Detail

The "Administrative Measures on the Restriction of the Use of Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Products - Order No. 32" ("China RoHS") adopted some of the requirements of EU RoHS 2011/65/EU in 2016, albeit with fundamental differences.

One of these differences is the management catalog. Stricter rules regarding substance restrictions apply to the following 12 product groups and the application-specific exemptions (see RoHS Annex III) are only relevant for these. Further labeling and an entry in a public service platform are required for these products.

Management catalog 2018

1. Refrigerators (up to 800 l)
2. Air conditioners (<= 14,000 W)
3. Washing machines (<= 10 kg dry laundry)
4. Electric water heaters
5. Printers (<= A3, <= 60 pages/minute)
6. Copiers (<= A3, <= 60 pages/minute)
7. Fax machines
8. Televisions
9. Monitors
10. Microcomputers
11. Mobile communication devices
12. Telephones

Proposal management catalog 2025

On November 03, 2025, the responsible ministry MIIT called for comments on an extension of the catalog. The public consultation runs until December 01, 2025. The following products are available for comment:

(No official translation, translated by L. Kritzler)

1. Air conditioners (<= 14,000 W)
2. Refrigerators (up to 800 l)
3. Washing machines (<= 10 kg dry laundry)
4. NEW: Washing machines (industrial)
5. NEW: Air purifiers
6. NEW: Water dispensers (hot or cold)
7. NEW: Dishwashers
8. NEW: Electric ovens
9. NEW: Microwaves (<= 300 MHz - 30 GHz)
10. NEW: Rice stoves (<= 4kPa - 40 kPa)
11. NEW: Vacuum cleaners
12. NEW: Robot vacuum cleaners
13. Electric water heaters (up to 500l)
14. NEW: Domestic gas instantaneous water heaters (nominal heat output up to 70 kW, heating water pressure up to 0.3 MPa, temperature up to 95°C)
15. Expanded: Televisions (laser televisions from 2027)
16. NEW: Projectors
17. Extended: Surveillance devices (cameras that capture image or video information from 2027)
18. NEW: Smart loudspeaker with voice interaction, possible online access
19. NEW: Electronic smart locks (e.g. door lock with biometric or password release)
20. Summarized: Printer, copier, scanner, fax machine, multifunctional devices
21. Microcomputers
22. NEW: Servers
23. NEW: Network devices and routers
24. Mobile communication devices (cell phones incl. power supply units and other accessories)
25. Telephones
26. NEW: Smartwatches and smartbands
27. NEW: Headphones
28. NEW: Powerbanks
29. NEW: Desk lamps
30. NEW: Electronic toys
31. NEW: Electronic blood pressure monitor
32. NEW: Blood glucose meter
33. NEW: Hearing aids

The new product groups should comply with the requirements of the management catalog from August 01, 2027

Proposal "China-RoHS" exemptions 2025

The RoHS exemptions are relevant for products in the management catalog. As of 2017, these were adopted from the EU RoHS without expiration dates. A draft is also available for comment here (same link). The number of exemptions has increased from 39 to 56 and exemptions have been added for products that were not previously on the management catalog, such as medical devices.

For some exemptions, the deadline of July 31, 2027 is proposed, for example for lead in copper alloys (EU: 6c) or in high-temperature solders (EU: 7a).

Next steps

As soon as the comments have been completed and evaluated, the MIIT is expected to publish the new management catalog and the associated exemptions by announcement.

Please note: These requirements cannot be found in the "China RoHS" basic act, but they are still binding. Changes to the "China RoHS" will be made via announcements by the Ministry or national/sector-specific standards.

Do you have questions about details or other aspects of "China RoHS" or the new management catalog? We are at your disposal for further support. Simply send us an e-mail with your question or use our contact form.

Author's note

This article has been machine translated into English.

TERMS AND ABBREVIATIONS

MIIT: Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of the People's Republic of China

RoHS: Restriction of Hazardous Substances. The "China RoHS" aims to limit the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic products. It specifies how hazardous substances may be used in electrical appliances and electronic components and placed on the Chinese market.