GB 6675-2025 vs EN 71 vs ASTM F963

TL;DR — Direct Answer First

There is no single "global toy certification." Each destination market enforces its own mandatory system: China (GB 6675-2025, enforceable November 1, 2026, within CCC scope) , the European Union (EN 71 under Directive 2009/48/EC + CE marking, transitioning to Regulation (EU) 2025/2509 by 2030) , and the United States (ASTM F963-23 under CPSIA, codified at 16 CFR Part 1250, with CPC certification) . The three systems overlap on fundamentals (small parts, sharp edges, heavy metals) but diverge sharply on details — and the newest Chinese edition adds requirements the other two don't have.

Key differences every buyer should know:

• GB 6675-2025 is currently the strictest on chemistry. The 2025 revision adds N-nitrosamines, formaldehyde, azo dyes, PAHs, formamide, SCCPs, VOC/TVOC release and allergenic fragrances, revises element migration and phthalates, and introduces boron limits for modelling clay and putty . China's VOC requirements are notably more explicit and demanding than those in the US or EU .

• The EU is mid-transition. Directive 2009/48/EC (with EN 71-1/-2/-3) is the current basis for CE marking; the new Toy Safety Regulation (EU) 2025/2509, adopted November 26, 2025, applies from August 1, 2030 and introduces a digital product passport for all toys .

• The US system is testing-heavy. ASTM F963-23 is mandatory for toys manufactured after April 20, 2024; third-party testing at CPSC-accepted labs plus a Children's Product Certificate (CPC) are required for toys intended for children 12 and under . The CPSC has also introduced a new water beads rule effective March 12, 2026 .

• Certification ≠ one-size-fits-all. As one compliance guide puts it: don't ask whether a supplier is "internationally certified" — ask which market, which standard, which product, and which test report.

This guide walks through each system and ends with a decision framework for selecting the right testing path — including for silicone toys (teethers, pacifier clips, bath toys), where Kean Silicone holds FDA, LFGB, EN 71 and CPSIA compliance .

GB 6675-2025 — China

Market & Scope

The GB 6675 series is China's mandatory toy safety standard, revised on October 5, 2025 and enforceable November 1, 2026, replacing the 2014 editions . It applies within the scope of China Compulsory Certification (CCC) — toys falling under CCC must comply with the new edition . The 2025 revision is largely aligned with the international ISO 8124 series but adds China-specific requirements that go beyond it. The series now has four parts:

Chemical (Part 1 & Part 4)

The most impactful changes are chemical :

• Newly added substances: formaldehyde, azo dyes, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), N-nitrosamines and N-nitrosatable substances, formamide, short-chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs), allergenic fragrances, and release of VOCs and TVOC .

• Revised & tightened: migration of certain elements and phthalates. The number of restricted phthalates has increased from 6 to 10 .

• New boron limits for modelling clay and putty (GB 6675.4-2025) — a China-specific response to a substance flagged across multiple markets .

• New material categories in Part 4: finger paint, toy cosmetics, slime and similar materials.

Mechanical (Part 2)

GB 6675.2-2025 refines cord and strap requirements (including straps worn around the neck and yo-yo ball strings, with a revised head probe), tightens ride-on toy speed limits, adds flying-toy requirements, expands ventilation-hole scenarios for enclosures, and adds physical requirements for realistic food-imitation toys .

Flammability (Part 3)

GB 6675.3-2025 adds a wind-speed requirement for the test environment, specifies gas-purity requirements, outlines a test method for disguise costumes, and clarifies classification of head-worn toys .

Labeling

Labeling requirements were revised, including new warnings for toys packaged with food; Part 1 also details hygiene and odour requirements .

EN 71 — European Union

The Regulatory Frame: Directive 2009/48/EC + CE

The Toy Safety Directive 2009/48/EC applies to toys marketed in the EU (in force since July 20, 2011; chemical requirements since July 20, 2013) . All toys sold in the EU must carry CE marking — the manufacturer's declaration that the toy meets essential safety requirements; conformity is demonstrated either by self-verification against harmonised standards or third-party verification through a notified body .

