By Andy Gaber, Founder · Published August 13, 2026 · Last updated August 13, 2026
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32 terms a CPSC-regulated importer runs into sooner or later — on a customs broker's paperwork, in a CPSC Product Registry rejection notice, or in a testing lab's certificate. Each definition is cited to the actual regulation, statute, or federal agency page that governs it, not a third-party summary of it. This is not legal advice; see our editorial policy for how this glossary is produced and reviewed.
The federal agency responsible for protecting the public from unreasonable risks of injury from consumer products, created by the Consumer Product Safety Act of 1972. The CPSC sets and enforces safety standards, oversees recalls, and, as of the Product Registry rule discussed throughout this glossary, requires certain electronic filing data before regulated products clear customs.
The foundational federal statute, codified at 15 U.S.C. §2051 et seq., that created the CPSC and grants it authority to set safety standards, ban hazardous products, and require recalls. Most CPSC enforcement actions, including civil penalties for filing or reporting violations, trace back to specific CPSA sections.
The provision (15 U.S.C. §2064(b)) requiring manufacturers, importers, distributors, and retailers to immediately report to the CPSC if a product they handle fails to comply with a safety rule, contains a defect that could create a substantial risk of injury, or creates an unreasonable risk of serious injury or death. Failure to report timely under Section 15(b) is a common source of CPSC civil penalties, separate from Product Registry filing violations.
The electronic system requiring importers to submit specific product data before CPSC-regulated goods clear U.S. customs, mandatory as of 2026-07-08. It is the specific requirement EntryProof's readiness checker is built around.
The general term for submitting the Product Registry's required data electronically rather than on paper, coordinated through CBP's Partner Government Agency (PGA) messaging system at the time of customs entry. "CPSC eFiling" and "CPSC Product Registry filing" are used interchangeably in most industry discussion.
The Code of Federal Regulations section that establishes the CPSC Product Registry rule itself, the specific data elements required, which product categories are covered, and how the electronic filing integrates with CBP's entry process. This is the primary regulatory text EntryProof's readiness check is built to verify against.
A coded identifier, generated from a manufacturer or shipper's name and address per CBP's standard formula, used to uniquely identify the party responsible for a shipment in customs entry data. An incorrect or missing MID is a common, easily-overlooked cause of a rejected or delayed CPSC Product Registry filing.
Similar in concept to a Manufacturer ID but specific to identifying the actual overseas factory or supplier that produced the goods, which the CPSC Product Registry rule requires as part of its data set, a distinct field from the importer's own identification.
A certificate manufacturers and importers of non-children's products must issue, based on either testing or a reasonable testing program, certifying the product complies with all applicable CPSC safety rules. The GCC is a distinct document from the Children's Product Certificate and applies to a broader range of general-use consumer products.
The certificate required specifically for products primarily intended for children 12 and under, certifying compliance with all applicable children's product safety rules (lead content, phthalates, small parts, and others) based on testing by a CPSC-accepted third-party laboratory. A missing or invalid CPC reference is one of the most common CPSC Product Registry filing gaps for toy and children's goods importers.
The numeric classification code assigned to every imported product under the U.S. Harmonized Tariff Schedule, used to determine duty rates and which regulatory requirements (including CPSC oversight) apply to a given shipment. An incorrect HTS code can cause a shipment to be flagged for the wrong regulatory review entirely, independent of whether the underlying product itself is compliant.
The international 6-digit classification system that the U.S. HTS code extends to 10 digits for tariff and regulatory purposes. HS codes are standardized globally by the World Customs Organization, while the additional U.S.-specific digits (HTS) add the country-level detail needed for duty and regulatory determinations.
CBP's primary electronic system through which import data, including CPSC Product Registry filings via the PGA Message Set, is submitted and processed. ACE is the actual technical pipeline the CPSC Product Registry rule's electronic filing requirement runs through.
The federal agency responsible for enforcing customs law at U.S. ports of entry, including collecting duties, screening imports for compliance with dozens of other agencies' requirements (like CPSC's), and administering the ACE electronic filing system. CBP does not itself set CPSC's product-safety rules but does enforce the filing gate those rules require at the border.
The structured electronic data format CBP's ACE system uses to route Partner Government Agency (PGA) requirements, including CPSC's Product Registry data, alongside standard customs entry data. A shipment's CPSC data has to be correctly formatted into the PGA Message Set for the CPSC Product Registry rule's electronic filing requirement to be satisfied.
The CPSC's standard for the ongoing testing a manufacturer must conduct to support a General Certificate of Conformity for non-children's products, testing sufficient to support a certification that the product complies with applicable rules, without CPSC prescribing one single mandatory testing protocol for every product type.
A laboratory the CPSC has formally accepted to perform the mandatory testing required for children's products before a Children's Product Certificate can be issued. Using a lab not on CPSC's accepted list for children's product testing invalidates the resulting certificate, which is a common, costly compliance mistake.
The CPSC's ongoing program of monitoring imported products at ports of entry, including using Product Registry filing data to flag high-risk shipments for physical examination or sampling. The Product Registry rule exists in part to make this surveillance more targeted and data-driven than manual, spot-check-only enforcement.
