On January 28th, 2026, european committee for standardization (CEN) officially released the new version of toy safety standard EN 71-1:2026. This standard will replace the current standard EN 71-1:2014+A1:2018, and it is expected to become the harmonized standard of the EU Toy Safety Directive 2009/48/EC after being published in the Official Gazette of the European Union (OJEU).
As the core access basis of toys exported to the EU, EN 71-1 standard focuses on controlling the mechanical physical properties of toys. Its core goal is to ensure that toys will not harm children due to mechanical and physical properties problems under normal use and foreseeable and reasonable abuse scenarios, and directly determine whether products can legally enter the EU market. The revision of the new standard not only adjusted a number of test requirements, but also added a number of control clauses for high-risk categories. All toy enterprises exported to Europe should attach great importance to it and arrange compliance responses in advance to avoid market access risks.
Critical time node
-July 31, 2026: EU member states should adopt EN 71-1:2026 as the new national standard by this date at the latest;
-July 31, 2027: The old national standards previously implemented by member countries that conflict with the EN 71-1:2026 standard will all be abolished before this date at the latest.
Interpretation of major changes in the new standard
01 Definitions
At the beginning of the new standard, a number of key terms were clarified and added, which laid a more rigorous foundation for subsequent technical requirements and testing. A number of subdivision definitions (such as monorail and multi-rail riding toys) are added under overflow, latex balloon, reference box, soft material, toy box and riding toys, so as to clarify the product ownership and applicable terms, help manufacturers and testing institutions make accurate judgments, and effectively avoid compliance disputes caused by vague concepts.
02 Expanding Materials
For toy materials that may cause suffocation or intestinal obstruction in children due to water absorption or thermal expansion, the new standard revised the test requirements and introduced the requirement of using an expanded toy template with a diameter of 20mm for testing. If the expansion parts can pass the template completely, it will be judged as unqualified, which will directly affect the design of water-activated toys, expansion toys and other products, and build a suffocation risk defense line from the testing level.
03 Enclosures
The new standard updates and clarifies the ventilation requirements for closed spaces where children's heads can enter (such as toy boxes, tents, space hoods, etc.), which not only clarifies the area, quantity and distribution requirements of ventilation openings, but also adds corresponding testing methods to verify whether the ventilation is effective. At the same time, the test method for the opening force of closing parts (such as doors and lids) of toys accessible to children is added to ensure that children can easily open from the inside even if they are trapped, and to prevent the risk of suffocation.
04 Ride-on Toys
This is one of the most changed chapters in this revision, and the whole part has been rewritten, mainly as follows:
1, the balance car and other new riding toys will be formally included in the scope of standard control, and formulate targeted technical requirements;
2. Introduce a number of new or revised test methods to verify the structural reliability and use safety of riding toys in an all-round way, so as to prevent safety accidents caused by structural failure during use. Mainly includes:
◆ Handle bar impact test: simulate the strength of the handle bar during collision.
◆ Braking performance test: stricter performance requirements are put forward for the braking system of children's bicycles.
◆ Strength test of scooter steering tube: ensure the reliability of folding or adjustable steering tube under stress.
◆ Safety of handlebar riser and seat tube: the tightness test of the insertion depth mark of handlebar riser and the strength requirement of seat tube (seat pillar) are added to prevent sudden sinking or falling off during use.
05 Projectiles
The test method and judgment standard of projectile are clarified and refined, and the judgment method of projectile impact end and adjacent corners of energy storage ejection toys (such as toy guns) is supplemented. At the same time, it is clear that the chamfering requirements of the impact end of such projectiles are not applicable to slingshots "non-energy-storage ejection toys", which realizes the differentiated and accurate control of different types of ejection toys and makes the compliance judgment more targeted.
06 Food-imitating Toys
This is an important new content of this revision. For the first time, toys that are easily confused with real food are explicitly included in the standard control, and a two-step method of "visual inspection+sensory inspection" is established to identify and control the risks of such toys.
