EN 71-2 version of 2020 has been updated to cover the most recent flammability requirements and tests in support of the the Toys Safety Directive.
These updates to the standard bring several key improvements and clarifications, primarily focusing on toy safety and testing procedures. New definitions for terms like cosmetic kit, gustative game, and olfactory board game have been added to provide clearer guidance, especially in relation to section 4.1. This section itself has been refined to better address highly flammable and flammable liquids in chemical toys, ensuring consistency with other relevant European Standards (EN 71-5:2015 and EN 71-13:2021+A1:2022).
Furthermore, the changes enhance testing protocols: section 5.3 now clarifies how to properly test masks to prevent external factors from skewing flame tests, and an error in referencing sections A.7 and A.8 in 5.3 and 5.4 has been corrected. The standard also allows for a wider range of water hardness in testing (5.4.1.1 c) and clarifies this change in A.7, while Figure 1 in 5.4.1.2.1 has been improved for better understanding. Finally, Annex B has been completely revised, and Annex A includes new information on washing toy disguise costumes and a correction to example 15.
The reference of this new standard EN 71-2:2020+A1:2025 has still not been cited in the Official Journal under the Directive on Safety of Toys, but it can be used by manufacturers, other private operators and authorities to assess and test the flammability of toys. The standard is a harmonised standard as it has been prepared in support of the Directive
2009/48/EC on Safety of Toys, and following the Standardisation Request M/589 from the European Commission: C(2022)7410 - COMMISSION IMPLEMENTING DECISION of 24.10.2022 on a standardisation request to the European Committee for Standardisation and the European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardisation as regards toys in support of Directive 2009/48/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council.
This European Standard sets out the categories of flammable materials prohibited in all toys. It also details flammability requirements for certain toys when exposed to a small source of ignition.
You may check regularly the eventual publication of the reference to the European Standard in the Official Journal (OJEU) or in Genorma.com website: https://genorma.com/en/directive/show/2009/48/EC
The standard has the following content:
European foreword
Introduction
1 Scope
2 Normative references
3 Terms and definitions
4 Requirements
4.1 General requirements (see A.2)
4.2 Toys to be worn on the head (see A. 3)
4.2.1 General
4.2.2 Beards, moustaches, wigs, etc., made from pile or flowing elements which protrude 50 mm or more from the surface of the toy
4.2.3 Beards, moustaches, wigs, etc., made from pile or flowing elements which protrude less than 50 mm from the surface of the toy
4.2.4 Full or partial moulded head masks
4.2.5 Toys to be worn on the head (except those covered by 4.2.2 and 4.2.3), hoods, headdresses including upward protruding items and masks not covered by 4.2.4 which partially or fully cover the head (e.g. fabric and paperboard masks, eye masks, face masks), but excluding those items covered by 4.3 13
4.3 Toy disguise costumes and toys intended to be worn by a child in play (see A.4)
4.4 Toys intended to be entered by a child (see A.5)
4.5 Soft-filled toys (see A.6)
5 Test methods
5.1 General
5.1.1 Test burner
5.1.2 Conditioning and test chamber
5.1.3 Test flame
5.2 Test relating to beards, moustaches, wigs, etc., made from pile or flowing elements, which protrude 50 mm or more from the surface of the toy
5.2.1 Test flame
5.2.2 Test burner position
5.2.3 Test performance
5.3 Test relating to beards, moustaches, wigs, etc., made from pile or flowing elements, which protrude less than 50 mm from the surface of the toy, and full or partial moulded head masks
5.3.1 Test flame
5.3.2 Test burner position
5.3.3 Test performance
5.4 Test relating to toys to be worn on the head (4.2.5), hoods, headdresses including upward protruding items and masks not covered by 4.2.4 which partially or fully cover the head (e.g. fabric and paperboard masks, eye masks, face masks), toy disguise costumes and toys intended to be worn or toys intended to be entered by a child (!see A.7")
5.4.1 Preparation of test specimen
5.4.2 Holding and positioning the test specimen
5.4.3 Test flame
5.4.4 Test burner position
5.4.5 Test performance
5.4.6 Results
5.5 Test for soft-filled toys and certain soft-filled parts of toy disguise costumes
5.5.1 Test flame
5.5.2 Test burner position
5.5.3 Test performance
Annex A (informative) Background and rationale for this document
A.1 General
A.2 General requirements (see 4.1)
A.3 Toys to be worn on the head (see 4.2)
A.4 Toy disguise costumes and toys intended to be worn by a child in play (see 4.3)
A.5 Toys intended to be entered by a child (see 4.4)
A.6 Soft-filled toys (see 4.5)
A.7 Test relating to toy disguise costumes and toys intended to be entered by a child (see 5.4)
A.8 Suggestions to help reduce rate of spread of flames for toy disguise costumes.
A.9 Flowcharts showing how to obtain test specimens from toy disguise costumes
Annex B (informative) Risk Assessment Guidance: Toy disguise costumes and toys to be worn on the head
Annex ZA (informative) Relationship between this European Standard and the essential Requirements of EU Directive 2009/48/EC aimed to be covered
Bibliography
Keywords: toys, toys safety, safety of toys, fire, fire requirements, fire safety requirements, flammability, flammability tests, Toys Safety Directive.
