Frequently asked questions

3D CertHub helps small 3D-printing businesses understand and manage UK toy compliance. We arrange independent EN71-3 testing for filament and components, and we build the CertHub Technical File app to help you organise your risk assessment, testing, material evidence and records in one place.

We're makers ourselves — read our story for the full background.

We're a BSI Member, giving us direct access to the standards our work relies on, and we have a Primary Authority Partnership with the Heart of the South West Trading Standards Service, giving us assured, tailored regulatory advice.

Neither relationship means BSI or Trading Standards has tested, certified or approved any individual product we sell. See our full explanation of what each one actually means.

No. Our certificates provide chemical material evidence to support your own assessment, and the app helps you organise your compliance work — but neither one takes over your legal responsibility as the manufacturer. You remain responsible for your product, its testing, your evidence, your decisions and your Declaration of Conformity.

Under the Toys (Safety) Regulations 2011, a toy is a product designed or intended, whether exclusively or not, for use in play by children under 14. A product can also be decorative, collectable or intended for display and still count as a toy if it's been designed or intended for children to play with.

See our full guide: Is it a toy?

No, not by itself. A product that looks, functions and is marketed like a children's toy is unlikely to become an adult collectible simply because a "14+" label or a "not a toy" disclaimer has been added.

What matters is the product as a whole — its design, play features, marketing, packaging and presentation — not a single word on the listing.

No. A simple decorative keyring may genuinely be an accessory, but adding a keyring attachment to an articulated character doesn't remove that character's play value. "Fidget" isn't a separate legal exemption either — a product designed to be clicked, moved or repeatedly handled may still have a play purpose.

Each product needs its own classification decision, recorded with the reasons behind it.

If the product has obvious play value and you can't confidently justify why it's not intended for children under 14, the safer route is to treat it as a toy and complete the applicable compliance process. For an unusual or borderline product, consider seeking specific advice from your local Trading Standards service before placing it on the market.

UKCA stands for UK Conformity Assessed. The mark indicates that the manufacturer has assessed the product against the applicable Great Britain product safety requirements and takes responsibility for its conformity.

It is not a quality award, a certificate purchased for the finished toy, government approval, or proof that Trading Standards has inspected the product. You must complete the applicable conformity assessment process and hold the supporting evidence before applying it.

Full explanation: Understand UKCA and EN71.

Yes. If you make the toy and sell it under your own name or brand, you're the manufacturer — even if you bought the digital model from a designer, use filament made by another company, or someone else printed part of the product for you.

A designer, filament manufacturer or testing laboratory may provide information and evidence, but they don't take over your responsibility for the finished toy you place on the market.

No. The Toys (Safety) Regulations set the legal requirements. Designated standards like EN71 provide recognised technical methods you can use to help demonstrate those requirements have been met — correctly following one can give a presumption of conformity for what it covers.

That doesn't remove your responsibility to decide which requirements apply, assess risks the standard doesn't fully cover, and keep records of everything.

EN71-1 covers mechanical and physical properties (small parts, sharp edges, strength of joints, and similar). EN71-2 covers flammability. EN71-3 covers the migration of certain regulated elements from accessible materials.

They test different things — passing one doesn't mean the toy has passed all three.

No. A toy that's clearly designed for children under three can't use an age warning simply to avoid the requirements for that age group. Age grading should be based on the product's design, function, play value and foreseeable users — not just your preferred market.

Many ordinary mechanical and flammability assessments can be completed and documented by you, where you have the correct information, equipment and competence — this doesn't mean estimating or writing "passed" without evidence.

Chemical migration testing under EN71-3 is different — it requires specialist laboratory equipment, so makers normally rely on suitable laboratory reports or certificates for their materials.

Full guide: Test your finished product.

No. A strong filament doesn't prove the finished toy is mechanically safe — the outcome is also affected by the model's design, wall thickness, infill, print orientation, layer adhesion, joint clearances and any added components. EN71-1 needs to be assessed on the finished product, in the form it's actually sold.

Not automatically. You need to assess what the break has created — for example, a small-part choking hazard, a sharp point or sharp edge, or access to a hazardous internal component. Depending on the result, the toy may need a design change, different print settings, a different age grading, or retesting. The result and your decision must be documented either way.

Not without explaining why. Not every ordinary 3D-printed toy needs the same physical flame test, but you must still assess the toy's design, materials and intended use to reach that conclusion — and your Technical File should contain the assessment and the reasons for it, not just a blank tick.

Yes. A component being commercially available doesn't automatically make it suitable for a toy. You need to consider whether it's accessible, what materials it's made from, whether it could detach, and any mechanical hazards it introduces once fitted — a material certificate for the component doesn't replace mechanical testing of the assembled product.

EN71-3 covers the migration of certain regulated elements (like lead, cadmium, mercury and chromium) from accessible toy materials. For 3D-printed toys, evidence may be needed for filament, resin, paint, coatings, adhesives, and accessible bought-in parts like switches, keyring components and safety eyes.

Full guide: Gather material evidence.

Where a filament range allows it, we test Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black as representative samples, since they cover the main pigment groups used to produce many other colours in a range. This gives useful supporting evidence without every single colour needing separate testing.

