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Selling toys in Canada

In Canada, toys are consumer products under the Canada Consumer Product Safety Act, administered by Health Canada. The Toys Regulations set mechanical, flammability, toxicological, electrical and thermal requirements for products intended for children under 14, with tighter rules for under-threes. Lead and phthalates have their own regulations, and warnings are in English and French.

Updated · Each section links to the official source it comes from

Main rules
Canada Consumer Product Safety Act; Toys Regulations (SOR/2011-17)
Regulator
Health Canada
A toy is
A product intended for use by a child under 14 in learning or play
Warnings
In English and French
Lead
90 mg/kg in accessible parts and surface coatings
Incidents
Reported to Health Canada within two days

Before a product goes on sale

The questions to answer, in the order they usually come up.

  1. 1Is it a toy, and is it likely to be used by a child under three? Read more
  2. 2Does it pass the small parts, sharp edge, magnet and noise requirements? Read more
  3. 3Are lead, heavy metals and phthalates within limits? Read more
  4. 4Do soft toys and toys a child can enter meet the flammability tests? Read more
  5. 5Are the warnings and packaging bag text in English and French? Read more
  6. 6Are supplier and customer records kept, and incidents reported? Read more

The rules, by area

What each area covers, the texts that set it, and what the official pages say.

Mechanical and electrical hazards

Small parts, sharp edges, magnets, noise and electrical toys.

  • A toy is a product intended for use by a child under 14 years of age in learning or play.
  • A toy likely to be used by a child under three must not have a separable part that fits entirely in the small parts cylinder with a force of 4.45 N or less; parts made entirely of soft textile fibre are excepted (section 7).
  • Magnetic toys and components that fit in the small parts cylinder must have a magnetic flux index under 0.5 T²mm² (section 43).
  • Exposed metal, wire, plastic, wooden and glass edges are finished so they are not sharp, and toys may not emit noise over 100 dB at the child's ear (sections 8 to 12 and 19).
  • Electrically operated toys meet CSA Standard C22.2 No. 149-1972 (section 5).

How we help: Compliant Always reads each test report against the section it covers and shows which requirements have no evidence yet. Ask about this

Lead, heavy metals and phthalates

Chemical limits for toys and children's products.

  • Surface coatings and removable stickers or films on accessible parts may contain no more than 90 mg/kg total lead and 10 mg/kg total mercury, with migration limits for antimony, arsenic, cadmium, selenium and barium compounds (section 23, Toys Regulations).
  • Each accessible part of a product for learning or play by a child under 14 may contain no more than 90 mg/kg of lead, subject to a narrow exception (Consumer Products Containing Lead Regulations).
  • Vinyl in toys and child care articles may contain no more than 1,000 mg/kg of DEHP, DBP or BBP; vinyl in parts that a child under four can mouth has the same limit for DINP, DIDP and DNOP (Phthalates Regulations).
  • Substances that can contact the skin must not be irritant, corrosive or sensitising; finger paints must be water based.

How we help: Upload the lab report and Compliant Always reads each result against the lead, heavy metal and phthalate limits, with the regulation beside each. Ask about this

Flammability

Tests for dolls, plush and soft toys, and toys a child can enter.

  • The outer covering of a doll, plush toy or soft toy made of textile or natural fur must have a flame spread time greater than seven seconds (section 32).
  • Toys intended to be entered by a child are tested to ISO 8124-2 and carry a permanent bilingual warning, "WARNING: KEEP AWAY FROM HEAT AND OPEN FLAME" with its French equivalent, in bold capitals at least 3 mm high (sections 46 and 47).
  • Toys must not be made of or impregnated with celluloid or cellulose nitrate, other than ping-pong balls.

How we help: Compliant Always keeps the flammability reports with the product and material lot they cover, dated. Ask about this

Warnings and packaging

Language and packaging rules.

  • Any written statement or warning the Toys Regulations require appears in both English and French (section 3).
  • A flexible film bag packaging a toy has an opening under 356 mm in circumference, or is at least 0.019 mm thick and carries the prescribed suffocation warning in both official languages (section 4).
  • Prepackaged toys show the identity, metric net quantity and dealer details under the Consumer Packaging and Labelling Act; talking toys, and games where knowledge of the language is essential, may be labelled in the language appropriate to the product.

