Toy products Quality Control concerns to children’s health and safety. From initial toy concept to final product for sale at retail, safety should be built into every toy during every step of the production process.

Toys manufactured, sell, imported to the US must follow a mandatory set of safety rules and regulations under ASTM F963 – Standard Consumer Safety Specification for Toy Safety, created under ASTM International.

What is ASTM F963?

U.S. toymakers follow a mandatory set of safety rules and regulations under ASTM F963 – Standard Consumer Safety Specification for Toy Safety, created under ASTM International, is a comprehensive standard addressing numerous hazards that have been identified with toys.

F963 mandates that all toys for children under the age of 14 must meet the safety requirements detailed in the standard.

ASTM F963 focuses on reducing the possible safety hazards of toys. The standard covers a number of toys, including balls, plush toys, dolls and action figures, games, infant and preschool toys, ride-on toys, battery-operated toys, projectile toys, and more.

ASTM F963 incorporates certain safety measures already covered by federal law. It also provides guidelines and test methods to prevent injuries from sharp points and edges, choking on small parts, burns from battery overheating, and poisoning, along with chemical and material safety measure.

F963 mandates that all toys undergo simulated use and abuse testing procedures, along with evaluation for potential safety hazards. The regulation sets different requirements for various age limits to reflect the nature of the hazards and the expected ability of a child to cope with these hazards – physically, mentally, or both.

Changes to the standard from ASTM F963-17 to ASTM F963-23

In 2008, the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (CPSIA) mandated that the voluntary toy safety standard in effect at that time become a nationwide mandatory children's product safety rule.

In October 2023, ASTM International published the revised standard consumer safety specification for toy safety with the designation ASTM F963-23. The standard was revised by the ASTM Toy Safety Subcommittee (F15.22) and approved on August 1, 2023.

The revised standard includes changes to the following requirements:

• Sound-producing toys
• Battery accessibility
• Expanding materials
• Projectiles

The standard was also revised to align with Federal and CPSC requirements on phthalates, toy substrate material exemptions and tracking labels.

The detail of this revision is shown below:

Which products must comply with ASTM F963-23?

ASTM F963-23 covers children’s toys and some types of children’s care articles. Here are a few examples:

• Squeeze toys
• Projectile toys
• Stuffed and beanbag-type toys
• Wheeled ride-on toys
• Yo yo Elastic tether toys
• Magnets
• Marbles
• Pacifiers
• Rattles
• Pompoms

Note: While ASTM F963 includes products intended for children under 14 years of age within its scope, the testing and certification requirements from the CPSC only apply to products designed or intended primarily for children 12 years of age or younger. This means that any toys intended for a 13+ year old audience might be subject to the requirements found in ASTM F963, but those products would not need to be third party tested at CPSC-accepted laboratory, nor would the manufacturers and importers of those toys need to certify compliance in a Children’s Product Certificate (CPC).

Safety Requirements Covered by ASTM F963

ASTM F963 contains several sections that cover safety requirements for material quality, flammability, toxicology, small objects, accessible edges, sharp points, electrical/thermal energy, and more.

Safety requirements for Most Toys

• Material Quality: ensure that the product is clean and free from infestation.
• Flammability: children’s toys that contain a flammable solid are banned hazardous substances.
• Toxicology: under CPSC's jurisdiction.
• Small Objects: ban small parts in certain children’s products.
• Accessible Edges: toys for children under the age of 8 must not have hazardous edges
• Projections: Toys for children under the age of 8 must not pose a puncture hazard before and after use-and-abuse testing.
• Accessible Points: Toys for children under the age of 8 must not have hazardous points.