Where CMYK colours aren't available or suitable, we select alternative or additional samples based on the range instead. See how our EN71-3 certificates work.

No. One randomly selected colour doesn't cover an entire range. CMYK testing for one filament range doesn't cover a different range, and a certificate for standard PLA doesn't cover PLA+, matte PLA, silk PLA or another formulation. Not every special-effect colour (metallics, glitter, glow-in-the-dark, wood-filled, etc.) is represented by standard CMYK colours either — these often need separate consideration.

Always check the exact brand, range and tested colours listed on the certificate before assuming it covers your material.

No. Material evidence needs to be relevant and traceable to the exact material used — the same manufacturer, named range, material type and base formulation. A report for one brand or range doesn't automatically cover a different manufacturer, range or formulation, even if it sounds similar.

An independent accredited UK laboratory carries out the specialist chemical testing. We select and supply the samples, review the resulting documentation, and make the relevant evidence available — we don't perform EN71-3 migration testing ourselves.

An instant digital download of a certificate supported by independent laboratory testing, identifying the tested brand, range, material and colours or component. Your business and order details are applied to your copy. You're purchasing access to evidence for the material already tested — not a separate test of your individual spool or production batch.

Browse by brand, range and material on our Find a certificate page. If you can't find a match, use the search-and-request tool on that page to tell us what you need.

Yes. You can use suitable EN71-3 evidence obtained through 3D CertHub, a material manufacturer, supplier or another appropriate source. You remain responsible for checking that the evidence is suitable and matches the exact material you use.

A certificate remains relevant for as long as the filament or component formulation stays unchanged. If a manufacturer changes the formulation, pigments or fillers, the existing evidence may need reviewing and new testing may be required — this is one reason your material evidence should match the exact product you actually use.

No. The CertHub app subscription and our EN71-3 certificates are always separate purchases. Subscribing to the app doesn't include or discount certificates, and buying a certificate doesn't include app access.

Our certificates are for UK businesses that need EN71-3 evidence for the toys they manufacture and sell, not for individual consumers.

Certificates are delivered as high-resolution PDF files, available for instant download after checkout. You can download your certificate up to 10 times from up to 3 different IP addresses, accessible from your account order history.

EN71-3 is a UK standard. The underlying test data may be relevant in other markets, but you should check the specific requirements that apply wherever else you intend to sell.

It's the complete body of evidence showing a toy meets its applicable legal safety requirements — not a single certificate. It brings together the product definition, risk assessment, EN71-1/EN71-2 testing, EN71-3 material evidence, labelling, the Declaration of Conformity, and production/batch traceability.

Full guide: Build and maintain your Technical File.

Current government guidance requires the Technical File and Declaration of Conformity to be retained for 10 years after the toy is placed on the market. For a product still in production, this needs to be considered against the most recent batch placed on the market, not just the original launch date.

Individual records can look fine on their own while the overall picture drifts out of date — a filament certificate might not show which products relied on it, or a later batch might use a different spool without anyone noticing. Keeping records connected (which spool, which certificate, which product, which batch) means you can identify exactly what was used if a question ever comes up.

It keeps your product definition, risk assessment, testing records, material evidence, labelling and Declaration of Conformity connected to one another, rather than scattered across spreadsheets and folders. See how the app works.

You don't need to be an expert. The app breaks the Technical File into manageable sections and provides guidance throughout. You still need to understand your own product, carry out the applicable checks and make the final compliance decisions.

If you're completely new to the process, start with New to UKCA compliance.

No. The app guides you through the applicable checks and gives you a structured place to record the method, result, photographs and conclusion. The physical testing must be carried out by you using the appropriate equipment and guidance.

No. Your app data is stored locally on your computer and does not leave your machine.

No software can replace the manufacturer's responsibility. The app helps you follow, document and organise the process — you're responsible for your product, testing, evidence, decisions and Declaration of Conformity.

Yes, where the product design, size, construction, filament brand, range and material remain the same. A different material, size or construction may require a separate assessment or Technical File.

Yes. Batch records can connect production dates and quantities to the materials and spools used.

The free trial lets you create one complete Technical File and explore the full process before choosing a paid plan — defining a product, risk assessment, EN71-1 testing, the EN71-2 assessment, materials and components, EN71-3 evidence, labelling records, the Declaration of Conformity, and exporting the completed file. No payment card is required to start.

Your existing Technical Files remain available to view and export. During a grace period, you can continue editing existing files but can't create new ones. After the grace period, the app becomes read-only until you renew. Your locally stored files are never deleted.

Yes, both are supported.

Yes. If you still have access to the old computer, go to Settings → Deactivate This Machine to release the licence before activating it on the new computer. You must also transfer the locally stored data folder. If the old computer is no longer available and the licence can't be deactivated, contact us and we'll transfer it for you.

A licence is activated on one computer at a time. Deactivating it from your old machine (via Settings → Deactivate This Machine) frees it up to be activated on a new one.

Everything is stored locally on your computer — 3D CertHub does not host your compliance data in the cloud. You can create your own backups and export your files so they're retained independently of the app.