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CPC vs GCC: which certificate does your product need?

Children's products (primarily for age 12 and under) need a CPC backed by third-party testing. General-use regulated products need a GCC. How to tell which applies.

The problem

A Children's Product Certificate (CPC) is for a children's product: a consumer product designed or intended primarily for children 12 years of age or younger. It must be based on testing by a CPSC-accepted third-party lab.

A General Certificate of Conformity (GCC) is for a non-children's consumer product that is subject to a CPSC rule, ban, standard or regulation (for example, adult clothing textiles under 16 CFR 1610). A GCC must be based on a test of each product or a reasonable testing program, but third-party testing is generally not required.

Amazon may ask for either one; if your product is not for kids but was flagged as a children's product, see the appeal guide.

How to fix it

  1. Decide if the product is primarily intended for children 12 and under (marketing, packaging, design, age grade).
  2. Use CPSC's Regulatory Robot to list the rules that apply to the product type.
  3. If it's a children's product: test at a CPSC-accepted lab and issue a CPC.
  4. If it's a general-use product subject to a rule: issue a GCC based on testing or a reasonable testing program.
  5. If no CPSC rule applies to a general-use product, no GCC is required; keep a record of why.

Check your documents before you resubmit

Upload your CPC or GCC and the test report. The free pre-check compares identifiers, cited rules, lab, dates and certifier across the documents and returns a red/amber/green list of what to fix.

Run the free pre-check

Checklist before resubmitting

Sources

This is general information and a document consistency check only. It is not certification, testing, or legal advice, and it cannot guarantee acceptance by Amazon, CPSC or CBP.

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