◆ The first link: visual inspection. If the toy or its components are highly similar to the real food/beverage in shape, color, volume and size, and there is a risk of confusion among children, it will enter the next stage of evaluation;
◆ The second link: sensory examination. If the toy also has one or more additional attributes of food, such as smell, touch and taste, it will be judged as a high-risk food-like toy.
Core requirements: once it is judged as a food-like toy, all its accessible parts must pass the small part test to ensure that the product will not cause suffocation hazard even if it is eaten by children. This requirement will directly affect the design of products such as candy toys, food-shaped erasers or kneading music.
07 Yo-yo balls
The test of elastic coefficient K of elastic rope yo-yo is clearly defined: if the rope breaks during the test, it is judged that the product meets the standard requirements. This regulation clearly defines the judgment boundary for the safety test of elastic rope yo-yo, unifies the industry test judgment standard, and eliminates the result dispute caused by the difference of test operation mode.
08 Neck Straps
The new standard adds new functional requirements for children's clothing or the belt that may wrap around the neck on toy accessories. After completing the "separation structure test" (that is, testing the force of buttons, snap fasteners and other connectors that can be separated in an emergency), the separated parts must be reconnected. This rule avoids the risk that the belt will form an independent closed loop after accidental separation from the source, and then wrap around the child's neck, and builds a safe line of defense around the neck from the details.
09 Toys for Children Under 36 Months
Aiming at the high-risk group of young children, the new standard has made two key adjustments to the test method:
1. Exemption of small parts: sand is clearly listed as an exemption item of small parts, that is, even if the sand contained in the toy can be completely contained in the small parts cylinder, it is not regarded as an illegal small part, which is more in line with the actual use of sand toys.
2. Abuse test update: The new standard clearly stipulates that wooden parts glued to other materials need to be soaked before the abuse test such as tensile force, so as to simulate the real state of children after chewing for a long time and ensure the reliability of the test results.
10 Warnings and Instructions
The format and content of toy warning language are unified and refined, mainly including:
1. Location of the word "warning": When using the age warning icon, it is explicitly required that the word "warning" must be located before the icon.
2. Add graphic symbols: For riding toys, the standard adds a graphic symbol option indicating "protective equipment needs to be worn" (such as helmet, knee pads and elbow pads), and puts forward requirements for its use and maintenance, so that the safety tips are more intuitive and not limited by language.
Corporate compliance advice
1. Start gap analysis: immediately compare the existing product design with the new requirements of EN 71-1:2026, and identify potential nonconformities, especially for key categories such as ride-on toys, food-like toys, and expanded material toys.
2. Pay attention to high-risk points: In the design stage, carefully handle toys with real food appearance to ensure that they will not cause children to eat by mistake because of their shape, color and smell. At the same time, check the structural strength and braking performance of all riding toys to avoid safety risks from the design source.
3. Update the label file: according to the requirements of the new standard, comprehensively check and update the packaging, labels and instructions of the products to ensure that the use and location of warning words and newly added graphic symbols conform to the regulations.
4. Do a good job in compliance: Although the new standard has not been published in the Official Gazette of the European Union, it is expected to be completed soon. Enterprises should make full use of the transition period, integrate the requirements of new standards into the product development and testing process as soon as possible, and ensure that products can still enter the EU market smoothly after the mandatory conversion of standards in 2027.
Warm tips
The release of EU EN 71-1:2026 is both a challenge and an opportunity for toy enterprises exported to Europe! If enterprises implement compliance requirements in time during the transition period, they can not only avoid export risks, but also promote the upgrading of product design and quality control and enhance their core competitiveness in the EU market. The transition period is limited. ZRLK suggests that relevant enterprises pay close attention to it, act in time, and complete all compliance procedures in advance to ensure that products enter the EU market in compliance! Our company has a professional technical team and rich experience in product testing, which can help enterprises enter the target market in compliance with regulations. If you need it, please feel free to contact us, and our engineers will serve you at the first time!
