Mechanical & physical safety
Assessment of accessible features and product behaviour during normal and foreseeable use.
- Small parts and sharp points
- Drop, torque, tension and impact
- Entrapment, cords and projectiles
Safety starts with intended use
A toy is more than its materials. It is an interaction between product, child and use.
The strongest programmes begin with the age group and play pattern, then connect each foreseeable hazard to the correct test method.
We review construction, accessible parts, coatings, batteries, packaging and instructions before fixing the scope. This makes the resulting evidence more relevant and reduces gaps between laboratory testing and real product use.
- Typical products
- Plush, plastic, wooden, electronic and activity toys
- Risk focus
- Choking, entrapment, sharp points, chemicals and ignition
- Scope drivers
- Age grade, materials, power source and intended play
- Useful evidence
- Technical files, buyer review and market compliance
The safety orbit
Four questions define a credible toy assessment.
Instead of treating tests as separate items, we connect age, materials, interaction and environment into one risk picture.
Age grading0–33–88+
Safe playintended + foreseeable use
01Who uses it?Age and ability
02What is accessible?Parts and surfaces
03What is it made of?Materials and coatings
04How can it fail?Wear and misuse
Testing coverage
The critical safety layers, covered together.
A programme may combine physical, chemical, flammability and powered-toy requirements. The applicable clauses depend on age grade and construction.
Chemical safety
Targeted checks on materials, coatings and accessible components against applicable restrictions.
- Element migration
- Phthalates and restricted substances
- Coatings and surface materials
Flammability behaviour
Evaluation of ignition and flame-spread characteristics for relevant materials and product types.
- Textiles and costumes
- Soft-filled products
- Hair, piles and decorative elements
Electrical & battery safety
Additional checks for powered, rechargeable, sound-emitting or connected play products.
- Battery accessibility
- Temperature and abnormal operation
- Wiring and charging functions
Standards & requirements
EU / UK
United States
International
Standards selected by market, age grade and toy type.
We identify the applicable edition and product-specific clauses before the laboratory programme is fixed.
EN 71 series
Mechanical and physical properties, flammability, migration of certain elements and applicable specialist parts.
ASTM F963 & CPSIA
Product safety requirements, lead, phthalates, tracking information and supporting CPSC obligations.
ISO 8124 series
International toy-safety framework used directly or as the technical basis for regional requirements.
A controlled laboratory path
From product definition to usable evidence.
Each phase has a clear decision point, helping prevent unnecessary tests and avoid ambiguity in the final report.
- 01Define
Map requirements
Confirm intended use, variants, market, standard and documentation needs.
- 02Prepare
Fix the configuration
Agree representative samples, accessories, ratings and operating modes.
- 03Verify
Run the programme
Complete the agreed checks and communicate material findings as they arise.
- 04Evidence
Issue the report
Organise conclusions and results for engineering or market-access use.
Representative work
Different toys, different risk priorities.
Examples of how testing can be structured around different products, configurations and market objectives.
Plastic construction
EN 71 safety programme
Mechanical use testing combined with material and coating assessment for a multi-part toy range.
Soft-filled products
US children's product evidence
Seam strength, small-parts review, flammability and restricted-substance checks prepared for buyer review.
Electronic play
Multi-market powered toy scope
Physical and material testing integrated with battery-access and abnormal-operation checks.
Start with the right scope
Contact the testing team
Build the test plan from the age grade—not after the sample arrives.
Share the product specification, target market and any existing reports. We will help define the next practical testing step.