What is CPSC — Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA), and does it apply to your product?

If you're importing or reselling children's products, toys, furniture, or almost anything consumers use at home, CPSIA is the law that determines whether your product can legally enter the US market. It's enforced by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), and it applies regardless of whether you're a manufacturer, importer, or a marketplace seller listing under your own brand.

**The core restrictions**

CPSIA sets hard limits on lead and phthalates:

- **Lead in paint or coatings:** capped at 90 ppm

- **Lead in the substrate** (the base material itself): capped at 100 ppm

- **Phthalates** — DEHP, DBP, BBP, DINP, DCHP, and DIBP — are each capped at 1,000 ppm, with DEHP specifically regulated in children's toys

These limits apply whether the lead or phthalates are in the plastic, the paint, a zipper pull, a snap, or a decorative trim. Small components count.

**What documentation you actually need**

- A test report from a CPSC-Accepted third-party lab (not just any lab — it has to be on the CPSC's accepted list)

- A **General Conformity Certificate (GCC)** if your product is not intended for children

- A **Children's Product Certificate (CPC)** if it is intended for children under 12

- A tracking label on both the product and its packaging

- A written recall plan, in case something needs to come off the market later

**Does it apply to you?**

If you're sourcing overseas — especially from factories that haven't given you lab paperwork — assume CPSIA applies until proven otherwise. This covers toys, children's furniture, jewelry, apparel with hardware, and many general home goods. "It