If you are buying toys from China for the first time, EN71 and ASTM F963 are the two names you will hear most often – and they are not interchangeable. EN71 is the toy safety standard for the European Union; ASTM F963 is the mandatory standard for the United States. Ship EU-tested toys to the US (or the other way round) without the right paperwork and you risk a held container.
EN71 belongs to the EU system: toys must meet the Toy Safety Directive, carry a CE mark, and the importer keeps a Declaration of Conformity supported by EN71 test reports. ASTM F963 belongs to the US system: CPSIA makes it mandatory, testing must happen at a CPSC-accepted laboratory, and the importer issues a Children’s Product Certificate (CPC) and puts a tracking label on the product.
| EN71 (European Union) | ASTM F963 (United States) | |
|---|---|---|
| Market | EU (with CE marking); widely referenced elsewhere | USA (mandatory under CPSIA) |
| Legal status | Harmonised standard under the EU Toy Safety Directive | Mandatory consumer product safety rule |
| Core parts | EN71-1 mechanical & physical, EN71-2 flammability, EN71-3 chemical migration (plus further parts) | Mechanical hazards, flammability, heavy metals & phthalates, acoustics, magnets, and more in one standard |
| Extra for electric toys | EN62115 | Additional electrical/battery requirements |
| Marking on product | CE mark + EU importer details | Tracking label required by CPSIA |
| Paperwork buyers need | Test reports + Declaration of Conformity | Test reports from a CPSC-accepted lab + Children’s Product Certificate (CPC) |
| Typical lab time | 5-10 working days | 5-10 working days |
Only if you sell in both markets. The good news: you do not need two suppliers or two production runs. An accredited lab (SGS, TUV, BV, Intertek and similar) can test the same production samples against both standards in a single round, which is cheaper and faster than two separate projects. Budget a few hundred US dollars per product per standard and 5-10 working days once samples reach the lab.
Factories in Chenghai rarely keep a shelf of valid certificates for every item and every market. In practice, testing is arranged per order: you confirm the destination market, production samples go to the lab, and the report and certificate are issued for your batch. That is the honest workflow – we explain it in detail in how toy certification really works when buying through an agent, and country-by-country rules are summarised in our toy certification by country guide.
Sourcing battery-operated toys? Flag it early – the extra electrical testing (EN62115 in the EU) affects both cost and lead time.
No. The US market requires testing to ASTM F963 plus a Children’s Product Certificate (CPC) based on testing at a CPSC-accepted lab. An EN71 report alone does not satisfy US requirements, although the same lab can usually test your toy against both standards in one round.
Yes. ASTM F963 is mandatory for toys sold in the USA under the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA), and children’s products additionally need third-party testing and a CPC issued by the importer.
Electric toys need extra testing on top of the base standard – EN62115 for the EU and additional electrical requirements in the US. Ride-ons and toys with chargers may also need battery and charger certifications. Tell your supplier the toy has batteries before quoting the lab work.
Neither is a superset of the other. EN71 is generally tougher on chemical migration, while ASTM F963 has its own mechanical, flammability and heavy-metal rules plus tracking-label requirements. If you sell in both markets you must comply with both.
Planning an order for the US or EU? Request a quote and tell us your destination market – we arrange the right testing with the order, or via our toy sourcing service.