A formal action, either voluntary or CPSC-ordered, to remove a product from the market or correct a defect after it has been determined to present a substantial product hazard. Recalls are publicly listed at SaferProducts.gov and CPSC.gov, and can result from a Section 15(b) report, an injury report, or CPSC's own investigation.
The CPSA's legal standard (15 U.S.C. §2064(a)) for a defect or noncompliance serious enough to trigger mandatory reporting and potential recall, a failure to comply with an applicable consumer product safety rule, or a product defect that creates a substantial risk of injury to the public given the pattern of the defect, the severity of the risk, and the number of defective products.
The general term covering both the GCC (general products) and CPC (children's products), the document certifying, based on testing, that a specific product meets all applicable CPSC safety rules. A copy must generally accompany the product or be available on request, separate from the Product Registry's electronic filing data.
The statutory provision allowing shipments valued under a set threshold to enter the U.S. with reduced customs formalities. De minimis entries have historically received less scrutiny for CPSC and other regulatory compliance, which has been a subject of ongoing federal policy debate regarding low-value e-commerce imports.
A designated area, physically in the U.S. but treated as outside CBP customs territory for duty purposes, where goods can be stored, processed, or assembled before formal customs entry. Products moving from an FTZ into U.S. commerce still trigger CPSC Product Registry filing requirements at the point of formal entry, the FTZ status itself does not exempt them.
The core customs entry document summarizing a shipment's classification, value, and duty owed, filed through ACE. CPSC Product Registry data is submitted alongside, and cross-referenced against, the underlying entry summary data for the same shipment.
A secure facility where imported goods can be stored without formal customs entry (and without duty payment) for up to five years under CBP bond. Like FTZ status, storage in a bonded warehouse defers the entry process but does not eliminate the CPSC Product Registry filing requirement once the goods do formally enter U.S. commerce.
The CPSIA requirement (15 U.S.C. §2063(a)(5)) that children's products bear permanent distinguishing marks identifying the manufacturer, production location and date, and batch/run number, so a specific product can be traced back to its source if a safety issue is discovered. This is a physical labeling requirement, distinct from but related to the certification and filing requirements discussed elsewhere in this glossary.
The mandatory warning label required under the Child Safety Protection Act for toys and games containing small parts that pose a choking hazard to children under 3 (or, for balloons and small balls, broader age ranges). Missing choking-hazard labeling is a distinct compliance failure from a Product Registry filing gap, though both can result in a held or rejected shipment.
The CPSIA's limit on lead content in children's products, currently 100 parts per million in accessible substrate material, enforced through mandatory third-party testing before a Children's Product Certificate can be issued. Lead testing failures are among the most common reasons a children's product shipment gets held at port.
The CPSIA's permanent prohibition on certain phthalate chemicals (used to soften plastics) above specified concentrations in children's toys and child care articles, also enforced through mandatory third-party testing tied to the Children's Product Certificate.
A federal statute (15 U.S.C. §1191 et seq.) setting flammability standards for clothing, mattresses, carpets, and certain other textile products, enforced by the CPSC. Products subject to Flammable Fabrics Act standards require their own compliance testing, separate from and in addition to any CPSC Product Registry filing requirement that also applies.
A federal statute (15 U.S.C. §1261 et seq.) requiring warning labels on household products containing hazardous substances and banning certain especially dangerous products from consumer sale entirely. FHSA labeling obligations run alongside, not instead of, any applicable CPSC Product Registry filing requirement.
The CPSC's requirement that manufacturers and importers retain records supporting product certifications (test reports, supplier documentation) for a specified retention period, producible on CPSC request. Recordkeeping failures are a separate, independently enforceable compliance gap from a Product Registry filing gap, even when the underlying product itself is fully compliant.
The general policy area covering how federal agencies, CPSC, CBP, FDA, and others, coordinate to screen imported products for safety and regulatory compliance before they enter U.S. commerce. The CPSC Product Registry rule is one specific mechanism within this broader import-safety framework, focused narrowly on CPSC-regulated consumer products.
The CPSC's public database of consumer-submitted incident reports and manufacturer/industry responses, separate from the agency's official recall announcements. It is a useful public record for researching a specific product or manufacturer's safety history, though submissions are not independently verified by the CPSC before publication.
No. It is a plain-English reference to publicly documented CPSC and customs terminology, cited to the regulation or statute itself where one exists. It is not a substitute for advice from a customs broker or trade attorney, and it does not cover every product category's specific requirements.
Because CPSC Product Registry compliance sits at the intersection of two different regulatory systems: the CPSC's product-safety regime (CPSA, CPSIA, 16 CFR) and Customs and Border Protection's entry/import regime (19 CFR, HTS classification). Terms are cited to whichever body actually governs them.
Yes, per our editorial policy, substantive regulatory changes affecting a term's definition trigger a review within the standard 24-hour correction window described in our corrections policy, and this page's last-updated date reflects the most recent substantive review.
EntryProof is a data preparation and readiness-assessment tool for the CPSC Product Registry. EntryProof is NOT a customs broker, NOT a testing laboratory, and NOT a legal-advice service. Compliance decisions remain the responsibility of the importer. EntryProof does not guarantee that any classification, packet, or filing will be accepted by CPSC or CBP.
EntryProof is not affiliated with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Amazon, Shein, Temu, or TikTok Shop.