — 16 CFR part 1510
- Sling carriers — 16 CFR part 1228
- Small carpets and rugs — 16 CFR part 1631
- Small parts — 16 CFR part 1501
- Soft infant and toddler carriers — 16 CFR part 1226
- Stationary activity centers — 16 CFR part 1238
- Toddler beds — 16 CFR part 1217
- Total lead content — 15 U.S.C. § 1278a
What testing is required
Children's products must be tested by a CPSC-accepted third-party laboratory — a supplier's own internal test report is not sufficient, whatever its quality. Testing follows 16 CFR 1107, and the certificate is issued on the basis of those results. Where a rule has a periodic testing cadence, the certificate needs a continuing testing plan behind it, not a single test from 2019.
Small batch relief exists for qualifying registered small batch manufacturers on some children's product rules — check CPSC's Small Batch Manufacturer guidance before paying for a full test programme.
What happens if the paperwork is wrong
CPSC has stated it does not intend to ask CBP to deny entry solely for missing eFiled certificate data, and that ACE will initially send warnings rather than reject messages. That is not a safe harbour: an entry line's risk score is adjusted by whether certificate data was provided, compliant entries see fewer holds, and CPSC can still request seizure of non-compliant product. Read the enforcement picture →
Before you buy any testing, work out which rules apply — what CPSC testing covers and what drives the cost → · "CPSC certified": what that phrase actually means →
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a CPC or a GCC?
It turns on the intended user. A product designed or intended mainly for children 12 and under needs a Children's Product Certificate (CPC) with third-party testing by a CPSC-accepted laboratory. A general-use product needs a General Certificate of Conformity (GCC) instead. Some categories — carpets and rugs, small parts, total lead content, phthalates — appear on both lists, so the same product can need a CPC in one version and a GCC in another.
Who signs the CPC?
The manufacturer or the importer must issue the certificate. When a product is imported, the importer is responsible for issuing the CPC based on the testing results — a supplier's test report is evidence, not a certificate, and it will not satisfy the requirement on its own.
Does every shipment need the certificate data filed electronically?
Yes. Since 8 July 2026, certificate data must be eFiled with CBP through ACE on every shipment of a regulated product — the rule applies regardless of shipment value, so Section 321 de minimis consignments are caught as well. Free trade zones phase in on 8 January 2027.
How long do I keep the records?
At least five years from the date the certificate was issued (16 CFR 1110). Keep the test reports, the certificate and the supporting records together — an exam or a hold is answered with documents, not with a description of the product.
Rule data transcribed from CPSC.gov; not legal advice — review with a qualified compliance professional before filing. EntryReady is operated in Australia.