Usually yes. A children's product made in the U.S. needs a Children's Product Certificate just as an imported one does, and for a handmade item the maker issues it. Etsy's seller handbook says to provide the certificate, the test reports and copies of the packaging, warnings and instructions on request.
Etsy asked for your CPC? Watch why a US-made item still needs one, and what the free check reads, in 34 seconds.
The certificate shown is a fictional example; the result page is the real, free tool. Watch on YouTube →
Etsy's Children and Baby Products policy is a list of banned items, not a request for a certificate: baby formula, car seats, loose-fitting kids' sleepwear that isn't flame resistant, infant sleep furniture, high-powered magnets, small parts for children under 3, strollers, drawstring outerwear, water beads and more. It also says Etsy can't advise on how to comply with the law; that's up to the seller.
Etsy's seller handbook goes further: sellers should provide the Children's Product Certificate, the test reports, and copies of the packaging, warnings and instructions on request. The certificate duty itself comes from federal law, and it applies whether or not anyone asks.
Yes. "Handmade" doesn't change the definition. CPSC weighs the maker's stated use, the packaging and ads, whether people commonly see it as for a child 12 or under, and its age guidelines. A small shop making an item for young children falls inside the same definition a factory does, and a children's product a safety rule applies to needs a Children's Product Certificate.
The maker. For an imported product the importer certifies; for a product made in the U.S. there's no importer, so the U.S. manufacturer does, and for a handmade item that's you. The certificate is in your own name. Testing for the rules that need it still has to come from a CPSC-accepted lab.
Children's clothing falls under the clothing flammability rule (16 CFR part 1610) and the lead limits, and it needs a tracking label. Some of that testing has exemptions.
Flammability: some fabrics are exempt from the test. That covers plain-surface fabric weighing 2.6 ounces per square yard or more, whatever it's made of, and fabric made only of acrylic, modacrylic, nylon, olefin, polyester or wool. It's an exemption from testing, not from the rule, so CPSC says your CPC still lists 16 CFR part 1610.
Lead: plain fabric, dyed or not, doesn't need a lead test. That stops at anything added on top. Buttons, zippers, snaps, screen printing, heat transfer vinyl and metallic threads still count, so those are what a lab tests for lead.
Phthalates (chemicals that soften plastic): the limit applies to toys and to child care articles, meaning products that help a child 3 or under sleep, eat, suck or teethe. A bib is a child care article, and so is sleepwear for a child 3 or under, since it's made to help them sleep. Everyday kids' clothing is neither, so it doesn't need the phthalate test.
Pajamas and other kids' sleepwear have their own, stricter rules: 16 CFR part 1615 for sizes up to 6X and part 1616 for sizes 7 to 14. Tight-fitting pieces, and short garments sized 9 months or smaller (CPSC's “infant garments”), follow the general clothing rule instead. Etsy also bans loose-fitting sleepwear that isn't flame resistant, for sizes 10 months to 14.
Say you sew a plain cotton toddler top with plastic snaps. If the fabric weighs 2.6 ounces per square yard or more, it skips the flammability test. The cotton skips the lead test; the snaps don't. It isn't a toy, so there's no phthalate test. The CPC still lists 16 CFR part 1610, and the top still needs its tracking label.
No. It lowers testing costs. CPSC's Small Batch Manufacturers Registry is for makers under a yearly revenue limit, adjusted each year for inflation ($1,480,296 on CPSC's registration page in October 2026), who made no more than 7,500 units of the product. You register every year.
For the rules CPSC calls Group B, a registered maker can show compliance with its own testing, a lab CPSC hasn't accepted, or a supplier's written assurance. Group A rules, like lead in paint and small parts, always need a CPSC-accepted lab. Say you register and make stuffed toys for toddlers. The toy standard is Group B, but the small-parts test still goes to an accepted lab.
And the certificate is never waived. A small-batch maker still issues a Children's Product Certificate for each children's product, and CPSC says to put the registration number on it.
