A Children's Product Certificate (CPC) states that a children's product complies with the CPSC rules it cites. It must be based on test results from a third-party, CPSC-accepted laboratory and must contain seven listed elements; CPSC says no specific template is required.
- Who issues it"domestic manufacturers and importers of children's products" (CPSC).
- Language"The CPC and supporting test reports must be in English."
- Template"No specific template or format need be followed ... as long as the 7 required elements (see below) are present and accurate."
- Changed 2026From July 8, 2026, importers of most regulated consumer products must electronically file certificate data with U.S. Customs and Border Protection. CPSC's CPC page says its guidance may not reflect this.
Note: This is a reading of CPSC's own page and the federal regulation, not legal advice. I checked every quotation below against the sources listed at the end on October 20, 2026.
What are the seven required elements of a Children's Product Certificate?
CPSC lists seven elements: the product, each safety rule it is certified to, the certifier, the records contact, where and when it was made, where and when it was tested, and the accepted lab.
The table gives each element's heading as CPSC prints it, then the instruction CPSC prints under it. Nothing is paraphrased.
| Element | CPSC heading | What CPSC says to provide |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Product | "Identification of the product covered by this certificate" | "Describe the product(s) covered by this certification in enough detail to match the certificate to each product it covers and no others." |
| 2. Rules | "Citation to each CPSC children's product safety rule to which this product is being certified" | "The certificate must identify each applicable children's product safety rule" |
| 3. Certifier | "Identification of the domestic manufacturer or importer certifying compliance of the product" | "Provide the name, full mailing address, and telephone number of the firm." |
| 4. Records contact | "Contact information for the individual maintaining records of test results" | "Provide the name, full mailing address, e-mail address, and telephone number of the person maintaining test records in support of the certification." |
| 5. Manufacture | "Date and place of manufacture" | "provide at least the month and year" and "at least the city (or administrative region), state (if applicable), and country where the product was manufactured (finished product assembly)" |
| 6. Testing | "Date(s) and place(s) of testing" | "Provide the date(s) of the test(s) or test report(s) and location(s) of testing." |
| 7. Lab | "Identification of any third-party, CPSC-accepted laboratory who conducted the testing" | "Provide at least the name, full mailing address, and telephone number." |
Two details are easy to miss. The records contact "does not need to be from the firm identified in element 3, but it is the responsibility of the firm identified in element 3 to facilitate the provision of test reports when requested." And if the same manufacturer "operates more than one location in the same city, provide the street address of the factory."
Why does third-party testing come first?
The certificate is built on test results, so the testing has to exist before the CPC can be signed off.
CPSC says children's products "that are subject to a consumer product safety rule, or a similar ban, standard, or regulation under any other CPSC-enforced statute (children's product safety rules), require third-party testing and certification." It defines a children's product as "a consumer product designed or intended primarily for children 12 years of age or younger."
The duty to certify comes from "Section 14 of the CPSA, as codified in 16 CFR part 1110," which "requires domestic manufacturers and importers of children's products to certify in a written Children's Product Certificate (CPC), based on test results from a third-party, CPSC-accepted laboratory, that their children's product(s) comply with applicable children's product safety rules."
Which rules apply to a given product is a separate question. CPSC keeps a list of safety rules requiring a CPC on a separate page, and element 2 must cite every rule on it that applies.
Does a CPC have to be in English?
Yes. CPSC: "The CPC and supporting test reports must be in English."
The sentence names two documents: the certificate and the supporting test reports.
Is there a required template?
No. CPSC: "No specific template or format need be followed when generating a certificate as long as the 7 required elements (see below) are present and accurate."
CPSC publishes "illustrative examples of a CPC for a children's toy, an article of clothing, and a bassinet," and a separate example for a blanket. It adds that the examples "are not intended to capture every possible safety rule applicable to a children's product."
What if a product does not need testing?
It still needs a CPC. CPSC says manufacturers and importers "must still create and issue a CPC."
CPSC writes that "the finished consumer product may not require third-party testing due to exemptions or exceptions within a regulation, and/or is subject to a determination that certain products do not require testing (such as a children's blanket)." For those products, the certifier must cite "all applicable regulations, and listing the exception or exemption claimed, instead of listing a third-party laboratory, for those products that were not tested."
Element 2 still lists the safety rule. CPSC: "the citation for the exemption/determination may be included under element 6."
Registered small batch manufacturers who "are not required to third-party test their product to certain children's product safety requirements must include the registration number provided by the CPSC" in the element 7 section.
What does this page not cover?
It does not cover eFiling, general-use products, or which rules apply to your product.
eFiling. CPSC's page opens with this notice: "Beginning July 8, 2026, importers of most regulated consumer products will be required to electronically file (eFile) certificates of compliance with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), via a Partner Government Agency (PGA) Message Set." It adds that "The guidance listed on this Business Education page may not include information on this new eFiling requirement."
The regulation's own list. The eCFR text of 16 CFR 1110.11(a) (up to date as of October 16, 2026) also lists seven content items, but they are not word for word the seven on the CPSC page. Its item (7) is the certifier's attestation: "Provide the finished product certifier's attestation." The testing party's name and contact details sit inside item (6), and item (3) asks for the certifier's "street address, city, state or province, country or administrative region, electronic mail (email) address, and telephone number." Where the CPSC page and the regulation differ, the regulation controls; read both before you issue a certificate.
Delivery. Under 16 CFR 1110.13(a)(2), for finished products manufactured in the United States the certifier "must issue the required certificate on or before the date the finished product is distributed in commerce and make the finished product certificate available for inspection immediately, meaning within 24 hours, upon request by CPSC." Under 1110.13(b) it must furnish the certificate "to each distributor or retailer of the finished product."
General-use products. CPSC: "Domestic manufacturers and importers of certain general-use products are subject to different testing and certification requirements," which CPSC covers on its General Certificate of Conformity (GCC) page.
Sources and last check
The CPSC page carries no publication or "last updated" date, so the date below is the day I read it. Quotations are from the page text as served on that day. The regulation text is from the eCFR, which reported Title 16 as up to date as of October 16, 2026.
Last checked October 20, 2026
| Source | What it supports | Last checked |
|---|---|---|
| CPSC, Children's Product Certificate | The seven elements, third-party testing, English, template, untested products, eFiling notice | October 20, 2026 |
| 16 CFR 1110.11, certificate content (eCFR) | The regulation's own list of content items | October 20, 2026 |
| 16 CFR 1110.13, certificate availability (eCFR) | Issue date, 24-hour availability, eFiling for imports | October 20, 2026 |