SGS Publishes Overview of China’s New Product Standard for Children’s Athletic Shoes

SGS, the world’s leading testing, inspection and certification company, is reminding stakeholders that the People’s Republic of China (PRC) has issued a new standard for children’s athletic shoes.

Published on December 2, 2021, by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, QB/T 4331-2021 came into effect on April 1, 2022, replacing the 2012 iteration. The standard covers the production, inspection and sale of children’s and infants’ athletic shoes for general use.

Stakeholders should be aware the new standard includes revisions to:

  • Normative references
  • Definitions of ‘infants’ athletic shoes’ and ‘children’s athletic shoes’
  • ‘Appearance quality’ requirement
  • ‘Peeling strength of upper-sole or sidewall-upper’ requirement and test method
  • ‘Hardness of outsole’ requirement and test method
  • ‘Fatigue resistance performance of touch and close fasteners’ requirement
  • ‘Abrasion resistance of outsole’ test method
  • ‘Outsole and midsole adhesion strength’ test method

Among the additions to the standard is a requirement relating to the width of the cutting edge during the upper-sole peeling strength or sidewall-upper peeling strength test.

Finally, deletions to the standard include:

  • Terms and definitions of ‘low upper footwear’
  • The requirements of ‘general requirements’ retaining the requirements for ‘marking’ in from the 2012 edition’
  • The ‘safety performance’ requirement
  • Annex C of ‘products may trigger risk factors during design, production and use’
  • The test methods for ‘odor’, ‘the banned azo colorants in textile’, ‘the banned azo colorants in leather’, ‘formaldehyde in textile’, ‘formaldehyde in leather’, ‘total heavy metal content’
  • The ‘inspection items’
  • Annex A, the ‘azo dyes list’

Stakeholders looking for an overview of the main technical requirements in QB/T 4331-2021 should review SGS’s original SafeGuardS 064/22, which includes a table containing the main test methods and requirements.

SGS Softlines Services

SGS has a worldwide network of over 40 state-of-the-art laboratories, including 10 in China, specializing in testing of apparel, footwear, and home textiles. Their committed team is drawn from multi-disciplinary backgrounds, allowing them to conduct a comprehensive range of physical, chemical, and functional testing services for components, materials and finished products. SGS helps companies ensure quality, performance, and compliance with international, industrial, and regulatory standards worldwide. In the end, it’s only trusted because it’s tested. Learn more about SGS’s Softlines Services.

SGS SafeGuardS keep you up to date with the latest news and developments in the consumer goods industry. Read the full China Updates Footwear Product Standard for Children’s athletic shoes – QB/T 4331-2021 SafeGuardS.

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For further information contact:

Louann Spirito

Consumer and Retail — Softlines

US & Canada Softlines Business Head

Tel: +1 973 461 7919

Email: cp.media@sgs.com

Website: www.sgs.com/softlines

LinkedIn: sgs-consumer-goods-&-retail

About SGS

We are SGS – the world’s leading testing, inspection and certification company. We are recognized as the global benchmark for quality and integrity. Our 96,000 employees operate a network of 2,600 offices and laboratories, working together to enable a better, safer and more interconnected world.

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