Four New Phthalate Restrictions Added to China China RoHS

The State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) – the Standardization Administration of the People's Republic of China) – issued an announcement amending a supporting measure for China's electronics regulation ( China RoHS). The amendment includes the addition of restrictions on four phthalate substances and will come into effect on January 1, 2026. This will fully align the Chinese regulation with international standards.

The "Announcement on the Approval and Release of 109 National Standards and 4 National Standard Amendments" (National Standard Announcement [2024] No. 14), hereinafter referred to as the "Announcement", was published on June 29, 2024.

The contents of the Announcement includes No.1 amendment to GB/T 26572-2011 "Requirements of Concentration Limits for Certain Restricted Substances in Electrical and Electronic Products", which is a supporting measure for China RoHS. The concentration limits are shown in the tables below.

Control Requirements for Phthalate Substances

Controlled Substance	Concentration Limit (by weight)
Dibutyl phthalate (DBP)	≤0.1%
Diisobutyl phthalate (DIBP)	≤0.1%
Butyl benzyl phthalate (BBP)	≤0.1%
Bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP)	≤0.1%

Under China RoHS, in addition to controlling phthalate substances, the latest concentration limits for other controlled substances are:

Controlled Substance	Concentration Limit (by weight)
Lead (Pb)	≤0.1%
Mercury (Hg)	≤0.1%
Hexavalent Chromium [Cr(VI)]	≤0.1%
Polybrominated biphenyls (PBB)	≤0.1%
Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE)	≤0.1%
Cadmium (Cd)	≤0.01%

Revisions and Other Amendments

1. Chapter 1, Scope of Application, of GB/T 26572-2011 "Requirements of Concentration Limits for Certain Restricted Substances in Electrical and Electronic Products."
2. Normative application documents and modifications within the text, including references to testing methods.

The specific details can be viewed for free via our ChemRadar Lawinfo database at:

https://www.chemradar.com/tools/rsdb/detail/dqlkbnuk1iio

Impact

The addition of four new types of phthalates means that China RoHS will fully align with international standards. Going forward, both domestic and export electronics and raw materials will need to comply with the requirements for ten restricted substances. It is recommended that relevant companies prepare appropriate testing plans in response.

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