China RoHS Amended to Further Restrict Substances in Electrical and Electronic Products

China has released a draft standard, GB 26572-2025, titled Requirements for Restricted Use of Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Products. This represents the first major amendment to the GB 26572-2011 standard since 2018. The update aims to repeal, integrate, and refine current substance and labeling standards (merging GB 26572-2011 and SJ/T 11364-2024) to align more closely with the EU RoHS Directive (2011/65/EU).

Key changes 
The standard outlines normative references, definitions, and classification of Electrical and Electronic Products (EEPs), separating them into two categories:

• Category I: Products listed in the Catalogue for Compliance Management of Restricted Use of Hazardous Substances in EEPs. These must comply with limits for 10 hazardous substances and mandatory labeling requirements.
• Category II: Products not listed in the Catalogue. These are encouraged to comply with substance limits but must comply with mandatory labeling requirements.

Mandatory labeling now officially supports digital formats, such as QR codes. Additionally, content regarding disassembly instructions and examples from the previous 2011 version has been removed.

Transition timeline
The implementation introduces a phased transition period:
•    Until Dec 31, 2025: Companies may use either the old GB/T 26572-2011 (with/without Amendment 1) or the new GB 26572-2025.
•    Jan 1, 2026 – Jul 31, 2027: Only GB/T 26572-2011 (with Amendment 1) or GB 26572-2025 may be used.
•    From Aug 1, 2027: All conformity assessments must follow GB 26572-2025.
Products previously assessed under the 2011 standard (without amendment) that are still manufactured or imported after Jan 1, 2026, must switch to the amended version or the new 2025 standard by Jan 1, 2027. Products compliant with the amended 2011 version can transition to the 2025 standard naturally (e.g., at certificate renewal).
Further details on the draft standard are available in Chinese on the official standards platform.