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Last reviewed: September 2026 · Copy link
Certificate of conformity vs CPC
The term means different things in different places
Sellers meet “certificate of conformity” in several contexts: the US CPSC system (where the general version is the GCC), the EU and UK (where a Declaration of Conformity accompanies CE/UKCA-marked goods), and various industry-specific schemes. They share an idea — a document in which a responsible party declares compliance with named rules — but they are different documents backed by different rules, and one cannot substitute for another.
If your search brought you here to decide what a children’s product needs, the answer is the CPC. If your product is a bicycle, helmet, mattress, rug, painted furniture, or craft material for general use, you are looking for the GCC.
How a GCC and a CPC differ
- Scope: CPC covers children’s products (12 and under). GCC covers other consumer products that fall under a CPSC rule.
- Testing basis: children’s products always require CPSC-accepted third-party testing. GCC rules vary — some require third-party testing, others allow a reasonable testing program.
- Shared elements: both certificates identify the product, cite each applicable rule, name the certifying party with contact details, and record manufacture and testing dates and places.
- Audience: both are furnished to distributors and retailers, provided to the CPSC on request — and, since the 2026 eFiling rules, their data increasingly travels with customs entries.
Deciding in three questions
- Who is the product for? Primarily children 12 and under → CPC. Otherwise → GCC (if any CPSC rule applies).
- Which rules apply? Product type, materials, and claims determine the rule list — your laboratory confirms it against the test report.
- Who signs it? The importer for imported goods, the domestic manufacturer for US-made goods — the lab never issues it.
Questions people ask
Is a certificate of conformity the same as a CPC?
Not exactly. The CPC is the children’s-product certificate in the US system. “Certificate of conformity” is the broader phrase people use for compliance certificates generally, including the GCC that covers non-children’s products subject to CPSC rules.
Can one certificate work for the US and the EU?
No. US certificates (CPC/GCC) cite US rules and testing. EU/UK declarations of conformity cite European directives and standards. If you sell in both markets, you maintain both documents.
Who issues a certificate of conformity in the US?
The importer certifies imported products and the domestic manufacturer certifies US-made products. Testing laboratories provide the reports the certificate is based on, but the certificate is issued in the certifier’s name.
Where can I generate these certificates?
The free generator on this site produces both document types from the same product data: switch it to CPC for children’s products or GCC for general products, and the correct format and rule presets follow.
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