CCC

What's CCC mark?

CCC stands for China Compulsory Certification. Its sign is shown on the top of this page.

The CCC mark is the new compulsory Safety & Quality mark for many products sold on the Chinese market. CCC Mark became effective on the May 1, 2002. It is the result of the recent integration of China's two compulsory inspection systems (one to check contents of products for import and export, and the other for quality control) into a single procedure. The new CCC mark replaces the two old marks, namely CCIB and CCEE used in the two old inspection systems.

Two Old Systems Overlap

The two old systems overlap with each other in many aspects. Since they belong to two different State administrations, each does not admit those enterprises that have gone through the other.

The two systems carry different national quality standards, this has caused a great deal of inconvenience for enterprises, especially for those dealing in both the domestic market and foreign trade.

What's more, imported products have to go through the two similar, but independent, systems: while entering China, they should be examined in accordance with the system of inspection and quarantine authority, and to be allowed to be sold on the Chinese markets, the authentication of the quality supervision authority is a necessity.

In August 2001, China′s State Council pushed for the previous two independent quality supervision authorities and quarantine authority to become the ministerial-level State General Administration for Quality Supervision and Inspection and Quarantine. This has thus paved the way for combining the two systems.

The newly established China National Regulatory Commission for Certification and Accreditation is in charge of all matters concerning certification and accreditation

Inspection request for CCC Certificate

Initial Factory Inspection:

An initial Factory Inspection is conducted to confirm that the products matched with those type-approved and to verify that the manufacturer's quality management system meets the CCC requirements. This Initial Factory Inspection is conducted by the CQC appointed inspectors from China.

Supervision after inspection:

After the first inspection during the initial product certification, a follow-up audit is to be conducted usually every 6 or 12 months depending on the product. This follow-up audit confirms that the product consistency is maintained and the usage of the CCC approval marks is regulated effectively

CCC Process

1. can take sixty to ninety days or longer;
2. requires testing at accredited laboratories in China;
3. generally does not permit self certification or third-party testing results;
4. requires submission of numerous technical documents;
5. requires submission of a product sample to a Chinese testing laboratory or a Chinese certification agency.
6. requires a factory inspection by Chinese officials at the applicant's expense;
7. requires follow-up inspections every twelve to eighteen months; and
8. can cost several thousand dollars.