How to prepare a Children's Product Certificate (CPC): the 7 required elements

A Children's Product Certificate (CPC) is a short written document in which the U.S. importer or domestic manufacturer certifies, based on passing tests from a CPSC-accepted third-party lab, that a children's product complies with each applicable children's product safety rule (CPSA section 14; 16 CFR 1110). There is no required template, but every element below must be present and accurate, in English.

Before you start

Confirm the product is a children's product (designed or intended primarily for children 12 or under).
List the applicable rules: use CPSC's Regulatory Robot and the list of rules requiring third-party testing.
Get a passing report from a lab on CPSC's accepted lab list, accredited for each test you rely on, on production samples of your exact product.

The 7 required elements (CPSC)

Identification of the product: enough detail to match the certificate to the product and no others (name, brand, model/SKU, and ideally a description, colorway and age grade). Copy identifiers exactly from your listing and report.
Citation to each children's product safety rule the product is certified to, for example 16 CFR 1250 / ASTM F963 for toys, CPSIA section 101 lead content and 16 CFR 1303 lead in paint, and 16 CFR 1307 phthalates where applicable. Cite the rule even if an exemption applies.
Identification of the certifier (U.S. importer or domestic manufacturer): name, full mailing address and telephone number.
Contact for the person maintaining test records: name, full mailing address, email address and telephone number.
Date and place of manufacture: at least month and year, and at least city (or administrative region), state if applicable, and country of final assembly.
Date(s) and place(s) of testing: dates of the tests or test reports and where testing took place. Exemption or determination citations can go here.
Identification of the third-party lab: name, full mailing address and telephone number of each CPSC-accepted lab whose results the CPC relies on.

Finish with an attestation sentence (for example that the product complies with the cited rules based on the test results) and keep a dated, signed or otherwise authenticated copy.

Common reasons a CPC is rejected

Issued in the factory's name, or headed "GCC" / "Certificate of Conformity" for a children's product
Model or SKU on the CPC does not match the listing or the tested model
Records-keeper email or phone missing; manufacture place given only as a country
Rules cited are superseded editions, or the report does not cover every rule cited
Lab not CPSC-accepted for the test, or the lab block missing
Test dates after the manufacture/import dates make no sense, or the report is too old for Amazon's North America Direct Validation path (commonly reported as 12 months)
Age grade on the listing is younger than on the CPC/report

Keep it ready

Store the CPC with the test reports and be able to provide them to Amazon, your customs broker and CPSC on request. Since July 8, 2026, CPSC requires certificate data to be eFiled for most imports, so the same fields feed your eFiling.

Check before you resubmit

Run the free CPC/DV self-check on your listing, certificate and report, or look up recalls for your product type.

Free CPC / DV self-check Free recall & risk check Share your CPC in your AI

FAQ

Who signs and issues the CPC?

The U.S. importer (for products made abroad) or the domestic manufacturer. The lab issues the test report; the factory supplies information. The certificate is in the certifier's name.

Is there an official CPC template?

No specific format is required as long as all required elements are present and accurate. CPSC publishes illustrative examples for a toy, an article of clothing and a bassinet.

Does the records keeper have to work for my company?

No. The person maintaining test records can be someone else, but the certifying firm is responsible for making the test reports available when requested. The CPC must give that person's name, full mailing address, email address and telephone number.

What if a rule has an exemption for my product?

You still cite the rule on the CPC and note the exemption or determination you rely on, instead of listing a lab for that rule.

Does the CPC have to be in English?

Yes. CPSC states that the CPC and supporting test reports must be in English.

Sources

General information only. Not legal advice, not a testing lab, not certification. CertTrail HQ is not affiliated with CPSC, CBP or Amazon.