The China Compulsory Certificate mark, commonly known as CCC Mark, is a compulsory safety mark for many products imported, sold or used in the Chinese market. It became implemented on May 1, 2002 and fully effective on August 1, 2003.
It is the result of the integration of China's two previous compulsory inspection systems, namely "CCIB" (Safety Mark, introduced in 1989 and required for products in 47 product categories) and "CCEE" (also known as "Great Wall" Mark, for electrical commodities in 7 product categories), into a single procedure.
Applicable products
The CCC mark is required for both domestically manufactured products and products imported into China. There is a catalogue of CCC-compulsory products. To clarify if a product must be certified, it is also helpful to look at the GB Standard of the product. The catalogue contains among other products:
Electrical wires and cables
Switches for circuits, Installation protective and connection devices
Low-voltage Electrical Apparatus
Small Power motors
Electric tools
Welding machines
Household and similar electrical appliances
Audio and video apparatus
Information technology equipment
Lighting apparatus
Telecommunication terminal equipment
Motor vehicles and Safety parts
Motor vehicle tires
Safety Glasses
Agricultural Machinery
Latex Products
Medical Devices
Fire Fighting Equipment
Detectors for Intruder Alarm Systems
Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) systems
Toys
Administration
The CCC mark is administered by the CNCA (Certification and Accreditation Administration). The China Quality Certification Centre (CQC) is designated by CNCA to process CCC mark applications and defines the products that need CCC.
The certification process usually takes between 4-8 months and includes the following steps:
Submission of an application and supporting materials
Type Testing. A CNCA-designated test laboratory in China will test product samples
Factory Inspection. CQC will send representatives to inspect the manufacturing facilities
Evaluation of the results
Approval of the CCC Certificate (or failure and retesting)
Annual Follow-up Factory Inspections by Chinese officials
Follow-Up Certification
The CCC certificate and permission of printing the CCC mark must be renewed annually as part of a follow-up certification. Part of the follow-up certification is also a one-day factory audit. The proceedings of the follow-up certification are comparable with those of the initial certification, but overall much shorter, simpler and associated with a lower cost. No further product testing in China is typically requested and the audit will be kept compact.
Probability of Success
The success of the certification depends on diligently following Chinese regulations. The results of product testing and factory inspection are checked by Chinese authorities and will be accurately compared with previously submitted forms. In case of errors or faults the certification is denied or delayed.
In the case of rejection of the CCC certification you will be issued the certification report which reveals the reasons for the rejection. A renewed application of tests and audits is possible, but involves additional costs and waiting periods.
