What follows

A hundred parts per million

Updated October 2026

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The limit Total content, not surface Any part is the phrase that matters here Which makes findings the exposure And pigments are the second Glitter is usually polyester or PET Component part certificates are the practical route Which changes purchasing more than packaging And it is a reason to decide the four factors early Keep the certificates with the batch References

Any part. Which in this craft means every finding, every charm and every pigment.

The limit

Total lead content of "100 parts per million" by weight for any part of a children's product, and lead in paint on a children's product at "0.009 percent".

Total content, not surface

Which is the distinction people miss. It is not about what rubs off; it is about what is in the material.

Any part is the phrase that matters here

A resin pendant is a resin, a pigment, an inclusion, a bail, a jump ring and a chain. Each of those is a part and each has to be within the limit.

Which makes findings the exposure

Cheap plated findings bought by the hundred from an unknown source are the commonest route to a lead problem in craft jewelry, and they are the part nobody thinks of as an ingredient.

And pigments are the second

Some colorants historically carried heavy metals. A pigment sold for industrial or artist use is not sold against a children's product limit, and the data sheet is the place to look.

Glitter is usually polyester or PET

Which is not where lead lives. The metallic look comes from a coating, and a glitter sold for cosmetic or craft use will have a specification you can ask for.

Component part certificates are the practical route

A supplier who can certify a finding or a pigment against the children's product limit lets you build on tested components. A supplier who cannot is a supplier whose parts you cannot use in that line.

Which changes purchasing more than packaging

The honest consequence of the lead limit is that a children's line can only be made from components you can document. That is a sourcing discipline rather than a container decision.

And it is a reason to decide the four factors early

An adult line can use any finding. A children's line can use documented findings only. Finding that out after buying a thousand bails is expensive.

Keep the certificates with the batch

Which is where this joins the marking requirement. Cohort information is only useful if it points at a record that includes what the parts were.

References

15 U.S.C. 1278a. Subsection (a) sets total lead content for any part of a children's product at "100 parts per million" by weight, and (f)(1) substituted "0.009 percent" for lead in paint on children's products. Subsection (b)(2) provides that the limits "shall not apply to any component part of a children's product that is not accessible to a child through normal and reasonably foreseeable use and abuse", including where the part is protected by a sealed covering or casing that remains intact during normal use. The children's product definition is taken from section 3(a) of the Consumer Product Safety Act. law.cornell.edu

15 U.S.C. 2063(a)(5)(A): "the manufacturer of a children's product shall place permanent, distinguishing marks on the product and its packaging, to the extent practicable, that will enable" the manufacturer to ascertain "the location and date of production of the product, cohort information (including the batch, run number, or other identifying characteristic)" and the ultimate purchaser to ascertain "the manufacturer or private labeler, location and date of production of the product, and cohort information". Subparagraph (B) lets the Commission exclude a product or class by regulation where it determines marking is not practicable. law.cornell.edu

Written from 15 U.S.C. 2052(a)(2), 15 U.S.C. 2063(a)(5) and 15 U.S.C. 1278a, and from the catalog as it stood on 18 October 2026. Whether a particular piece is a children's product, and whether a particular encapsulation is an inaccessible component part, are determinations this property raises and does not make. State jewelry laws and voluntary standards for children's jewelry sit on top of everything here.