A Children's Product Certificate (CPC) is a written certification issued by the U.S. manufacturer or importer that a children's product (age 12 & under) complies with applicable CPSC rules. It is required for children's products subject to one or more CPSC-enforced rules, and testing must be performed by a CPSC-accepted third-party laboratory. Adult general-use products need a GCC, not a CPC.

No. This tool only prepares a draft from your manual entries. The CPC is legally issued and signed by the certifying party (the U.S. manufacturer or importer). Testing laboratories, including CPSC-accepted ones, never "issue" the CPC — they only supply test data.

Yes. Unlike a GCC, a CPC requires the product to be tested by a CPSC-accepted third-party laboratory for compliance with all applicable children's product rules. The laboratory identification is a required CPC element. This tool does not perform, arrange, or verify testing — it only structures the certificate draft.

The form asks for intended user age. If the product is primarily intended for children 12 & under, prepare a CPC (this tool). If it is an adult general-use product, use the GCC tool instead. This tool does not determine regulatory status for you — see CPSC Age Determination Guidelines (16 CFR part 1200).

Yes. The CPC must be issued by a U.S. manufacturer or the U.S. importer of record. Foreign manufacturers must have a U.S.-based entity (subsidiary, distributor, or the importer of record) serve as the certifying party. Customs brokers and freight forwarders cannot act as the certifier — they only transmit data on behalf of the IOR.

CPSC requires supporting records (test reports, reasonable testing program docs) for 5 years from the date the CPC is created. This tool does not store your data; download and archive the draft yourself.

No. CPSC does not require filing the PDF. Since July 8, 2026, all formal import entries for CPSC-regulated products must transmit certificate data through CPSC eFiling (ACE/PGA message). This tool only outputs a draft for your review — it is not connected to CBP or CPSC systems and does not transmit any data.

A CPC is a legal self-declaration, not marketing copy. An AI can hallucinate rule numbers or misclassify product categories. This tool takes the opposite approach: applicable rules are computed from a fixed, manually maintained rule dataset aligned with the CPSC children's product framework. All fields — product identification, applicable rules, third-party test references, certifying party, and laboratory identification — must be entered, reviewed, and confirmed by you or your U.S. Importer of Record before use.

CPC vs GCC depends on fact-specific elements: intended age, product use, packaging and marketing claims, and applicable mandatory standard. Those facts must be determined from your actual product, labeling, and sales context — not guessed. This tool prepares a draft for review only; the compliance call stays with the certifying party and their responsible compliance owner.

Not necessarily. A CPC is only required if the product is 'designed or intended primarily for children 12 years of age or younger.' If your product is genuinely intended for adult collectors (14+), it is not a children's product under CPSC rules — you should not issue a CPC. Instead, work with your broker to file with a 'CPSC Disclaimed — not a children's product, intended for adult collectors' instruction, or use the GCC tool if the product falls under a general consumer product rule. The intended age determination should be based on packaging, marketing, product dimensions, and safety warnings — not solely on the HTS code. This tool prepares CPC drafts only; it does not determine intended age for you.