EN71 for Wooden Toys
EN71 is the standard most EU wooden toy orders are tested against. This page explains what each part covers, what the report proves, and where the limits of that report are.
What the three core parts mean for a wooden toy
Almost every wooden toy order is judged on the same three questions, and each maps to one part of the standard.
- Can it hurt a child mechanically? EN71-1. Small parts, sharp edges, points, entrapment, folding parts, and for a ride-on toy, the load and the stability.
- Does anything on it burn faster than it should? EN71-2. Mostly a short section on a plain wooden toy, longer where there is fabric, cord or decoration.
- Can anything migrate out of it? EN71-3. This is the part that governs the paint, the ink and any coating on a printed panel.
The tests are applied to the item as sold, at the age grade it is sold at. A puzzle for a two-year-old and the same puzzle for a four-year-old are not the same test programme.
The EN71 parts that apply to wooden toys
| EN71-1 | Mechanical and physical properties: small parts, sharp edges and points, cords, folding and hinged parts, stability, and the load a ride-on toy has to carry. |
|---|---|
| EN71-2 | Flammability: the rate at which a material burns. For a wooden toy this is usually a short section, but it applies to textiles, cords and any decorated surface. |
| EN71-3 | Migration of certain elements: how much of a restricted element can migrate out of the material or the coating, tested in a simulated stomach-acid solution. |
| EN71-9, -10, -11 | Organic chemical compounds: requirements in the material, the analysis methods, and sample preparation. Relevant to painted and coated wooden parts. |
| EN71-13 | Olfactory board games, cosmetic kits and taste games. Not usually relevant to a wooden toy range, but it decides the route if the item is a scented one. |
| EN71-14 | Trampolines. Listed for completeness rather than because it applies here. |
What a test report covers — and what it does not
This is the single most common misunderstanding in a document pack, on both sides of the purchase order.
- A report covers one item and one material combination. Change the paint, the board or the wood and the report no longer describes the product being shipped.
- A report is not a certificate. It is a laboratory record of a test performed on samples submitted on a date, and it says so on the front page.
- A report does not cover production. If the paint changes at the painting line, the report is silent about it. That is what production QC and material control are for.
- A report is date-bound. Buyers increasingly ask for reports from the last twelve months, and the answer depends on when the item was last tested.
How we keep the report valid in production
A report is only useful if production keeps matching it, so the controls sit on the line rather than in the file.
- Paint control. Water-based paint formulated for the EN71-3 migration limits, applied on the automatic line, with incoming batch records kept per delivery.
- Material control. Wood and board specifications are held per item, and FSC stock is separated where it is specified.
- Edge control. Sanding runs to two or three rounds, and finished parts are checked for sharp edges before packing.
- Small-parts control. Items sold under three years are checked against the small-parts cylinder during QC, not only at sampling.
What you receive with an order
EN71 test reports for the item and the material combination ordered, a manufacturer’s Declaration of Conformity naming the standard parts applied, and the material and paint specifications that sit behind the report. Where an importer needs a specific report reference for their own technical file, we can name it on the invoice documents.
EN71 is one part of the picture: see CE marking for the EU obligations, ASTM F963 for the US and wooden toy safety standards for the comparison.
Related: CE marking for wooden toys · Wooden toy safety standards · EN71 test reports · OEM wooden toys · Private label wooden toys · Wooden toy manufacturer · Request a quotation
Frequently asked questions
Which EN71 parts do our wooden toys need?
For most wooden toys: EN71-1, EN71-2 and EN71-3. Further parts apply depending on the material and the product type, and we confirm the applicable set per item before testing.
Does one EN71 report cover a whole range?
No. A report covers one item and one material combination. Items that share a design and a material specification can sometimes be covered together, but a different paint or a different board starts a new report.
Is EN71 the same as CE marking?
No. EN71 is the standard; CE marking is the declaration that the toy meets the Toy Safety Directive, which is demonstrated in practice by testing to the harmonised standards. See the CE marking page for the legal side.
Who carries out the testing?
EN71 reports are issued by third-party laboratories. We submit samples and hold the reports per item; the laboratory is independent of the factory.
Do you provide the paint and material specifications?
Yes. The paint specification, the material specification and the incoming batch records sit behind the test report and are part of the documentation pack for an order.
What changes would invalidate an existing report?
A change of paint, ink, board, wood species or a supplier change on a coated part. In practice anything that changes what the sample was made from.
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