EN 71-1 / EN 71-2 / EN 71-3

The three core harmonised standards map to the directive's requirement areas :

• EN 71-1: Mechanical and physical properties — small parts, edges, points, cords, projectiles, and use-and-abuse testing. Updated to EN 71-1:2026 with new requirements for food-imitating toys, ride-on toys (including balance bikes), and updated rules for expanding materials and projectiles .

• EN 71-2: Flammability — burning behaviour of toys (including disguise costumes and head-worn toys).

• EN 71-3: Migration of certain elements — limits migration of heavy elements from toy materials (restricting 19 "heavy elements" such as mercury and cadmium) .

Chemical Regime Beyond EN 71-3

The directive bans CMR substances (cancer, mutagenic, reprotoxic) beyond CLP concentration limits in accessible parts, restricts 19 heavy elements, and bans 55 allergenic fragrances (some allowed with labelling and additional requirements) . Additional EN 71 parts cover specific chemicals: EN 71-15 (formamide), EN 71-16 (flame retardants), EN 71-17 (isothiazolinones), EN 71-18 (phenol), EN 71-19 (bisphenol A migration) .

What's Next: Regulation (EU) 2025/2509

The new Toy Safety Regulation (EU) 2025/2509, adopted November 26, 2025, replaces the Directive. It entered into force January 1, 2026 and applies after a 4.5-year transition, on August 1, 2030. Key changes :

• Digital Product Passport (DPP): Every toy will require a digital product passport with compliance information accessible via a QR code or data carrier.

• Expanded chemical restrictions: Now covers endocrine disruptors, skin sensitisers, respiratory sensitisers, PFAS, and specific bisphenols, in addition to CMR substances.

• Connected toys: Must undergo safety assessments that evaluate cybersecurity and data privacy.

ASTM F963 + CPSIA — United States

The Regulatory Frame

Section 106 of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) made ASTM F963 a mandatory consumer product safety standard for children's toys, codified at 16 CFR Part 1250 . The current mandatory version is ASTM F963-23 for toys manufactured after April 20, 2024. Note the scope split: ASTM F963 covers toys for children under 14, but CPSC third-party testing and CPC certification apply only to toys intended primarily for children 12 and under.

Mechanical & Physical (ASTM F963 Section 4)

Key sections :

• Small objects (§4.6): small parts banned per 16 CFR Part 1501; mouth-actuated toys for children under 3 must not release loose components.

• Edges & points (§4.7/§4.9): no hazardous edges (16 CFR §1500.49) or points (16 CFR §1500.48) for children under 8, before and after use-and-abuse testing.

• Cords, straps & elastics (§4.14): length/performance limits for children under 18 and 36 months.

• Magnets (§4.38): loose magnets fitting the small-parts cylinder must have a flux index below 50.

• Water beads: New CPSC rule effective March 12, 2026 defines "water bead" broadly and establishes a pass-through test for dehydrated beads that fit in the Small Parts Cylinder .

• Use-and-abuse testing runs through most sections — toys must remain safe after foreseeable rough play.

Chemical

• Lead: paint and surface coatings per 16 CFR Part 1303; accessible substrates per 15 U.S.C. § 1278a.

• Other heavy metals: antimony, arsenic, barium, cadmium, chromium, mercury and selenium have individual solubility limits for accessible substrates .

• Phthalates: since April 25, 2018, CPSIA prohibits eight phthalates (DEHP, DBP, BBP, DINP, DIBP, DPENP, DHEXP, DCHP) at concentrations above 0.1% (1,000 ppm) in accessible parts of children's toys and child care articles .

