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General Certificate of Conformity

Except as otherwise stated in a specific standard, section 14(a) of the CPSA, as codified in 16 CFR part 1110, requires domestic manufacturers and importers of certain general-use products (i.e., non-children’s products) that are subject to a consumer product safety rules, or a similar rule, ban, standard or regulation under any other CPSC-enforced statute, to certify, in a written General Certificate of Conformity (GCC) based on testing or a reasonable testing program (see "What is a reasonable testing program?" on our GCC FAQs for more information), that their product(s) comply with applicable product safety rules. The GCC and supporting information must be in English. The list of general-use consumer product safety rules that require testing and a GCC is found here.

We provide illustrative examples of a GCC for special packaging of aspirin and a mattress. These examples are not intended to capture every possible safety rule that may apply to a general use product. No specific template or format need be followed when generating a certificate as long as the 7 required elements are present.

Note: Domestic manufacturers and importers of children’s products are subject to different testing and certification requirements. For more information certification of children’s products, visit our CPC business guidance page.

Elements Required in a GCC

  1. Identification of the product covered by this certificate
    Describe the product(s) covered by this certification in enough detail to match the certificate to each product it covers and no others.
  2. Citation to each CPSC product safety rule to which this product is being certified
    The certificate must identify each applicable safety rule (see link above). If an exemption applies that makes testing to a particular safety rule unnecessary, note the citation for the exemption under the safety rule (see GCC examples for recommendations on how to cite exemptions).
  3. Identification of the domestic manufacturer or importer certifying compliance of the product
    Provide the name, full mailing address, and telephone number of the firm.
  4. Contact information for the individual maintaining records of test results
    Provide the name, full mailing address, e-mail address, and telephone number of the person maintaining test records in support of the certification. The person does not need to be from the firm identified in element 3, but it is the responsibility of the firm identified in element 3 to facilitate the provision of test reports when requested.
  5. Date and place of manufacture
    For the date(s) of manufacture, provide at least the month and year (or starting month and year for a continuous batch). For the place of manufacture, provide at least the city (or administrative region), state (if applicable), and country where the product was manufactured (final assembly). If the same manufacturer operates more than one location in the same city, provide the street address of the factory.
  6. Date(s) and place(s) of testing
    Provide the date(s) of the test(s) or test report(s) and location(s) of testing.
  7. Identification of any third-party laboratory who conducted the testing
    Provide at least the name, full mailing address, and telephone number. This section may state “N/A” for a GCC because third-party laboratory testing is not a requirement for general-use products; however, if the responsible firm uses test results from a third-party laboratory as the basis for issuing its GCC, the law requires that the certifier must then provide information pursuant to this section.

Additional information

Contact

For more information, please contact the Small Business Ombudsman (SBO) team:

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