On June 18, 2026, SAC/TC114 (Road Vehicles), through its Subcommittee SC19 (Complete Vehicles) called for comments on the draft of the voluntary national standard 20262265-T-339 Requirements for restricted use of hazardous substances in road vehicle. The draft, which replaces GB/T 30512-2014 Requirements for prohibited substances on automobiles, will be open for feedback until August 17, 2026. Stakeholders and experts are invited to submit their comments to the secretariat, the China Automotive Technology and Research Center Co., Ltd. (CATARC) .

While it remains voluntary in nature, it carries substantial regulatory weight. Since 2016, GB/T 30512-2014 has been directly referenced by the Management Requirements for Hazardous Substances and Recyclability in Automobiles issued by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) and by the Certification and Accreditation Administration’s Compulsory Product Certification Implementation Rules for Automobiles (CNCA-C11-01:2020). These references effectively make compliance with this standard a de facto requirement for vehicle type approval and market access in China.

The revised draft extends the standard’s applicability. While the 2014 version applied strictly to M1 passenger vehicles, the new draft now explicitly covers both M1 and N1 vehicles (light commercial vehicles), with other vehicle types permitted to follow it as a reference. This expansion aligns China’s domestic management with the trend seen in the European Union’s updated End-of-Life Vehicles (ELV) regulations, aiming to gradually bring commercial vehicles into the hazardous substance control system.

Compared to the 2014 version, the draft introduces several significant changes:

Ÿ   Expanded Substance List: The original six restricted substances—lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, PBBs, and PBDEs—have been expanded to eleven categories. Newly added substances include asbestos, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), short-chain and medium-chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs and MCCPs), the ultraviolet absorber UV-328, and four phthalates (DBP, DIBP, BBP, and DEHP).

Ÿ   New Limit Values: Specific limit values have been set for the new substances. For example, UV-328 is limited to ≤1 mg/kg, SCCPs to ≤1,500 mg/kg, and MCCPs to ≤1,000 mg/kg. The limit for asbestos is “not detectable” as per the defined testing method.

Ÿ   Revised Limit for Hexavalent Chromium: For metallic coatings, the limit has been changed from a weight percentage to a surface density limit of ≤0.13 μg/cm², aligning with international methods such as IEC 62321 Determination of certain substances in electrotechnical products.

Ÿ   Updated Exemption List: The draft removes the old open-ended exemption clause and provides a structured exemption list (Appendix B), including specific expiry dates. Notably, UV-328 is granted a grace period until August 4, 2030, for both M1 and N1 vehicles. Considering that N1 vehicles are subject to these requirements for the first time, their exemption expiry dates are generally set two years later than those for M1 vehicles.

Ÿ   New Testing Methods: The standard introduces dedicated testing protocols for newly added substances, including specific sample preparation methods for SCCPs, MCCPs, and UV-328, tailored to automotive materials.

For international stakeholders, the proposal merits attention. While the standard is recommended, its citation in the relevant regulation and CCC certification rules gives it real regulatory force. The expansion to N1 vehicles, new substance controls, and alignment with EU exemption timelines all point to China moving closer to global norms. Foreign manufacturers may want to monitor the final version and assess impacts on their China portfolios.