INMETRO Safety Testing and Certification for Toys and Children’s Products

Regulators in the countries around the world have stepped up regulation and oversight of toys and other products intended for use by young children. This is certainly the case in Brazil, where Brazil’s National Institute of Metrology, Standardization and Industrial Quality (INMETRO) administers a mandatory scheme for the testing and certification of most consumer products, including toys and other products intended for use by children under the age of 14 years.

Only toys and children’s products that have been tested and certified by an INMETRO-accredited certification body are legally permitted to be sold in Brazil. Failure to obtain INMETRO certification can result in delays to market entry, or the required withdrawal or seizure of non-certified products, and may also lead to financial penalties.

NMETRO, the Brazilian accreditation body, is responsible for the accreditation of each product Certification Body (CB). In addition, INMETRO defines the products and the respective requirements within this certification scheme. Products manufactured in or exported to Brazil need a CB-issued certificate, stating that the product or family meets the Brazilian requirements. Additional market access requirements could be required depending on the specific products.

INMETRO’s technical requirements for toys and children’s products are detailed in national standards prepared by the Mercosur Association for Standardization and the Brazilian Association for Technical Standards, also known as the ABNT.

The Standards currently in force include:

• NM 300-1 - General properties, mechanical and physical
• NM 300-2 - Flammability
• NM 300-3 - Migration of certain chemicals
• NM 300-4 - Games of chemical experiments and activities
• NM 300-5 - Chemical games distinct from games of experiments
• NM 300-6 - Safety of electric toys
• ABNT NBR 16040 - Phthalates Determination
• INMETRO Ordinance 369/2007 - Toxicological Tests

In addition to product testing, compliance with INMETRO certification includes a number of special challenges, such as the appointment of legal representative based in Brazil, periodical factory inspections, and the translation of user documents into Portuguese.

How We Can Help

TÜV SÜD Brazil is accredited by INMETRO as a Certification Body for toys, and offers manufacturers and distributors a complete range of testing and certification services applicable to these products. Our global network of accredited laboratories can also test your products to the requirements of the EU Toy Safety Directive, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Act (CPSIA), and other national and international regulations and standards.

Our testing services for compliance with INMETRO requirements for toys and children’s products INCLUDE:

• Physical and mechanical properties - to minimize physical injuries such as cuts, chocking, strangulation, or asphyxiation.
• Product flammability - to reduce the risk of burns, fires or explosions.
• Chemical properties - including significant limits and restrictions for heavy metals and other toxic substances.
• Phthalates determination - to avoid the risk of toxic elements present on plasticizers.
• Biological and Toxicological testing - to minimize dermal and eye irritability and oral toxicity, and others.
• Electrical properties - to minimize the risk of electric shock or fire hazards.