Flammability — A Key Difference

ASTM F963 §4.2 (flammability) is not part of the mandatory standard per 16 CFR §1250.2(b) — but children's toys containing a flammable solid are banned hazardous substances under 16 CFR §1500.3(b)(15)(i)(A). US flammability enforcement flows through the hazardous-substances ban rather than the toy standard itself.

Third-Party Testing & CPC

• Testing must be performed at CPSC-accepted laboratories (e.g., QIMA, TÜV Rheinland, Intertek, SGS, Eurofins, UL) — reports from other labs are invalid .

• Manufacturers/importers must issue a Children's Product Certificate (CPC) per CPSA §14(a)(2), citing "16 C.F.R. Part 1250 – Children's toys" plus applicable ASTM F963 sections.

• Testing obligations: initial testing for new products, re-testing on rule/product changes, and periodic testing every 1, 2 or 3 years depending on production control.

Chemical Safety Comparison

Bottom line: GB 6675-2025 is currently the most comprehensive chemical package of the three — boron, N-nitrosamines and TVOC requirements go beyond both EN 71 and ASTM F963 .

Mechanical Safety Comparison

All three systems share the same engineering logic — a toy must remain safe before and after abuse — but the specific probes, limits and test conditions differ and are not interchangeable.

Flammability Requirements

• China: GB 6675.3-2025 (ISO 8124-2:2023 basis) — adds wind-speed and gas-purity controls, a disguise-costume test method, and clarified head-worn toy classification .

• EU: EN 71-2 is a harmonised standard under the directive's flammability risk requirements; disguise costumes and head-worn toys are key categories .

• US: Unique structure — ASTM F963 §4.2 flammability is excluded from the mandatory standard (16 CFR §1250.2(b)), and enforcement relies on the ban of flammable solids as hazardous substances under 16 CFR §1500.3(b)(15)(i)(A).

Labeling and Documentation

Which Standard Should Your Silicone Toy Supplier Test Against?

Silicone toys — teethers, pacifier clips, bath toys, moulding compounds — are classified as toys when intended for play, so toy standards apply on top of food-contact rules for mouthable items. Use this decision framework:

Two buying rules from the compliance evidence:

1. Ask for the report, not the claim. A test report is valid only for the specific product batch, product name and issuing company — supplier reports in the supplier's name cannot be reused for your CPC.

2. Check the standard version and date. ASTM F963-23 (manufactured after April 20, 2024); GB 6675-2025 (enforceable November 1, 2026); EN 71-1:2026 (published early 2026). An older-version report may be obsolete before your container ships.

Kean Silicone, as a manufacturer of food-grade silicone baby products and toys, maintains FDA, LFGB, EN 71 and CPSIA compliance documentation for its teether and feeding lines — and supports buyers with per-market test planning rather than a generic "internationally certified" claim.

Conclusion

Don't ask whether a supplier is "internationally certified." Ask which market, which standard, which product, and which test report. The three systems protect the same children but enforce different rules: GB 6675-2025 is currently the chemical leader (boron, N-nitrosamines, TVOC) ; the EU is moving to Regulation (EU) 2025/2509 with digital product passports by 2030 ; the US is the most testing- and documentation-heavy market (CPC, periodic testing, per-SKU reports) . A compliant global program is not one certificate — it's a matrix of product-by-market test plans, verified against the current edition of each standard.

Data Notes & Methodology

Standards status. GB 6675-2025 (published Oct 5, 2025; enforceable Nov 1, 2026) ; ASTM F963-23 (mandatory for toys manufactured after Apr 20, 2024) ; EN 71-1:2026 (published early 2026) ; Regulation (EU) 2025/2509 (adopted Nov 26, 2025; applies Aug 1, 2030) .

Sources. All regulatory summaries are cited to published guidance from Eurofins , STC Group , SGS, QIMA, UL, CTT , the European Commission, and the U.S. CPSC. This article is informational and does not constitute legal advice — verify requirements with a testing laboratory or regulator for your specific product.

Dates. All URLs were retrieved and verified on August 19, 2026