Application for EU REACH chemical testing of home appliance circuit boards
Date：2026-01-06 09:43:23 Classification
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The implementation of REACH has had a significant impact on the electrical and electronic industries. To comply with REACH, manufacturers and suppliers of electrical and electronic products must identify and control hazardous substances in their products, especially Substances of Very High Concern (SVHCs) and substances restricted under REACH.
I. Core REACH Testing Process for Home Appliance Circuit Boards (5 Steps)
Step 1: Defining the Testing Scope and Standards
Home appliance circuit boards require close monitoring of SVHCs (Substances of Very High Concern) under the REACH regulation (updated to 251 substances as of January 2026). Key testing targets include:
| Circuit Board Components | Hazardous Substances | Limit Requirements
| Solder | Lead (Pb), Cadmium (Cd), Hexavalent Chromium (Cr⁶⁺) | ≤0.1% (by weight)
| Solder Resistance/Coating | Phthalate Esters (DEHP, DBP), Flame Retardants (HBCD) | ≤0.1%
| Substrate (FR-4 Epoxy Resin) | Bisphenol A (BPA), Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) | ≤0.1%
| Electronic Component Pins | Nickel Emissions, Antimony (Sb) | Nickel ≤0.5μg/cm²/week
Key Standard: Must comply with EC Appendix XVII of Regulation 1907/2006 restricts substances, and the latest SVHC list (including hexamethyldisilazane, etc., added by 2025).
Step 2: Material Separation and Sample Preparation
1. Mandatory Separation Principle:
Substances are categorized into three types based on material: metallic components (leads, copper foil), non-metallic components (substrate, coating, plastic inserts), and mixed components (solder joints). These cannot be tested together as a whole (as this can easily lead to low-risk materials masking high-risk substances).
Example: A circuit board contains "green solder resist + FR-4 substrate + tin-lead solder," requiring separate testing of the three types of samples.
2. Sample Requirements:
Provide 3-5 complete circuit boards (covering all colors/batch), or separate components of each material from a single board (≥10g of each material type).
A BOM (Bill of Materials) must be submitted, specifying key information such as solder brand and solder resist type (to facilitate accurate risk identification by the testing agency).
Step 3: Select a Compliant Testing Organization
Qualification Requirements: Must be an ECHA-accredited third-party laboratory (such as Dezeway Testing). Domestic laboratories must have CNAS accreditation (registration number can be verified on the CNAS website).
Comparison of Organization Advantages:
| Organization Type | Advantages | Timeframe | Cost Range
| Domestic Organization (Dezeway) | Efficient communication, provides bilingual (English and Chinese) technical support | 5-7 days | ¥1000-2500
Step 4: Laboratory Testing and Key Indicators
The testing organization will conduct tests according to the following process, focusing on simulating high-temperature operating scenarios for circuit boards:
1. Pretreatment:
Non-metallic materials: Ultrasonic extraction with methanol (simulating high-temperature release from solder) to test soluble heavy metals.
Metallic materials: Immersion in 0.1mol/L hydrochloric acid (simulating acidic corrosion) to test nickel release.
2. Core Testing Items:
SVHC Full Screening: 242 substances were detected using GC-MS (Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry), with a detection limit of 0.001%.
Quantitative Analysis of Key Substances: Lead in solder and phthalates in coatings were separately quantified to ensure they did not exceed the 0.1% limit.
Separation Verification: If mixed testing revealed excessive SVHC levels, further separation to specific components (such as solder resist or substrate) was required to pinpoint the source.
Step 5: Report Acquisition and Compliance Declaration
1. Report Content Requirements: The report must include a detailed breakdown of materials, the detection values of each substance, a comparison of limits, and clearly state "Complies with REACH Regulation (EC 1907/2006)".
2. Subsequent Obligations:
If the SVHC content is >0.1% and the annual import volume is ≥1 ton, an SVHC notification must be submitted to ECHA (the deadline for notification is 6 months after the substance is listed).
Reports and technical documents must be kept for at least 10 years, as EU customs may conduct random inspections (in 2024, a company was fined €20,000 for failing to provide a report from three years prior).
II. Common Failure Points and Rectification Solutions
| Failure Scenario | Root Cause Analysis | Rectification Suggestions
| Excessive Lead Content in Solder (0.15%) | Use of Solder Paste with Lead Content > 0.1% | Replace with Lead-Free Solder (e.g., Sn99.3Cu0.7 Alloy)
| Excessive Phthalate Content in Solder Resistance | Use of DEHP Plasticizer in Coating | Switch to Environmentally Friendly Plasticizer (e.g., DINP)
| Excessive Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Substrate | Insufficient Purity of Epoxy Resin Raw Materials | Replace with High-Purity FR-4 Substrate (e.g., Nan Ya Plastics, Taiwan)
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