Ceramic food-contact compliance, written into the specification.
A limit is a number. We name the standard, the method and the tester.
"Food safe" is an adjective; compliance is a document chain. For ceramic tableware that chain runs from the glaze recipe, through lead and cadmium release testing, to a Declaration of Conformity that travels with the goods. We build programs around the four regimes below — and per-batch migration test reports from accredited third-party laboratories are available on request.
Limits quoted from the cited regulations for reference. CERAMICS is not a certification body; testing and certification are issued by accredited third-party laboratories.
AQL inspection against the golden sample — not against memory.
Inspection levels are set per program and held for every run. Critical defects carry zero tolerance; majors and minors are sampled to the AQL plan agreed in your program.
First-article check
Body, glaze tone and decoration compared to the sealed golden sample before the mass run proceeds.
Inline inspection (DUPRO)
While forming, firing and decoration run: dimensions, glaze defects, decoration registration — caught when correction is still cheap.
Pre-shipment AQL
Random sampling to the agreed plan, packed-carton checks, photo and measurement evidence in the report.
| Gate | When | What is checked | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| First article | Before mass production | Body, glaze tone, decoration versus golden sample | Signed first article with photos |
| Inline (DUPRO) | During production | Dimensions, glaze defects, decoration registration | Inline report with photos |
| Pre-shipment | After packing | AQL sampling: critical, major, minor defects versus plan | Inspection report with measurements |
| On failure | — | Shipment held; corrective-action request to the kiln; re-inspection | CAPA record plus re-inspection report |
Coordinated with accredited labs. Issued by the labs.
We are not a certification body, and we say so. What we do: scope the right test for your market, pull samples from mass production, and coordinate with accredited third-party laboratories of the SGS, Intertek and TUV type. Certificates are issued by the labs — per-batch migration reports are available on request.
- Method matched to market — ASTM C738 for US programs; ISO 6486 and EC test methods for EU programs.
- Samples from the line — pulled from mass production, not from the sample room.
- EU paperwork prepared — CE marking path and Declaration of Conformity per 2005/31/EC.
- Filed with the shipment — reports travel in the shipment file, available on request at any point.
Food-contact compliance is half the paperwork. Since 7 February 2026 the EU also applies a unified 79.0% anti-dumping duty on Chinese ceramic tableware (Reg. (EU) 2026/274) — and the duty line moves landed cost as much as any limit. See the Tariffs & Trade Guide.
Six ways ceramic programs fail the paper test.
The wrong regulation number
Industry pages routinely misquote the FDA ceramics rule, citing a section that actually covers PCBs. The tableware rule is 21 CFR 109.16.
"Food safe" with nothing behind it
An adjective on a product page is not a limit and will not clear a customs query.
Cadmium surprises at the border
EU Safety Gate recalls of ceramics for cadmium release far above the 0.07 mg/dm² limit are routine reading.
Decoration chosen before compliance
On-glaze metallics and rim decals picked for looks, then failed at the leach test.
Testing scheduled too late
Laboratory queues discovered after the goods are already packed.
Documents that never travel
The goods arrive; the Declaration of Conformity does not.
Compliance questions we hear most.
Do you hold food-contact certificates?+
We are not a certification body. Programs are specified to named standards and tested by accredited third-party laboratories; per-batch migration test reports are available on request, and certificates are issued by the labs themselves, not by CERAMICS.
Which standard applies to my market?+
United States: FDA 21 CFR 109.16, plus California Prop 65 exposure standards where you sell there. European Union: EC 84/500/EEC with CE marking and DoC per 2005/31/EC. Germany: LFGB, stricter than the EU baseline. Other markets are assessed per program before production.
What exactly gets tested?+
Lead and cadmium release into a 4% acetic acid solution, by item class — flatware, hollowware and cups/pitchers carry different limits. Test methods: ASTM C738 for US programs; ISO 6486 and EC test methods for EU programs.
Is underglaze decoration really safer?+
Structurally, yes: the color is sealed beneath the glaze layer, so lead and cadmium release risk is lower by construction. That is why we default to underglaze or lead-free glaze paths for regulated markets, and review every decoration style against the destination standard during development.
Name your market. We will map the standard.
Send your product list and destination market — you will get the applicable limits, the test plan and the document chain in the quote.