China is fast becoming the largest consumer market in the world, and for many products, China Compulsory Certification (CCC) is necessary for manufacturers to tap this market.

Certification Bodies
There are three main certification bodies (CBs) for electronic equipment:

• China Quality Certification Center (CQC) – issues all electronic equipment CCC certificates
• China Information Security Certification Center (ISCCC) – issues ITE CCC certificates
• China Electronics Standardization Institute (CESI) – issues A/V CCC certificates

Process
An application is submitted to one of the certification bodies mentioned above. Once the application is accepted, the manufacturer has samples tested at an accredited lab in China. When the product passes, the test report is issued by the test lab and reviewed by the certification body.  If the CB is satisfied with the test report and the manufacturer passes an initial factory inspection, the report will be approved and the CCC certificate will be released.

The CCC certificate is generally valid for five years and requires follow-up inspections that verify quality control and product consistency.

Standards
CCC certification is to Chinese national standards called Guobiao or GB standards. Usually the GB standard is harmonized to an IEC standard. For example for ITE, GB4943 is harmonized to IEC60950 for product safety; GB17625 (updated to GB17625.1-2012 on July 1, 2013) is harmonized to IEC61000-3-2 and GB9254 is harmonized to IEC/CISPR 22 for electromagnetic compatibility. There are some minor national deviations like ratings, altitude or tropical zone requirements.  (Read more about recent changes to GB8898 Audio, Video and Similar Electronic Apparatus – Safety Requirements and GB4943.1 Safety of Information Technology Equipment.)

Generally, if you can pass the IEC standard, you should be OK to pass the CCC test.  Manufacturers can save time and reduce cost by transferring a CB report to a CCC report.

MET Labs has experience helping manufacturers obtain CCC certification.  MET’s China operations are based in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province.  Contact MET China or MET U.S. for more information about CCC certification.