An overview of the federal toy safety standard ASTM F963, its history, recent updates and emerging issues and hazards, as of September 2012.

1. U.S. Consumer Product Safety
Commission
ASTM F963 Toy Standard
2012 CPSC Safety Academy
Bethesda, MD
This presentation was prepared by CPSC staff, has not been reviewed or
approved by, and may not reflect the views of, the Commission.

2. The Basics
• ASTM F963 was adopted as mandatory rule by
CPSC, as required in the Consumer Product Safety
Improvement Act of 2008 (CPSIA)
– Copyright still owned by ASTM-International – copies
must be purchased at www.astm.org
– Read-only copies available for viewing online when
ASTM proposes revisions to CPSC
• F963 is one of the key requirements for children’s
toys but other requirements also apply. (E.g. lead
content, lead in paint, banned phthalates, small parts,
hazardous substances….)

3. History of the Standard
• First version developed by toy industry and
published by the National Bureau of
Standards – 1976
• First version of ASTM F 963 developed by the
American Society for Testing and Materials
(ASTM) –1986
• ASTM F 963- 07e1 adopted as a mandatory
standard by the CPSIA – 2008
• Most recent version (ASTM F 963-11) became
effective June 12, 2012

4. ASTM F 963 - Overview
• Subcommittee members from industry,
consumer groups, government
• Requirements based on injury analysis
• Covers toys for children under 14 years
• Scope excludes products addressed by other
standards
• More than 40 sections of requirements
• Annexes contain information and rationale

5. Scope Overview
• Addresses thermal, electrical, and mechanical
hazards of toys, packaging, and toy chests
• Sections for prevention of choking, lacerations,
strangulation, impalement, suffocation, falls,
burns, poisoning, eye injuries, etc.
• Age Grading: Advice for matching toys to
children of certain ages

6. Where are we now?
September 2011
• 2011 version added:
– Lead requirements aligned with CPSIA
– Heavy elements in substrate
• Compositing Procedure for Total Heavy Metal Analysis
– Cadmium requirements
– Bath toy projections
– Seat overload testing
– Acoustics testing aligned with international
standard
– Elastic tether toys testing
– New figures

7. The Standard Itself
• List of other federal rules for toys
• Definitions
• Requirements
• Test methods
• Guidelines

8. Partial List of Requirements ASTM F963
• Sound-Producing Toys • Wheels, Tires, and Axles
• Battery-Operated Toys • Magnets
• Small Objects • Pacifiers
• Stuffed and Beanbag-type • Balloons
Toys • Projectile Toys
• Projections • Certain Toys with Spherical
• Marbles and Balls Ends
• Folding Mechanisms and • Rattles
Hinges • Teethers and Teething Toys
• Hemispheric-Shaped Objects • Squeeze Toys
• Cords and Elastics in Toys • Toxicology: Heavy Elements in
• Yo-Yo Elastic Tether Toys Paint and Substrate
• Bath Toy Projections
8

9. How To Apply the Standard?
• Age grading:
– matches the attributes of the toy to the capabilities of the child; and
– is used to determine the appropriate tests to which a product must
comply.
• The Commission considers:
– the manufacturer’s labeling on the product, if it is reasonable;
– whether the product is advertised, promoted, and marketed for that
age child;
– whether the product is recognized commonly by consumers as being
intended for that age child; and
– Age Determination Guidelines – September 2002.

10. Examples
• Not All Sections of F963 Apply to Every
Toy
• Some Sections of F963 Require Third Party
Testing, Some Sections Do NOT require
Third Party Testing
• Clear Examples
– Toy Industry Association
• “Gray Area” Examples
– Testing Laboratory: Pratik Ichhaporia, PhD,
Intertek Consumer Goods

11. Third Party Testing Required
Except in the following circumstances:
• Sections that address requirements for labeling,
instructional literature, or producer’s markings;
• Sections that involve assessments that are conducted by
the unaided eye and without any sort of tool or device.
• Sections that pertain to the manufacturing process and
thus, cannot be evaluated meaningfully by a test of the
finished product (e.g., the purified water provision at
section 4.3.6.1); and
• Sections that address food and cosmetics;

12. Where are we going?
New Issues and Emerging Hazards
• Working groups:
– Batteries in toys
Lithium batteries, fire prevention
– Magnets in toys
Magnet strength, flux index, labeling
– Projectile toys
Kinetic energy, improvised projectiles
– Impaction hazards
Nail-shaped hazards
– Emerging hazards
Projection hazards
– Toy Chests

13. Mandatory Standard Revision Process
• ASTM F963 revisions sent to CPSC for
review
• CPSC may reject revisions within 90 days
• Unless rejected, changes become
mandatory 180 days after proposal
• CPSC rejected removal of toy chest section
from ASTM F963-08, so ASTM F963-07e1
toy chest requirements remain in use with
ASTM F963-08

14. Thank You
Panelists:
Moderator:
Jonathan Midgett, PhD, CPSC
Neal S. Cohen jmidgett@cpsc.gov
Small Business
Ombudsman, CPSC Alan Kaufman & Joan Lawrence,
ncohen@cpsc.gov Toy Industry Association
akaufman@toyassociation.org
Twitter
@CPSCSmallBiz jlawrence@toyassociation.org
Nancy Cowles, KIDS in Danger
www.slideshare.net/USCPSC nancy@kidsindanger.org
www.cpsc.gov/Toysafety
Pratik Ichhaporia, PhD, Intertek
www.cpsc.gov/GettingStarted Consumer Goods
www.cpsc.gov/SmallBiz
pratik.ichhaporia@intertek.com