TEYING BUYER GUIDE · UPDATED OCTOBER 1, 2026
Lead, Cadmium and Nickel Limits for EU Jewellery 2026: A Buyer's Checklist
Three limits decide most EU jewellery chemical cases: lead at 0.05% by weight in any individual part, cadmium at 0.01% in metal and plastic, and nickel release at 0.5 µg/cm²/week for skin contact items. This sets out the entry numbers, the enforcement wave reported across December 2025 and January 2026, and six checks to run on the report a supplier sends you.
The short answer: two content limits and one release limit
Lead must stay under 0.05% by weight (500 mg/kg) in any individual part of a jewellery article under REACH Annex XVII entry 63. Cadmium must stay under 0.01% by weight (100 mg/kg) in metal and plastic parts under entry 23. Nickel is different: entry 27 caps release at 0.5 µg/cm²/week for prolonged skin contact and 0.2 for piercing posts. Lead and cadmium are measured in the material, nickel after simulated wear.
General guidance as of October 2026, not legal advice. The entry text on EUR-Lex or the ECHA site is the version to rely on, not a marketplace help page.
The three limits, side by side
| Metal | REACH Annex XVII entry | Limit | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lead | 63 | 0.05% by weight (500 mg/kg) in any individual part of the article | Content, per part |
| Cadmium | 23 | 0.01% by weight (100 mg/kg) in metal and plastic materials | Content, per material |
| Nickel | 27 | 0.5 µg/cm²/week, and 0.2 for post assemblies in pierced body parts | Release, from the finished article |
Two headings do most of the work, and the differences matter more than the numbers suggest. Entry 63 is written per individual part, so a compliant clasp does not cover a pendant that carries lead in its solder or in a casting alloy. Entry 23 is stricter than lead by a factor of five and is the most common cause of a failed report on low-cost alloy jewellery.
A caution on entry numbers. Several marketplace compliance pages swap the numbers for lead, cadmium and nickel, so check the wording of the entry beside the number rather than trusting a lookup table, this one included.
Entry 63 has carve-outs, and they are narrower than they look
The lead restriction lists exemptions: crystal glass as defined in Directive 69/493/EEC, internal components of watch timepieces that consumers cannot reach, non-synthetic or reconstructed precious and semiprecious stones unless they have been treated with lead, and enamels produced by fusion at 500 °C or above. Jewellery placed on the market before 9 October 2013 sits outside the restriction, which does not help anyone producing new stock.
One figure gets quoted in the wrong place. The allowance for brass alloys with lead content up to 0.5% by weight belongs to a different paragraph of the annex covering articles children may put in their mouths, not to the jewellery restriction in entry 63 paragraph 1. A free-machining brass that carries lead at a fraction of a per cent is still far above the 0.05% jewellery limit. Ask for the alloy designation and a lead result for each metal part rather than assuming the word "brass" settles the question.
Why this is an enforcement year
Public Safety Gate data across December 2025 and January 2026 shows a cluster of jewellery notifications for excessive cadmium, nickel and lead, with Chinese-origin products prominent among them. Reported actions include imports rejected at the border, destruction of stock, removal from online marketplaces, consumer warnings and recalls.
Two alerts from that window illustrate the range. A piercing jewellery alert notified by Finland in January 2026 cited cadmium at 87.9% by weight in the article, with withdrawal from end users effective 8 December 2025. A silver bracelet alert cited nickel release up to 24.63 µg/cm²/week against the 0.5 limit, cadmium up to 0.017% and lead up to 2.3% by weight, with the import rejected at the border on 12 December 2025. Recall reporting for the first quarter of 2026 recorded around 50 jewellery notifications, with cadmium the leading cause at roughly half, nickel next at around 30 per cent and lead at around 18 per cent.
The pattern reads as targeted enforcement across a category rather than a case against one seller. For a buyer, the useful response is to know which of your SKUs carries the highest risk and to hold a report that covers it. Safety Gate publishes weekly reports, and searching them for your product category is a reasonable quarterly habit.
Six checks on a metals report
1. Identity. Report number and issue date, plus the sample name, photo, SKU and batch. A report for "earrings, gold plated" without a SKU does not identify your product, and a report from an earlier production run does not automatically cover the batch in the carton.
2. Laboratory. Name, address and ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation, with the methods in question inside its accredited scope. The accreditation body's register is public.
3. Method and version. Lead and cadmium results should name the digestion and analysis route, typically acid digestion followed by ICP-OES or ICP-MS, with limits of quantification stated. Nickel results should cite EN 1811:2023 and state whether EN 12472:2020 wear simulation was applied.
4. Coverage. Which parts were tested. For an earring that means the post, the body, the plating on both, and any solder or stone setting in skin contact. A single result for the whole item as one sample hides the part that failed.
5. Numbers against limits. Values with units, in mg/kg or per cent for lead and cadmium, in µg/cm²/week for nickel, each next to the limit that applies. Read the margin: a cadmium result at 95 mg/kg leaves less room for production variation than one at 20 mg/kg.
6. Change control. What would invalidate the report: a new plating supplier, a new alloy batch, a new solder, a different stone, a switched finding. Ask who pays for the retest and what the lead time is, before it becomes urgent.
A passing report is evidence about one sample. It is not a GPSR technical file and it does not transfer responsibility to the laboratory or the factory.
Sourcing decisions that lower the risk
- Name the prohibited metals in the brief and in the purchase order, with the limit values written out, rather than saying "REACH compliant".
- Ask for alloy designations for every metal part, and for the cadmium status of the plating process rather than the colour of the finish.
- Cover the small parts. Solder, jump rings, ear posts, clasps and stone settings are where a compliant body often meets a non-compliant component.
- Test per part on the first run of a new design, then per batch on a defined schedule once the process is stable.
- Keep the sample the report was run on, sealed and labelled, so a later dispute has a reference point.
What TEYING confirms before production
Lead-free, nickel-free and cadmium-related requirements can be discussed before production starts, and the material and plating route is declared per SKU in the quotation. Applicable testing documentation is confirmed by material, destination market and order scope. Where a design changes after the report date, we say so, so you can decide whether the batch needs new testing.
That is what a factory can properly promise. Claims of standing certification beyond the scope of a test report are worth questioning wherever they come from.
If you are preparing an EU-bound order and want the material and plating detail in writing before you sample, send the design and quantity through the TEYING quote form.
FAQ
Are the limits the same for children's jewellery?
No. Children's products face additional rules, and the lead exposure route for articles a child may put in the mouth is treated separately in the annex. If the design is aimed at children, say so in the brief, because it changes the material specification and the test plan before production rather than after.
What is the difference between lead and cadmium limits in practice?
Lead is measured per individual part at 0.05%, while cadmium is limited to 0.01% in the metal and plastic materials, which is five times stricter. Cadmium failures usually trace back to low-cost alloys or bright plating processes, and a single failing part is enough to take the product off the market.
Can a cadmium or lead failure be fixed by changing the plating?
Sometimes, if the source is in the coating, and almost never if it is in the base alloy or the solder. The reliable sequence is to identify which part fails, change the material or the process at that point, and retest the finished article.
How often should I retest a jewellery design?
Test every new design before the first bulk run, then per batch or on a defined schedule once the process is stable. Retest whenever the alloy, solder, plating supplier or plating thickness changes, because those changes move the result even when the drawing stays the same.
EU-bound order with a metals requirement?
Send the material and plating direction; lead, nickel and cadmium requirements are discussed before production.
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