Toy Choking Risk — EN 71-1 / 2009/48/EC

What Is Choking?

The choking and suffocation risk assessment examines the toy's potential to obstruct the airway or cause strangulation by wrapping around the neck. Under EN 71-1, small balls, hemispheric parts, pacifier-like parts, cord and string lengths, and packaging film thickness are addressed separately.

Purpose of Choking

The purpose is to assess risk covering routes to choking beyond swallowing. A hemispheric part can completely block airflow when it lodges in the mouth; a long cord can wrap around the neck.

Which Products Is Choking Applied To?

Toys with small balls and marbles
Hemispheric containers and parts
Toys with strings, cords and pull cords
Toys hung over cribs and playpens
Packaging film and bags

In Which Sectors Is Choking Used?

ToyRetailConsumer Products

Standards Related to Choking

TS EN 71-1 (mechanical and physical properties)
ISO 8124-1
TS EN 71-8 (activity toys)
EN 71-1Mechanical and physical properties in toys test
EN 71-2oyuncaklarda yanabilirlik test
EN 71-3migration of certain elements in toys test

Choking Conditions

Small ball: Assessed with the measuring gauge defined in the standard
Hemispheric part: With the template defined in the standard; potential to block airflow
Cord and string: Maximum length requirements defined in the standard
Packaging film: Thickness and perforation requirements

Equipment for Choking

Small ball gauge
Hemispheric part template
Small parts cylinder
Thickness gauge and callipers

Sample Requirements for Choking

Product together with packaging and all accessories
The declared age group must be provided
The tests are destructive
Packaging film must also be included in the specimen

Duration of Choking

The assessment itself is short since it is dimensional and visual; the mechanical tests applied beforehand determine the duration.

Choking Procedure

1The product and packaging are examined and the age group is recorded.
2Mechanical pre-conditioning tests are applied.
3Separated parts are assessed for small ball and hemispheric part criteria.
4Cord, string and elastic lengths are measured.
5Packaging film thickness and perforation status are checked.
6The presence of required warnings is verified.

Choking Acceptance Criteria

All requirements in the relevant clauses of EN 71-1 must be met: small ball and hemispheric part requirements, maximum cord lengths, and packaging film requirements. Testing is carried out according to the age group declared by the manufacturer. For toys designed for children under 36 months, small parts and swallowing requirements are markedly stricter; the age declaration must be consistent with the product's actual use, otherwise the declaration may be deemed invalid under market surveillance.

Evaluation of Results

The hemispheric part assessment is often overlooked: a cup-shaped part that does not fit the small parts cylinder, and so is not counted as a small part, can still lodge in the mouth and block the airway. This is a separate requirement and is assessed separately.

Choking Report

Product identification and age group
Requirements assessed and measurement results
Cord and string lengths
Packaging film assessment
Photographs

Accreditation

EUROLAB holds internationally recognised accreditation obtained from accreditation bodies party to the IAF and ILAC multilateral recognition arrangements, under ISO/IEC 17025 for laboratory testing, ISO/IEC 17020 for inspection and surveillance, and ISO/IEC 17021-1 and ISO/IEC 17065 for system and product certification. This chain ensures the reports and certificates issued are accepted worldwide.

Whether this test can be offered within accredited scope depends on your product and the standard applied; since accreditation is method-based, the scope is confirmed in writing at the quotation stage.

Scope and authorisations

Related Regulations

2009/48/EC Toy Safety Directive

Oyuncak Testleri — What Does This Testing Field Cover?

The section below describes the field that the Choking test belongs to; the conditions and acceptance criteria of this particular test are given in the sections above. The scope specific to your product is confirmed in writing at the quotation stage.

Toy testing shows that a product is safe in children's use. What sets this family apart is that risk is defined according to the USER: the same product may be hazardous for a child under 36 months and safe for an older child. Age marking is therefore not a marketing preference but a technical decision that determines which requirements apply, and it is justified in the technical file.

At the centre of the field is the risk of CHOKING. Children under 36 months put objects in their mouths; a part that detaches or is small to begin with can block the airway. Assessment with the small parts cylinder is the fundamental criterion for this group, and the tests examine whether the part detaches after use and misuse.

The logic of the tests is not that the toy must not break but that BREAKING must not produce a hazardous outcome. A child drops, pulls, bites and stands on a toy. Drop, tension, compression, torque, impact and tipping tests are therefore applied, and the resulting new state is then assessed: is the detached part a small part, did the broken surface leave a sharp edge, has the internal mechanism become accessible?

On the chemical axis, MIGRATION is what counts. What is measured in a toy is not how much of an element the material contains but how much of it dissolves and transfers under conditions simulating the mouth. Materials are divided into three categories (dry brittle powder, liquid or sticky, scrapable) and different limits apply to each; the amount of material a child could ingest varies by category.

Flammability is the third axis and is critical particularly for costumes, tents and plush toys: how quickly flame spreads across the surface is measured.

Electrical and battery-powered toys bring additional bodies of work: EN 62115 for electrical safety, the relevant battery standards and Battery Regulation obligations for the battery. For toys containing button cells, making the battery compartment impossible for a child to open has become a separate requirement — a swallowed button cell is a cause of serious injury.

Sound level is an item that is often overlooked. For toys used close to the ear (toy telephones, rattles, cap-firing toys) the sound pressure is limited; the risk of hearing damage is assessed.

Market regimes differ and do not substitute for one another: the Toy Safety Directive and CE marking in Europe, and in the United States the CPSIA with mandatory ASTM F963 and a third-party laboratory certificate (CPC). The United States also looks at total lead content while Europe looks at migration; the two approaches can produce different results.

Method groups in this field

Mechanical and physical
Small parts assessment, sharp edges and points, entrapment, cord and drawstring safety, dynamic strength, drop and tipping (EN 71-1).
Flammability
Rate of flame spread and ignition behaviour (EN 71-2); decisive for costumes and plush toys.
Element migration
Migration of specified elements in the three material categories (EN 71-3).
Organic chemicals
Phthalates, flame retardants, azo dyes, preservatives and fragrances (EN 71-9 and REACH restrictions).
Electrical toys
Electrical safety under EN 62115; heating, insulation, battery compartment and charging safety.
Sound and other
Sound pressure measurements; the requirements of EN 71-4 and EN 71-5 for chemistry sets and chemical toys.

Commonly confused in this field

Toy safety cannot be demonstrated with a single standard; the mechanical, flammability and chemical parts are assessed together.
Age marking determines which requirements apply; it must be justified in the technical file and not left to marketing preference.
An ASTM F963 report is not accepted in a CE file; the requirements and test arrangements of the two regimes differ.
Migration and total content are different things; the CPSIA looks at total lead while EN 71-3 looks at migration.
If the material category is chosen incorrectly the limit is applied incorrectly too; the category decision is made before sample preparation.
For toys containing button cells, battery compartment safety is a separate requirement; passing electrical safety is not sufficient.

Which decisions these results support

CE marking and the technical file
Determining age marking and warning texts
The CPC certificate and mandatory third-party testing for the US market
Supplier and lot-based acceptance control
Determining the scope of retesting after a design change

Related Tests

Frequently Asked Questions About Choking

We passed the small parts test — does the choking risk go away?

It may not. The small parts cylinder assesses swallowing risk; the hemispheric part, small ball and cord requirements are separate clauses. A product can meet the small parts requirement and still fail the others.