Safety testing for books sounds dramatic, like your board book is about to be sent into a tiny lab coat obstacle course. In reality, safety testing for books is mostly paperwork plus a lab report that proves your materials meet the rules for products sold in the U.S. (and sometimes Europe). If you are printing for kids, selling through retailers, or shipping internationally, this is the part of the project where “cute idea” meets “compliance checkbox.”
This guide explains what safety testing is, when it gets requested, what those “test tubes” are actually for, and how to get a passing report without losing your mind.
Why “safety testing” exists in the first place
In the U.S., modern product safety requirements for kids products are heavily shaped by the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (CPSIA). The goal is simple: reduce exposure to harmful substances (like lead and certain phthalates) and prevent obvious hazards (like choking risks).
For books and printed products, the typical “chemical” concerns people hear about are:
- Lead content limits (think substrates, coatings, and certain materials)
- Lead in paint and surface coatings (relevant if something is truly a coating, not ordinary printing)
- Phthalates limits (mostly relevant to plasticized components in toys or child care articles, not plain paper)
The key nuance is classification: whether your product is considered a children’s product under the rules, and which specific safety rules apply.
When safety testing for books is actually required
Safety testing for books is most commonly requested when:
- Your book is clearly aimed at children 12 and under, especially younger kids
- You are printing a board book or anything meant for toddlers
- You plan to sell through a book retailer, distributor, school channel, or major marketplace that wants compliance documentation on file
- Your product has non-standard materials (plastics, tactile elements, novelty components, add-ons)
- You’re bundling the book with game pieces, toys, or “play value” elements
A lot of projects do not require you to run every possible test. But they do require you to be able to answer, credibly, “What standards apply, and do we have documentation?”
A helpful reality check
The likelihood that a straightforward printed book fails a toxicity screen is generally low with modern printing materials. The risk goes up when you add non-paper components, plasticized parts, or small pieces that invite mouthing and rough use.
First decision: is it a “children’s product” or a general use product?
CPSIA uses a “primarily intended for children 12 or younger” framework. And no, you cannot magically escape it by slapping a higher age on the box if the rest of your packaging and marketing screams “toddler’s first book.”
The factors that typically get considered include:
- What the manufacturer says the intended age is (labels help, but are not the only factor)
- How the product is presented in packaging and marketing
- Whether consumers commonly recognize it as intended for kids
- The CPSC Age Determination Guidelines concept (the broad idea: does it look and behave like a kids product?)
Board books, junior versions of games, and anything designed for children under 3 tend to fall into the “expect scrutiny” category.
How safety testing for books works (the practical version)
Most printers that offer “safety testing” are not running a lab in the back room. They are coordinating with a third-party lab (often in Hong Kong or mainland China for overseas manufacturing) and helping you get the right samples and paperwork into the system.
A typical workflow looks like this:
- Identify what you are making
Board book, softcover, hardcover, book with stickers, book with add-ons, or a boxed game. - List all materials and components
Paper/board, inks/toners, laminations, foils, coatings, adhesives, any plastics, any small pieces. - Pick tests based on risk and classification
A printed paper product is usually not treated the same as a toy with plastic parts. - Send production-representative samples
Not “close enough.” The lab report should match real materials and finishes. - Receive a lab report
This is the artifact retailers and insurers usually want: a report with sample IDs, methods, limits, and pass results. - Create and store your certification paperwork
For children’s products, this usually means a Children’s Product Certificate (CPC) and the supporting test reports kept in English and available on request.
What the lab report typically includes
Even if layouts vary, most reports include:
- Sample descriptions and photos
- Component list and what was tested
- Test methods used
- Numeric results and limit thresholds
- Pass/fail summary
- Lab identification and accreditation details
The “tubes” used for safety tests: the small parts cylinder (choke tube)
When people mention “tubes used for safety tests,” they are often talking about the small parts cylinder used in choking hazard evaluation for products intended for very young children.
The idea is blunt: if a component (or a piece that breaks off during abuse testing) fits entirely inside the cylinder in any orientation, it’s considered a small part for choking hazard purposes.
Why this matters:
- If your game includes dice, mini tokens, tiny figures, or small plastic bits, you need to think hard about intended age.
- Failing after you’ve already purchased thousands of custom pieces is the expensive version of learning.
Books made purely of paper are generally not where this problem shows up. Games and kits are.
What gets tested for printed books (and why most pass)
For many conventional printed products, the chemical testing focus is usually around lead limits and, in rarer cases, coatings. Some useful practical notes:
- Ordinary printing inks on paper are generally treated as part of the substrate, not a scrapeable surface coating.
- “Ordinary books” and paper-based printed materials have specific testing relief in certain lead testing contexts, but that does not mean “ignore compliance.” It means the rules are more nuanced than “everything must be lab tested.”
Board books are the common exception in real life because they are intended for very young kids, get mouthed, and often use thicker boards and finishes.
If you want to keep risk low, keep the construction conventional: standard boards, standard inks, standard lamination films, and avoid weird plastics unless you’re ready to test like a toy.
Games and kits: where safety testing gets real
If you are producing a children’s game (especially for kids under 13), you may be dealing with:
- Small parts risks
- Edges, points, and mechanical hazards
- Material restrictions (lead, certain heavy elements, phthalates in plasticized components)
- Toy safety standards (the U.S. toy standard framework references ASTM F963 via federal rules)
This is why many game publishers choose to design for older audiences unless “kids product” is core to the business plan. It is not that testing is impossible. It’s that failing late is brutal.
The “13+” shortcut (and the fine print)
You will see games labeled 13+ or 14+ as a way to avoid children’s product classification and toy testing burdens. That can be valid if the product truly is for that audience and your packaging, marketing, and play pattern support it. But age labeling alone is not a magic shield.
Europe: CE marking and what to know (in plain terms)
If you plan to distribute toys and games in the EU, CE marking is typically part of the process for toys. Europe’s toy safety rules cover physical/mechanical risks, flammability, chemical risks, and more, and you generally need conformity documentation to support the CE mark.
One important update: the EU has adopted a new Toy Safety Regulation framework with a long transition timeline, including a move toward a digital product passport concept. If you sell into Europe, you want your compliance partner to be current on what applies now versus what applies later.
Books alone are usually not a CE-marked product category. But as soon as you sell a “toy-like” product, the conversation changes.
Common mistakes (and how to avoid them)
Testing too late
If your game has custom tooling, molds, or high MOQs, do not wait until the warehouse is full to find out a component fails a requirement.
Testing samples that do not match production
Labs and retailers want production-representative samples. “Prototype-ish” materials are a good way to buy a report that does not actually protect you.
Forgetting the paperwork after the lab report
For U.S. children’s products, the report supports certification. You still need the certificate and recordkeeping discipline.
Ignoring tracking and traceability
If you ever have a problem, being able to trace a run, date, and factory line can be the difference between a targeted fix and a nightmare recall scenario.
Quick checklist before you approve mass production
- Have we decided the intended age honestly (and aligned packaging/marketing)?
- Do we have a clean list of all materials and components?
- Are there any plasticized parts that could trigger phthalates concerns?
- Are there any small pieces that would fit a small parts cylinder?
- Are we shipping to the EU and, if so, do we need CE compliance work?
- Do we have a plan to store the report and certification docs for partners who ask?