If you’re selling toys in the US or Europe, safety certification isn’t optional — it’s the law. And even if you’re selling in markets with looser regulations, parents check. A toy without safety marks is a return waiting to happen.
Here’s what the certifications actually mean, why they matter, and what we do at our factory to meet them.
The big three: ASTM, EN71, CE
ASTM F963 is the US standard. It covers physical hazards (sharp edges, small parts), chemical hazards (toxic materials, phthalates), and flammability. If you’re selling on Amazon US, they require ASTM certification — and they test products randomly.
EN71 is the European equivalent, broken into parts: EN71-1 (physical/mechanical), EN71-2 (flammability), EN71-3 (migration of certain elements — basically, toxic metal testing). EU customs checks for EN71 compliance at the border.
CE marking isn’t a separate test — it’s the manufacturer’s declaration that the product meets all applicable EU directives. You need EN71 test reports to back up your CE mark.
All Hongyu Toys products ship with ASTM F963 and EN71 test reports. If your market requires specific documentation, tell us before ordering and we’ll include it.
What actually gets tested
When a lab tests a bubble gun, here’s what they check:
Drop test. They drop the toy from 1.37 meters onto concrete. Multiple times. If anything breaks off that’s small enough to swallow, it fails. This is why our bubble guns use ABS plastic — it bends instead of shattering.
Tension test. They pull on every part that a kid could grab. Seams, buttons, nozzles — anything that can be pulled gets pulled. The standard is 90 Newtons of force for 10 seconds.
Chemical test. They test the plastic for phthalates, lead, and other restricted substances. Our plastic supplier provides material certification, and we spot-test production runs.
Bubble solution test. The liquid gets its own testing — it has to be non-toxic, non-irritating. Our bubble solution uses food-grade surfactants. It won’t hurt if a kid gets it in their mouth (which they will).
Why cheap toys fail
The difference between a certified toy and a cheap one often comes down to a few cents of material.
Cheap plastic uses recycled material that can contain heavy metals. Cheap fasteners break under tension. Cheap solution uses industrial surfactants that irritate skin. The savings are maybe $0.15 per unit, and the risk is a product recall, a lawsuit, or an Amazon account suspension.
We’ve had customers come to us after getting burned by uncertified suppliers. Fixing the problem costs more than doing it right the first time.
What to ask your supplier
Before you place an order, ask for:
– Third-party lab test reports (not in-house)
– The test report number — you can verify it with the lab
– Age grading documentation (what age the toy is rated for)
– Country of origin labeling
If the supplier can’t produce these, walk away. There are plenty of factories that can.
We include standard test documentation with every order over 500 units. For smaller trial orders, we can provide the batch test reports for the production run your products came from.