UKCA Marking for Wooden Toys

Marking a wooden toy for the UK comes up in almost every UK quote request, because the answer changed after the UK left the EU. The evidence behind the mark did not change at all.

Who is responsible in the UK

The duty sits with the person who places the toy on the UK market, and it is not a formality that can be passed down the supply chain.

• The manufacturer designs and produces to the Regulations and provides the test evidence, the risk assessment and the technical documentation.
• The importer checks that the file is complete and that the marking and labelling are correct before the goods go on sale, and holds a copy of the declaration.
• The distributor verifies that the mark and the accompanying documents are present, and must not supply a toy they know to be non-compliant.
• An authorised representative can be appointed for administrative duties where one is required, but the responsibility itself cannot be transferred away.

The UK toy safety file at a glance

UKCA and CE: what actually differs

Substantively, very little. The two routes rest on the same standard, which is why a wooden toy that is compliant for the EU is normally compliant for the UK as well — what changes is the paperwork and the marking.

• The standard is the same. The designated standards for toys are the EN71 series, so one test programme supports both markets.
• The marking differs. UKCA is applied for the UK market; CE is applied for the EU. Where a product goes to both, the two marks are applied as required rather than one replacing the other.
• The declaration differs. A UK declaration names the UK Regulations and the UK importer, so the document has to be reissued rather than reused.
• The importer’s address differs. A toy placed on the UK market has to name a UK-established importer, and the same applies to an EU-established importer for the EU market.

Because the underlying requirements move, we confirm the marking and declaration arrangements in force when an order is placed instead of working from a fixed statement.

What our factory supplies for a UK order

We are a Chinese manufacturer, so we do not sign a UK declaration on our own account — but we produce everything the importer needs to sign one.

• Third-party EN71 test reports for the item and the material combination you order.
• A manufacturer’s declaration naming the standards applied, which our UK customers use as the basis for their own.
• Technical documentation: drawings, the bill of materials, the paint and material specifications, and the production and QC records.
• Marking and labelling artwork produced to your specification, including the importer details you supply.
• FSC chain of custody where FSC stock is specified (certificate ESTS-COC-240650), and BSCI social audit documentation.

The wider market picture, including the UK, US, Canada and Australia, is set out in Wooden Toy Import Requirements. The EU side is on the CE marking page and the standard itself on the EN71 page.

Where UK buyers most often get caught out

• A CE marking held over from the EU. The toy complies, but the declaration still names EU regulations and an EU importer, which does not match the UK market.
• No named UK importer. The marking has to identify a UK-established party, and a distributor who only passes the goods on is not automatically that party.
• A report that predates a change. Paint, board or supplier changes invalidate the basis of the declaration, and UK buyers ask for reports from a recent period.
• Missing risk assessment. A test report does not replace the written risk assessment, and the file is incomplete without one.

Related: CE marking for wooden toys · EN71 for wooden toys · Wooden toy safety standards · OEM wooden toys · Private label wooden toys · Wooden toy manufacturer · Request a quotation