Safety requirements for Specific Types of Toys

• Electrical/Thermal Energy: A mandatory requirement already exists for electrically operated toys(https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-16/chapter-II/subchapter-C/part-1505).        
• Sound-Producing Toys: minimize the possibility of hearing damage that might be caused by toys that are designed to produce sound.     
• Wires & Rods: All wires and rods, regardless of material, must have finished ends to avoid hazardous points/burrs.
• Nails & Fasteners: Nails and fasteners points must not present a projection hazard, nor can they protrude so as to be accessible to a child during play. 
• Plastic Film:  Certain plastic film (includes packaging) must have an average thickness greater than 0.00150 in. (0.03175 mm) or be perforated such that 1% of the surface is removed.
• Folding Mechanism & Hinges: eliminate possible crushing, laceration, or pinching hazards that might occur in folding mechanisms and hinges.      
• Cords, Straps, and Elastics: Accessible cords, straps, and elastics found in toys intended for children under 18 months of age in some circumstances and intended for children under 36 months of age in other instances, must meet certain length and/or performance requirements.
• Stability & Overload Requirements:  Ride-on toys, regardless of whether they are intended to stand on their own or are assisted by the rider, must meet certain stability requirements. Such toys also must not collapse when subjected to the overload test.
• Confined Spaces: Toys with doors/lids or create other enclosed spaces that can surround the head must allow for adequate ventilation, and the closure may not have automatic locking devices.
• Wheels, Tires, & Axles: Toys with wheels, tires, and axels must not pose a laceration, puncture, or ingestion hazard before and after use-and-abuse testing.    
• Holes, Clearance, & Accessibility of Mechanisms: Toys with holes, clearances, and accessibility to moving parts must not pose a laceration hazard before and after use-and-abuse testing.   
• Simulated Protective Devices: Toy versions of simulated protective devices (such as toy goggles or helmets) must meet certain performance requirements and not pose a hazard before and after use-and-abuse testing. 
• Toy Pacifiers: Toy pacifiers also must not have excessive levels of nitrosamine.
• Projectile Toys: Certain toys that can fire projectiles must meet certain performance requirements, such as ensuring the projectiles are not small parts or that they cannot exert excessive force when impacting a surface. Projectile toys that used stored energy to release the projectile must also prevent the use of improvised projectiles.     
• Rattles: Rattles must comply with 16 C.F.R. part 1510.  
• Squeeze toys: Certain squeeze toys intended for children under the age of 18 months must meet the dimensional requirements referenced in 16 C.F.R. part 1510.       
• Battery-Operated Toys: preventing children from accessing the battery during play time, labeling, and ensuring the battery does not overheat.  
• Toys Intended to be Attached to a Crib or Playpen:  Such toys must not pose a hazard before and after use-and-abuse testing.  
• Stuffed & Bean Bag-Type Toys: Seams for such toys must not rip during testing.
• Stroller and Carriage Toys: Toys for strollers and carriages must meet labeling requirements.
• Art Materials: art materials toys must comply with 16 C.F.R. § 1500.14(b)(8).      
• Toy Gun Marking: Toy, look-alike, and imitation firearms, as defined in this section, must be permanently marked or manufactured with certain bright colorations to minimize the potential for a toy gun to be mistaken for a real firearm.
• Balloons: latex balloons must comply with 16 C.F.R. § 1500.19(b)(2). 
• Certain Toys with Nearly Spherical Ends: address a potential impaction hazard associated toys containing nearly spherical ends, such as large fasteners/screws with a domed head or mallets with spherical ends that come with toy percussion instructions.        
• Marbles: must comply with  16 C.F.R. § 1500.19(b)(4).    
• Balls : small balls must comply with 16 C.F.R. § 1500.19(b)(3). 
• Pompoms: Any pompoms that detach from toys during abuse testing must not fit through a 1.75-in diameter hole under its own weight.  
• Hemispherical-Shaped Objects: Certain toys shaped like cups, bowls, etc. must have openings that meet specified requirements to prevent the toy from posing a suffocation hazard.        
• Yo Yo Elastic Tether Toys: Certain toys with elastic cords and that have an end mass greater than 0.02kg (0.044 lb) must have a tether length less than 50 cm (20 in.) when tested.      
• Magnets: Loose magnets and magnetic components that come as-received or are liberated as a result of use-and-abuse testing and that fit within the small part cylinder at 16 C.F.R. part 1501 must have a flux index less than 50.
• Jaw Entrapment in Handles and Steering Wheels: Toys with handles and steering wheels with openings that allow a 0.75 in. by 0.75 in. by 1 in. block must also allow a 1.5 in. by 2.5 in. by 1 in. block. Both blocks must be oriented such that the 0.75 in. by 0.75 in. plane and 2.5 in. by 1.5 in. plane is parallel with the opening.
• Expanding Materials: Expanding materials in toys (such as those that absorb water and get bigger) and that fit within the small part cylinder at 16 C.F.R. part 1501 must completely pass through a 2 mm (0.08 in.) hole when 20 N (4.5 lbf) of force is applied.
• Toy Chests: Toy chests must meet certain performance requirements to prevent pinching, crushing, laceration, and suffocation hazards.

