Which safety certificate does my product need?
For marketplaces like Amazon, and for customs. CPC · GCC · FCC · FDA. Free.
Checks the common CPSC safety rules, the FCC authorization path, and FDA's import steps for food, drugs and devices. Other agencies are flagged from the product type.
- A statement by the manufacturer about the product's intended use, including a label, where that statement is reasonable. An age label or a "not for children" line does not decide it alone: a product whose look, size or marketing is aimed mainly at children can still be one.
- Whether the packaging, display, promotion or advertising presents it as appropriate for children 12 or younger.
- Whether consumers commonly recognise it as intended for a child 12 or younger. Something a parent or caregiver uses in a child's room, and the child does not, is not a children's product.
- The Commission's Age Determination Guidelines (September 2002) and any successor to them.
Common questions
Does my product need a CPSC certificate?
It depends on what the product is and who it is for. Children's products that are subject to a CPSC safety rule need a Children's Product Certificate (CPC); other regulated consumer products need a General Certificate of Conformity (GCC). The free certificate check routes from a short questionnaire (a 6-digit HS code can be added to also read CPSC's list) to the specific CFR rules that apply, or to a disclaim, and cites each. It names the rules the answers and the code point to; it is not a legal determination that a specific product is regulated.
What is the difference between a CPC and a GCC?
A Children's Product Certificate (CPC) is required for a children's product subject to a CPSC rule and must be based on third-party testing at a CPSC-accepted lab, unless a testing exclusion covers it. A General Certificate of Conformity (GCC) covers a non-children's consumer product subject to a rule and can be based on a test or a reasonable testing program. The check tells you which one the product points to.
Does my product need FCC authorization?
A product that intentionally transmits radio signals (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, cellular) generally needs FCC Certification. A product with digital electronics or a switching power circuit (most chargers, adapters and LED drivers) that only radiates unintentionally generally needs a Supplier's Declaration of Conformity (SDoC) or Certification. So does an appliance that uses radio energy to heat, clean or mist, such as a microwave oven or ultrasonic humidifier, under FCC Part 18. A purely mechanical product is usually outside both. The check identifies the path and cites the CFR; a specialized FCC lab or Telecommunication Certification Body performs the authorization.
Is the certificate check free?
Yes — it is free, needs no signup, and has no paywall. It points to the common CPSC safety rules, the FCC authorization path and FDA's import steps for food, drugs and devices, cites each rule it names, flags the other partner agencies (USDA, EPA, DOT, TTB) at a high level, does not cover every federal rule, routes deterministically from a short questionnaire (with an optional 6-digit HS code), and cites every answer to its government source.