Do I need a children's product certificate?

Worked example

A seller imports wooden stacking blocks marketed for toddlers and sells them on a marketplace. The product is designed for children 12 or younger, the seller is the importer, and toys are subject to children's product safety rules, so the checker returns Children's Product Certificate required and lists the seven elements the certificate must contain. If the same seller only bought the blocks from a US wholesaler, the result changes to asking the supplier for a copy of the certificate and test reports.

Before you start

The checker asks: Who is the product designed or intended for; Your role; Is it subject to a CPSC children’s product safety rule. Have your supplier paperwork, specification sheet and draft listing copy open, because each answer maps to a specific rule quoted below.

The result gives a verdict, the reasons behind it with the rule text it relied on, and next steps. Where your answers leave a real gap, it says "check" instead of guessing. Nothing you type leaves your browser, so you can try different answers to see how the verdict changes.

What the official source says

• Definition: 16 CFR 1200.2 defines a children's product as a consumer product designed or intended primarily for children 12 years of age or younger. CPSC weighs the manufacturer's statement of intended use, whether packaging, display, promotion or advertising presents it as appropriate for children, whether consumers commonly see it as a children's item, and the CPSC Age Determination Guidelines. Source: 16 CFR 1200.2.
• Who certifies: CPSC says domestic manufacturers and importers must certify compliance in a written certificate based on test results from a third-party, CPSC-accepted laboratory. If an exemption applies and the product was not tested, the certificate must still cite it.
• Seven elements: product identification; each rule cited; the certifying party's name, address and phone; the test-record contact; date and place of manufacture; date and place of testing; and the lab's details (or a small batch registration number).
• eFiling: beginning 8 July 2026 importers of most regulated consumer products must electronically file certificates with U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Source: CPSC – Children's Product Certificate.

All sources retrieved October 2026. Not covered: does not decide which rules apply to a specific product, pick a laboratory, cover tracking labels, resale of used goods, or state and Canadian toy rules. It stores nothing you enter. Rules change; the linked page governs.