Handmade Toys Certification
Did you know there is a legal requirement for all handmade toys produced with the intention of selling to be CE / UKCA marked? (CE Marking in the UK has now been replaced by UKCA Marking. You can continue to use the CE marking on the GB market until 31 December 2024).
As part of your UKCA technical files, you need EN71-3 documents which state the yarns are free from certain nasty chemicals and therefore deemed safe for toy making. Most yarns and fabrics today are manufactured in outside the UK where they are certified using OEKO-TEX® standards, not EN71 which includes YarnArt.
Despite the stringent safety tests to obtain a OEKO-TEX® certification, unfortunately the UK safety regulations will not accept the OEKO-TEX certificates alone and a EN71-3 is still required for your technical files. (For reference, OEKO-TEX® complies with the new “REACH Annex XVII CMR Legislation).
As a yarn seller, we are not required to hold any of these documents and you normally have to contact the yarn manufacturers directly for them. Stylecraft, Wendy, Emu and James C Brett are all UK based yarn manufacturers and their EN71-3 certificates are readily available from their websites. But, as YarnArt are based in Turkey and are not governed by UK safety directives, they do not hold any EN71-3 certificates for their yarns.
We understand a lot of our customers would love to use YarnArt yarns for toy making, so at our own expense, we have sent a few YarnArt yarns to a laboratory and we are pleased to confirm they have successfully passed the EN71-3:2019+A1:2021 testing and the test reports are available to purchase in our webshop.
Please note that the yarns we sell simply meet the EN71-3 and / or OEKO-TEX standards and it is the physical products that you make that require the CE / UKCA marks. You need to complete the rest of the process!
Don’t forget to check your safety eyes, stuffing etc, you must take all reasonable steps to ensure that the materials you have used meet the safety requirements. If you have purchased Trimits safety eyes and noses and wooden craft rings from ourselves, please ask us for a free copy of the EN71-3 certificate.
Useful Links
For more info on the responsibilities for toy manufacturers, please visit https://www.gov.uk/guidance/toy-manufacturers-and-their-responsibilities.
There are a few companies that sell packs to make the whole process of UKCA much easier:
Conformance: https://shop.conformance.co.uk/hikashop-menu-for-m...
UKCA & CE Handmade Toys Colective: https://www.cemarking-handmadetoys.co.uk/ce-markin...
Hey there! Welcome to Our Little Craft Co! If you love crochet we have everything you need including crochet hooks, yarn, patterns, haberdashery as well as craft storage too.
Our brands include YarnArt, KnitPro, Stylecraft, Wendy Wools, Emu Yarns, James C Brett, Hoooked, Clover. Clover amour crochet hooks as well as clover soft touch, Prym ergonomics, knitpro waves, Trimits and Emma Ball.
We are also a UK distributor of Yarn Art yarn. Have you tried YarnArt Jeans, Jeans Bamboo, Jeans Crazy, Jeans Plus yet, because if not, you are missing out!
If you love cotton yarn we also have YarnArt Luxor, YarnArt Baby Cotton as well as YarnArt Violet. But if chenille’s more your thing then YarnArt Dolce and Dolce Baby are a must-try !
Do you love yarn cakes as much as us? If so, we have YarnArt Flowers. Or if you love luxury yarn, we also have YarnArt Alpaca, YarnArt Merino, YarnArt Moonlight and YarnArt Unicolor.
You should definitely check out Emu yarns too because they have a wide range of high-quality yarns to choose from. Emu Classic DK, Emu Classic Chunky, as well as Emu Super Chunky are all fantastic options
For baby projects, you can’t go wrong with Emu Treasure DK – it’s SO soft. And if you’re looking for some fun and colorful yarns, you should definitely check out Emu Treasure Dots as well as Emu Treasure Little Isle. And lastly, if you’re in the mood for some luxurious yarn, be sure to treat yourself to James C Brett Shhh DK – it’s amazing!
We have a wide range of yarn weights available including DK, 2 ply, 4 ply, sport weight, chunky, super chunky and also lace weight.
And let’s not forget Stylecraft – we’ve got some amazing DK double knit yarns in lots of colours. The best range is Stylecraft Bellissima and Stylecraft Bambino because they are simply beautiful.
If you have any queries, visit our FAQ’s.
We offer top quality products at great prices from across the industries top brands
