"Which test do I need for the EU?" sounds like a simple question for a seller who buys in China, Vietnam or India. The honest answer is that there is no single EU product test as such. EU law sets requirements per product group, such as limits for chemicals in jewellery or electrical safety for a lamp, and a laboratory test is the usual way to show that your product meets them. Which test you need therefore depends entirely on what you sell.
That is also why a supplier's answer of "yes, we have CE test reports" says so little. A report proves something only for the product, the standard and the requirement it covers. This article sets out which EU rules apply to the product groups we offer testing for, which tests go with them, and how to check whether a report you already have is worth anything.
- Lab testing is not the same as inspection or certification
- Which EU rules decide the product test you need
- Products without a mandatory test
- What a usable test report looks like
- When to test and how often
- Checklist for EU product testing
Lab testing is not the same as inspection or certification
Sellers often use these words interchangeably, but they answer different questions.
An inspection, such as a pre shipment inspection, checks whether the goods match your order and specification: dimensions, function, workmanship, packaging and labelling. An inspector does this at the factory, usually on a sample drawn with the AQL tables, and it says nothing about chemistry or electrical safety. Our article on the AQL table explains how that sampling works.
A laboratory test measures your product against a standard or a legal limit: how much nickel a ring releases, whether a toy's small parts fit a test cylinder, whether a charger stays safe when overloaded. The result is a test report.
Certification by a notified body is required only for some product groups, such as protective equipment in the higher risk categories. A notified body is an organisation designated by an EU country to carry out conformity assessment under a specific law, and it issues a certificate on top of the test reports. For most consumer products, the manufacturer assesses conformity itself and signs a declaration of conformity. Our article on notified bodies and CE marking explains when one is needed.
Which EU rules decide the product test you need
The table below covers the product groups we offer testing for. It is a starting point, not a complete list: one product can fall under several laws at once, and a wireless toy with a battery, for example, must meet the toy rules, the radio rules and the battery rules.
| Product group | Main EU rules | Typical tests | Who assesses conformity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Toys (products designed or intended for play by children under 14) | Toy Safety Directive 2009/48/EC | EN 71-1 (mechanical and physical), EN 71-2 (flammability), EN 71-3 (migration of certain elements); EN 62115 for electric toys | Manufacturer; a notified body (EC-type examination) where harmonised standards are missing, not applied or only partly applied, or in the other cases of Article 19(3) |
| Mains-powered electrical products | Low Voltage Directive 2014/35/EU (from 50 V AC or 75 V DC), EMC Directive 2014/30/EU, RoHS Directive 2011/65/EU | Electrical safety to the product standard, electromagnetic compatibility, RoHS substance screening | Manufacturer |
| Products with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or another radio connection | Radio Equipment Directive 2014/53/EU, plus RoHS | Radio, EMC and safety tests; cybersecurity (EN 18031) for internet-connected devices | Manufacturer; a notified body where harmonised standards are not or only partly applied, or where you rely on the parts of EN 18031 the EU listed with restrictions |
| Jewellery | REACH, Annex XVII, entries 23 (cadmium), 27 (nickel) and 63 (lead) | Nickel release (EN 1811, after EN 12472 for coated items), lead and cadmium content | Manufacturer |
| Clothing and textiles | Textile Regulation (EU) No 1007/2011, REACH Annex XVII | Fibre composition, azo dyes (entry 43), other restricted substances; EN 14682 for drawstrings on children's clothing | Manufacturer |
| Footwear | Footwear labelling Directive 94/11/EC, REACH Annex XVII | Chromium VI in leather (entry 47), other restricted substances | Manufacturer |
| Personal protective equipment | PPE Regulation (EU) 2016/425 | Performance tests to the product standard, such as EN 1078 for bicycle helmets | Category I: manufacturer; categories II and III: notified body |
| Candles and reed diffusers | GPSR, plus the CLP Regulation, which can require hazard or allergen labelling depending on the fragrance | Candles: EN 15493 (fire safety), EN 15494 (safety labelling), EN 15426 (soot). Reed diffusers: CLP classification and labelling, leakage and packaging | Manufacturer |
Not sure which rows apply to your product? Our EU product compliance check maps the legislation, standards and documents your product needs, including where testing is required, before you spend money on a laboratory.