How we help: Compliant Always checks that each warning your product needs is on the label in both languages, and keeps the label version with the product. Ask about this

Records, incidents and recalls

The CCPSA duties behind every consumer product.

  • No manufacturer or importer may manufacture, import, advertise or sell a consumer product that is a danger to human health or safety, or that is under a recall (section 7, CCPSA).
  • Businesses keep documents naming who supplied and who received the product, and retailers record where and when they sold it, for six years (section 13).
  • Manufacturers, importers and sellers give Health Canada information about an incident within two days of becoming aware of it; a written report follows within 10 days (section 14).
  • Health Canada can order tests and studies, and order a recall of a product it believes is a danger to health or safety (sections 12 and 31).

How we help: Compliant Always keeps supplier and customer records for each product and lot, so an incident report or a recall is answered from the record. Ask about this

Who answers for what

WhoWhat they answer forHow we help
ManufacturerMeeting the Toys Regulations, test evidence, records and the written incident report.Test reports and technical documents kept with each product and lot.
ImporterSafety of what it imports, records, and the written report where the manufacturer is abroad.Suppliers' test reports read against the limits before goods arrive.
RetailerSupplier records, where and when it sold the product, and incident reporting.Supplier documents ready when Health Canada asks.

Provinces and territories

The federal Acts and regulations in these guides apply across Canada. Provincial regulations may add labelling requirements for products sold within a province, and Quebec has additional requirements on the use of French on products marketed there.

Alcohol is largely provincial: provincial and territorial liquor boards set their own requirements, and liquor imported into a province is consigned to the provincial body authorised to sell it.

Shipping out of Canada?

Exporting toys from Canada

Questions businesses ask

Which law covers toy safety in Canada?
The Canada Consumer Product Safety Act and its Toys Regulations, administered by Health Canada, together with other regulations such as the Consumer Products Containing Lead Regulations and the Phthalates Regulations.
What counts as a toy in Canada?
A product intended for use by a child under 14 years of age in learning or play, under the Toys Regulations.
What are the small parts rules for toys in Canada?
A toy likely to be used by a child under three must not have a separable part that fits entirely in the small parts cylinder using 4.45 N or less. Parts made entirely of soft textile fibre are excepted.
What is the lead limit for toys in Canada?
90 mg/kg total lead in surface coatings and removable stickers on accessible parts, and 90 mg/kg in each accessible part of a product for learning or play by a child under 14, subject to a narrow exception.
Are phthalates restricted in Canadian toys?
Yes. Vinyl in toys and child care articles may contain no more than 1,000 mg/kg of DEHP, DBP or BBP, and vinyl in parts a child under four can mouth no more than 1,000 mg/kg of DINP, DIDP or DNOP.
Are magnets restricted in toys in Canada?
Yes. Magnetic toys and magnetic components that fit in the small parts cylinder must have a magnetic flux index under 0.5 T²mm², tested under the Toys Regulations.
Do toy warnings need to be in French?
Yes. Any written statement or warning the Toys Regulations require must appear in both English and French.
Do toy sellers have to report incidents in Canada?
Yes. Manufacturers, importers and sellers give Health Canada information on an incident within two days of becoming aware of it, under section 14 of the Canada Consumer Product Safety Act.
How long must toy supply records be kept?
Six years after the end of the year they relate to, at a place of business in Canada, and provided to Health Canada on written request (section 13, CCPSA).
Do electric toys have a specific standard in Canada?
Yes. A toy that is operated electrically must meet CSA Standard C22.2 No. 149-1972, Electrically Operated Toys (section 5, Toys Regulations).
How does Compliant Always help with selling in Canada?
Our team reads the rules for the markets you sell in, including Canada's federal rules and the bilingual labelling they share. Compliant Always shows which apply to your product, keeps the documents behind each one ready, and watches the sources for changes. It shows what the requirements say and what your documents show; you decide.

Sources

Compliant Always is a product of Lettuce Labs LLC. It shows what requirements say and what your documents show. It is not legal advice, and you decide.

Tell us what you make, and we will show you the rules for it.

Name the product and the markets you sell in. We will come back to you with what applies in Canada and what your paperwork needs to show.

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