Home / Supplier test reports: trust, verify, or re-test?

Last reviewed: September 2026 · Copy link

Supplier test reports: trust, verify, or re-test?

Supplier test reports are useful evidence but dangerous as sole proof: they must come from a CPSC-accepted laboratory, describe your exact product and factory, be recent, and be authentic. The documented failures are everywhere: recycled reports from other buyers, altered dates, and reports for a different material batch. Verify before you rely, and re-test when anything important changes.
On this page
The verification checklistThe cost math of verification

The verification checklist

  • Lab acceptance: is the lab CPSC-accepted for those rules, and does the report name it?
  • Product match: photos, model, and materials matching what you actually buy.
  • Freshness: within the window your marketplace or buyer expects (annual for many).
  • Authenticity: report numbers the lab can confirm, consistent fonts and formatting, no copy-paste artifacts.

The cost math of verification

Verification is nearly free (an email to the lab). A rejected marketplace document costs a listing. A customs hold costs weeks. And a non-compliant product in customers’ hands costs the brand. The re-test budget is small compared to any of those outcomes.

Questions people ask

Can I just ask the factory for a declaration?

Declarations help, but declarations without test evidence are assertions. Pair supplier declarations with lab reports you or the supplier commissioned from an accepted lab.

The report is in Chinese. Is that acceptable?

Marketplaces and regulators generally expect English (or a translation you certify). Ask the lab for an English version of the report.

Should I re-test every production run?

Periodic testing rules and marketplace cycles make regular re-testing the norm for active products, with immediate re-testing after any change.

Related guides

How to read a toy test report

A toy test report contains the product details, standard editions, test methods, results, and lab acceptance s…

How to choose a CPSC-accepted testing lab

Your CPC is only as good as its lab. How CPSC lab acceptance works, what to ask before quoting, price ranges, …

CPSIA testing requirements, in plain English

Which CPSIA/CPSC testing rules apply to your children’s product, what third-party testing at a CPSC-accepted l…