No. CPSC eFiling sends certificate data to CBP when goods are imported, and CPSC says it doesn't apply to domestic manufacturers. A U.S.-made product has no import entry to file. What a U.S. maker needs is the certificate and the testing behind it.
Get it tested: QIMAPartner — Children's product testing (CPSIA) at ISO 17025-accredited labs.
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Which CPSC rules reach the product, and therefore what a certificate has to cite, is what the free certificate check works out from the product's attributes — and whether the answer is a CPC, a GCC, or neither — with the rule cited for each.
Check which certificate you need — free →Already have a certificate a lab or supplier produced? The free CPC check shows the five things a reviewer checks across the certificate, the test report and the invoice, each cited to the rule. Check the CPC I already have — free →
The plan lists what the law and Etsy ask for your product, step by step, with a source for each line. It's free, with no signup.
See the plan for your product →The rules on this page do change — an eFiling date, a list, a threshold. Leave an email and a short note goes out if one does: a few a year at most, one click to stop, and the address is used for nothing else. A summary of the guide and a link arrive now, as confirmation.
Information current as of 2026-10-31.
This report is an automated, informational screening tool only. Tiana & Co. is not a licensed customs broker and does not conduct customs business. This report does not constitute legal advice, a compliance determination, or a certification of admissibility for any supplier, product, or shipment.
Verdicts in this report are produced by deterministic code, not by a language model. The explanatory paragraph accompanying each check is model-generated and checked against the cited sources before delivery. No part of this report is reviewed by a person before it is issued, so every material finding and citation should be confirmed against the underlying government source before it is relied on.
This report reflects data available as of the report date. The OFAC SDN and Consolidated lists, the other U.S. Consolidated Screening List constituents, the UFLPA Entity List, CBP withhold release orders, CPSC's eFiling list, and regulatory guidance are updated frequently and without prior notice. Users should re-screen periodically and consult qualified counsel for compliance decisions.
Name-similarity results do not establish or rule out the identity of any company. Where multiple similarly named records exist, none should be treated as confirmed without independent verification against the primary government source.
This tool is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or a substitute for U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the U.S. Department of the Treasury, the Consumer Product Safety Commission, or any other government agency. No warranty is made as to the accuracy, completeness, or currency of any finding.
Use of this report for import, procurement, sanctions-compliance, or investment decisions is at the user's own risk. Anyone with compliance obligations under UFLPA, OFAC, or CPSC regulations should consult qualified legal counsel before making a transactional decision.
This report is an automated, informational screening tool only. Tiana & Co. is not a licensed customs broker and does not conduct customs business. This report does not constitute legal advice, a compliance determination, or a certification of admissibility for any supplier, product, or shipment.
Verdicts in this report are produced by deterministic code, not by a language model. The explanatory paragraph accompanying each check is model-generated and checked against the cited sources before delivery. No part of this report is reviewed by a person before it is issued, so every material finding and citation should be confirmed against the underlying government source before it is relied on.
This report reflects data available as of the report date. The OFAC SDN and Consolidated lists, the other U.S. Consolidated Screening List constituents, the UFLPA Entity List, CBP withhold release orders, CPSC's eFiling list, and regulatory guidance are updated frequently and without prior notice. Users should re-screen periodically and consult qualified counsel for compliance decisions.
Name-similarity results do not establish or rule out the identity of any company. Where multiple similarly named records exist, none should be treated as confirmed without independent verification against the primary government source.
This tool is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or a substitute for U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the U.S. Department of the Treasury, the Consumer Product Safety Commission, or any other government agency. No warranty is made as to the accuracy, completeness, or currency of any finding.
Use of this report for import, procurement, sanctions-compliance, or investment decisions is at the user's own risk. Anyone with compliance obligations under UFLPA, OFAC, or CPSC regulations should consult qualified legal counsel before making a transactional decision.