Labeling Requirements

Certain toys have specific labeling requirements that need to be met. These toys are:

• Toys containing hazardous substances (some children’s products are exempt from being a banned hazardous substance per 16 C.F.R. § 1500.86)
• Aquatic toys
• Crib and playpen toys
• Mobiles
• Stroller and carriage toys
• Toys intended to be assembled by an adult
• Simulated protective devices (e.g., toy helmets or toy safety goggles)
• Toys with functional sharp edges or points
• Battery-operated toys
• Magnets

Note: There are additional labeling requirements, such as age grading and statements on promotional materials. Note that labeling requirements do not require compliance assessment by a CPSC-accepted, third-party laboratory.

Instructional Literature

Certain toys must have instructions that bear specified language. These include crib and playpen toys, mobiles, toys that are assembled by either the child or an adult, battery-operated toys, certain ride-on toys, food-contact toys, and toy chests.

Producer's Markings

Either the product or the packaging of a toy must be marked with:

• the name (of the producer or distributor of the product.)
• the address (can also include a digital address such as a website address.)

Additional requirements for Children’s toys

Children’s toys are subject to additional requirements beyond 16 C.F.R. part 1250:

• Small parts ban and choking hazard labeling: Products intended for children under 3 years of age must not contain small parts or liberate small parts after use and abuse testing. In addition, certain toys containing small parts, balloons, small balls, and/or marbles as received are subject to cautionary labeling requirements. These requirements supersede the various sections of ASTM F963 that restate these requirements.
• Lead in paint and similar surface coatings: Products intended for children 12 years of age or younger must not bear paint and/or similar surface coatings that contain more than 0.009 percent (90 ppm) lead. This requirement supersedes the part of section 4.3.5.1 of ASTM F963 that restates this requirement.
• Total lead content: Products intended for children 12 years of age or younger must not contain greater than 100 ppm (0.01 percent) of total lead content in any accessible component part. 16 C.F.R. § 1500.87 addresses determination of accessibility for the purposes of total lead content. This requirement supersedes the part of section 4.3.5.2 of ASTM F963 that restates this requirement.
• Phthalates: Toys intended for children 12 years of age or younger must not contain greater than 0.1 percent (1000 ppm) of any regulated phthalate in any accessible component part. 16 C.F.R. § 1307.3 lists the regulated phthalates, and 16 C.F.R. part 1199 addresses determination of accessibility for the purposes of regulated phthalates. This requirement supersedes the section of ASTM F963 that restates this requirement. This requirement supersedes section 4.3.8 of ASTM F963 that restates this requirement.
• Tracking label: Products intended for children 12 years of age or younger must bear distinguishing, permanent marks on the product and any packaging that allow consumers to ascertain the identity of the manufacturer or private labeler, date and place of manufacture, detailed information on the manufacturing process (i.e., batch or run number), and the specific source of the product (e.g., address of the specific manufacturing plant). This requirement supersedes sections 5.1.2 and 7 of ASTM F963.

GIS Inspection Services for your Toys Safety

GIS Inspection(General Inspection Service) is a leading third-party quality inspection agency in China. We are committed to helping you deliver toys that are safe, functional, and of the highest quality.

We offer Pre-Production Inspection(PPI), During Production Inspection (DUPRO) or Full Inspection services, and before delivery inspection to assess home goods and decoration items Pre-shipment Inspection(PPI).

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Contact us for a chat about toys inspection now and see how we can support you with monitoring the quality of your toys industry!

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