RoHS Restricted-Substance Testing for Electrical and Electronic Equipment

RoHS applicability review, homogeneous-material planning, restricted-substance testing, supply-chain evidence and technical-document support for electrical and electronic equipment entering the EU.

Service overview

The RoHS Directive restricts specified hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment through product scope, exclusions, exemptions and homogeneous-material concentration limits. RoHS is not a certificate issued under one EU-wide certification scheme. SCS Testing reviews product construction, materials, components and use to design testing and technical-document evidence.

Applicable products or businesses

• Household appliances, IT equipment, lighting, electrical tools, monitoring devices and other applicable EEE
• Cables, PCBs, solders, plastics, coatings, metals and electronic components
• Manufacturers, importers and supply-chain quality teams

Target market

• EU and EEA electrical and electronic equipment market

Regulatory authority

• European Commission and Member State market-surveillance authorities

Regulations, directives and standards

• Directive 2011/65/EU and subsequent amendments
• Annex II restricted substances and homogeneous-material concentration requirements
• Product categories, exclusions, exemptions and applicable technical-document requirements

Service scope

• Initial product-scope, category, exclusion and exemption assessment
• BOM and homogeneous-material risk grading
• Restricted-substance screening, quantitative analysis and follow-up localisation
• Review of supplier declarations, material reports and technical documentation

Service process

• Collect product construction, use, BOM and supplier evidence
• Confirm RoHS scope and material risks
• Define separated or composite test units
• Complete testing and localise anomalous materials
• Compile conformity evidence and establish material/supplier change control

Information required

• Product specification, use, BOM and exploded view
• Material declarations, component certificates and existing RoHS reports
• Homogeneous-material list and colour/surface-treatment variants
• Supplier and material change records
• Technical basis for any claimed exemption

Sample requirements

• Samples should cover all high-risk homogeneous materials
• Solders, coatings, connectors and colour variants are selected according to risk
• Composite testing is used only where technically justified and must allow follow-up localisation

## Reports, certificates or registration outcomes Outputs include a RoHS report for the agreed scope and a material-evidence review record that can support the EU technical file. The report covers the submitted sample and test units; it is not an EU-issued certificate and does not automatically cover untested materials or later changes.

Factors affecting timing

Timing depends on material count, test-unit design, screening results, quantitative follow-up, exemption review and supplier-data quality.

Common compliance risks

• Using one whole-product composite test instead of homogeneous-material risk control
• Overlooking high-risk phthalate, surface-treatment or solder materials
• Citing an expired or inapplicable exemption
• Describing a RoHS report as certification under a uniform issuing scheme

Does RoHS cover only six substances?

The current Annex II contains additional restricted substances; the applicable scope must be checked against current amendments and materials.

Can a component report avoid retesting?

It may support risk assessment only after the material, method, date, supplier and production equivalence are verified.

Can RoHS and REACH be combined?

Sampling and evidence can be coordinated, but the two legal frameworks and obligations are not interchangeable.

Related services

• REACH regulatory compliance
• CE technical-file support
• Electrical/electronic EMC and safety testing
• Material supply-chain compliance review

Information for an initial assessment

Provide the product name, model, intended use, target market, bill of materials and available reports so that the applicable route and evidence gaps can be assessed.