On August 1, 2025, the National Standardization Administration (SAC) announced the approved and the publication of GB 26572-2025 Requirements for restricted use of hazardous substances in electrical and electronic products (Hereinafter referred to as “the RoHS Standard”), meaning the mandatory China RoHS standard has eventually been finalized for implementation.
It is drafted in accordance with the requirements of the 14th Five-Year Industrial Green Development Plan issued by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) in November of 2021. Most importantly, once it is implemented on August 1 of 2027, the RoHS Standard will replace GB/T 26572-2011, and it is also expected to mitigate the confusion of the international community regarding practice and implementation of current China RoHS 2.0 system, as the current major supportive standards are voluntary national standard GB/T 26572-2011 (and its amendments) and a sector standard on labelling (SJ/T 11364).
Comparing with GB/T 26572-2011, besides terms and definition adjustments, the RoHS Standard mainly contains following changes:
- Added classification of electrical and electronic products (EEP), and requirements for restricted use of hazardous substances in Chapter 4.
- Added labelling requirements in Chapter 6.
- Deleted the Annex A of GB/T 20572-2011 regarding the EEP disjointment.
The RoHS Standard continue to put strict limits on 10 toxic chemicals in EEP with following limit values:
Substance name | Abbreviation | CAS No.* | Limit Value/ (Mass Fraction) |
Lead | Pb | 7439 - 92 - 1 | ≤0.1% |
Mercury | Hg | 7439 - 97 - 6 | ≤0.1% |
Cadmium | Cd | 7440 - 43 - 9 | ≤0.01% |
Hexavalent Chromium | Cr (VI) or Cr⁶⁺ | 18540 - 29 - 9 | ≤0.1% |
Polybrominated Biphenyls | PBBs | ---- | ≤0.1% |
Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers | PBDEs | ---- | ≤0.1% |
Dibutyl Phthalate | DBP | 84 - 74 - 2 | ≤0.1% |
Diisobutyl Phthalate | DIBP | 84 - 69 - 5 | ≤0.1% |
Butyl Benzyl Phthalate | BBP | 85 - 68 - 7 | ≤0.1% |
Bis(2-ethylhexyl) Phthalate | DEHP | 117 - 81 - 7 | ≤0.1% |
* CAS No.: Registration number assigned to chemical substances by the Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS) of the United States. | |||
The implementation of the RoHS Standard includes a two-year transition period and a one-year grace period for products manufactured or imported before the effective date.
Its implementation strengthens China’s RoHS framework by addressing regulatory gaps, enforcing robust environmental safeguards, and promoting a green transformation of the industry. The move is also poised to enhance the global influence of Chinese standards and products.
For foreign stakeholders, it is advised to:
· Conduct advance product testing and comprehensive supply chain screening.
· Optimize product design to promote the use of environmentally friendly material alternatives.
· Stay updated on standard implementation guidelines and subsequent catalog updates to adjust compliance strategies in a timely manner.
In addition, it is also worth noting that, there was statement/indication in the previous drafts of the RoHS Standard that it might also replace the labelling sector standard SJ/T 11364, but the final version does not mention or use SJ/T 11364 as a normative reference. The labelling requirements in SJ/T 11364-2024 shall not contradict with the RoHS Standard, but the fact that it stays effective may need relevant manufacturers to evaluate the details and be aware that SJ/T 11364-2024 may still stay a very significant standard for the China RoHS 2.0.
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