The Toy Safety Directive will be replaced by Toy Safety Regulation (EU) 2025/2509, which applies from 1 August 2030. A product with a battery must also meet the Batteries Regulation (EU) 2023/1542, whose obligations are phased in over several years; see the EU Battery Regulation for consumer products. Kitchenware and other items that touch food fall under separate food contact rules (Regulation (EC) No 1935/2004, plus specific rules such as Regulation (EU) No 10/2011 for plastics), with migration tests and a declaration of compliance.
Cosmetics follow a different route. They are not cleared by a lab test alone but by a safety report from a qualified safety assessor, which we explain in our article on the CPSR.
Products without a mandatory test
Many consumer products have no law that names a specific test: a picture frame, a phone case, a garden ornament. They fall under the General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR), which requires a safe product and an internal risk analysis before you sell, but no particular laboratory test.
That does not mean testing is never needed. The technical documentation must contain, where appropriate, an analysis of the possible risks and the solutions adopted, "including the outcome of any reports related to tests" (Article 9(2) GPSR). And a product that conforms to a European standard published in the Official Journal is presumed safe for the risks that standard covers (Article 7(1)).
In practice, the test follows from the risk analysis: if it shows that a painted surface could contain lead or that a chair could tip over, a test is how you show you dealt with it.
Our article on the GPSR risk assessment walks through that analysis with a worked example.
What a usable test report looks like
Often the problem is not a missing report but one that does not fit. Before you put a supplier's report in your technical documentation, check six things:
- The product matches: same model, same materials, same colours. A report for the red version says nothing about a different pigment in the blue one.
- The standard is current and is the one that applies to your product, with the edition year on the report.
- The laboratory is accredited for that test. Testing laboratories are accredited to ISO/IEC 17025; the accreditation certificate lists the tests it covers.
- The report shows a result per requirement, with a clear pass or fail, not only a summary.
- There are photos of the tested sample, so you can see that it is your product.
- The applicant and the manufacturer named on the report make sense for your supply chain, and the report can be verified with the laboratory.
Many reports fail one of these checks: they are outdated, incomplete, not aligned with EU rules, cover a different product, or in some cases are simply not genuine. If you are unsure, our test report review checks whether your existing reports are suitable for the EU before you rely on them.
When to test and how often
The best moment is when the materials are final but before mass production, using pre-production samples made on the factory's own line. Tests at that point still let you change a material or a supplier without delaying a shipment. We arrange testing in Asia, close to where the product is made, which makes it easier to collect samples and fix issues before the goods leave.
A test report has no fixed expiry date, but it only counts as long as it matches what you sell. Retest when you change a material, a component, a colourant or the factory, when the standard is revised, or when a complaint points to a risk the original test did not cover. Some sellers also retest at regular intervals for products with a known chemical risk, such as jewellery or children's clothing.
Need a test arranged? Send us your product details through our testing pages, for example toy testing (EN 71), electronics testing, jewellery testing or textile testing, and we will put together a test plan and a quotation for your product.
Checklist for EU product testing
- List every function and material of your product: electrical, wireless, battery, skin contact, food contact, use by children.
- Match each one to the EU rules in the table above and the notes below it, keeping in mind that several can apply at once.
- Check whether a notified body is required, or whether the manufacturer can assess conformity.
- For products under the GPSR alone, let the risk analysis decide which tests are needed.
- Check every existing report against the six points above before you rely on it.
- Test pre-production samples made with the final materials, before mass production starts.
- Keep the reports with your technical documentation and retest after any change to materials, components or factory.
Sources
- Directive 2009/48/EC on the safety of toys, Articles 2 and 19, and Regulation (EU) 2025/2509 on the safety of toys; Directive 2014/35/EU (Low Voltage Directive); Directive 2014/30/EU (EMC Directive); Directive 2014/53/EU (Radio Equipment Directive); Directive 2011/65/EU (RoHS); Delegated Regulation (EU) 2022/30 on cybersecurity for radio equipment. EUR-Lex
- Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 concerning batteries and waste batteries.
- Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 (REACH), Annex XVII, entries 23, 27, 43, 47 and 63.
- Regulation (EU) No 1007/2011 on textile fibre names and labelling; Directive 94/11/EC on the labelling of footwear.
- Regulation (EU) 2016/425 on personal protective equipment, Articles 8 and 19 and Annex I.
- Regulation (EC) No 1935/2004 and Regulation (EU) No 10/2011 on food contact materials.
- Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008 on classification, labelling and packaging (CLP).
- Regulation (EU) 2023/988 on general product safety (GPSR), Articles 7(1) and 9(2).
- Consulted October 2026.
