Home / How to get a CPC certificate, step by step
Last reviewed: September 2026 · Copy link
How to get a CPC certificate, step by step
Use the free generator right here
No account, no upload: the certificate is built in your browser and saved to your local vault.
Step 1: Confirm the rules that apply
Children’s products must meet every CPSC rule that covers them: the toy safety standard for toys, lead and phthalates limits, small parts for products for children under 3, flammability for textiles, and tracking labels for all of them. Your laboratory or a compliance consultant can confirm the final list for your specific product.
Step 2: Test at a CPSC-accepted laboratory
Children’s products require third-party testing: an in-house factory test does not count. Get quotes from two or three CPSC-accepted labs, send production-representative samples, and ask the lab to cite the exact rules in the report. Typical turnaround is one to three weeks.
Step 3: Issue the certificate from the test report
- Use the free generator below and copy the details straight from the report: lab, report number, test dates, and place of testing.
- Add the manufacturing details: who made it, where, and when.
- Issue the certificate as the importer (imported goods) or domestic manufacturer (US-made goods).
Step 4 and 5: Store and re-visit
Keep the CPC and the test report together for at least five years, and re-test whenever the design, sourcing, or production process changes or after a long production gap. The vault stores each certificate with its test date and flags retests automatically.
Questions people ask
Can the lab issue the CPC for me?
Some labs prepare a draft as a courtesy, but the certificate is legally issued by the importer or domestic manufacturer. Either way, you are responsible for its accuracy.
Is there a government fee for a CPC?
No. The CPSC does not charge for issuing a CPC, and there is no central registry. You create and keep the document yourself.
How long does the whole process take?
Testing dominates the timeline: one to three weeks at most labs. Once you have the report, the certificate itself takes minutes.
Do I need to renew the certificate?
The document does not expire, but the testing behind it goes stale: rule updates, product changes, sourcing changes, and production gaps all trigger retesting, and marketplaces expect recent reports.
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