GPSR for Home, Kitchenware and Furniture: Applicable Laws, European Standards, Food Contact and Labels

Why home goods are GPSR home ground

Under GPSR Article 2(1), the GPSR applies in full where EU law has no specific provisions with the same objective, and only fills gaps where such provisions exist. The Commission's business guidelines (Commission Notice C/2025/6233, November 2025) give furniture, childcare articles and gymnastic equipment as examples of products to which the GPSR applies fully, since no other EU legislation sets specific requirements for them. If you sell tables, chairs, wardrobes, beds, storage, cookware, home textiles or scented candles, you carry all the duties of GPSR Chapter III Section 1; a CE certificate will not cover you, and for most of these products it would not even be correct.

Where the GPSR applies in full, the core duties are: carry out an internal risk analysis and draw up technical documentation before placing the product on the market, and keep it for ten years (Article 9); mark the product with a type, batch or serial number (Article 9(5)) and the manufacturer's name or trademark with postal and electronic address (Article 9(6)); supply instructions and safety information in a language set by the Member State (Article 9(7)); and, for non-EU manufacturers, have an EU-based responsible person whose details appear on the product, packaging, parcel or an accompanying document (Article 16). If you are unsure whether CE marking is relevant to a product, see GPSR vs CE marking.

European standards and the presumption of safety: which standards are cited

GPSR Article 7 presumes a product safe, for the risks covered, if it conforms to European standards whose references are published in the Official Journal. On 27 April 2026, Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2026/901 published the list of standards supporting the GPSR and repealed the GPSD-era Decision (EU) 2019/1698 (a few older references listed in its Annex II stay valid until 27 October 2027). The home-related entries include:

Note what is missing. The standards most used for adult furniture, such as EN 14749:2016+A1:2022 (domestic and kitchen storage units and worktops), EN 16122:2012 (test methods for strength, durability and stability of storage furniture), EN 12520 (domestic seating), EN 12521 (domestic tables) and EN 747 (bunk beds), and the candle standards EN 15493 (fire safety) and EN 15494 (product safety labels), are not on the 2026/901 list. They give no legal presumption of safety, but they are exactly the "other European standards" and "state of the art" that GPSR Article 8 tells you to consider, and test reports against them remain the most convincing evidence in your technical file. The list changes over time; check the Commission's GPSR standards page.

Furniture and window coverings: stability, strength, cords and assembly

Tip-over and stability

Tall cabinets, chests of drawers, bookcases and TV units falling onto children is the risk regulators watch most closely in furniture. Your risk analysis should include reasonably foreseeable use such as a child climbing, several drawers opened at once or the unit standing on carpet. EN 14749 includes a test of wall-attachment strength and EN 16122 sets the stability test methods. Supplying anti-tip fixings and stating clearly, on the product and in the instructions and in the local language, that the unit must be fixed to the wall are common and effective measures.

Structural strength

Breaking chair legs, shattering glass tops, folding mechanisms that trap fingers and bunk-bed guard rails that are too low are typical hazards. Test strength, durability and stability against EN 12520, EN 12521, EN 747 and similar standards, state whether glass is toughened, and check folding or lifting mechanisms for pinch points.

Flammability and materials

There is no EU-wide fire-safety law for upholstered furniture, but some Member States have national rules, so check each target country. On materials, since 6 August 2026 entry 77 of REACH Annex XVII (added by Regulation (EU) 2023/1464) limits formaldehyde emissions: 0.062 mg/m³ for furniture and wood-based articles and 0.080 mg/m³ for other articles under the specified test conditions. This needs chamber emission testing, not just a content test.

Blind cords

Commission Decision 2011/477/EU sets the safety requirements that European standards must meet to address strangulation risks to children from internal blinds, corded window coverings and safety devices. Its recitals note that fatal accidents mostly involve children aged roughly 16 to 36 months. Design and test to EN 13120, EN 16433 and EN 16434 (cord loop length, accessible height, tensioning or break-away devices) and put warnings on the product and packaging.

Assembly instructions

For self-assembly furniture, the instructions are themselves a safety measure: parts list, step drawings, tools, fixing method and warnings, in a language easily understood by consumers as determined by the Member State (GPSR Article 9(7)). See GPSR technical documentation and risk assessment.

Kitchenware and food contact materials: 1935/2004, 10/2011 and appliances

Pans, bowls, knives, chopping boards, bottles, food boxes and silicone spatulas must first meet Article 3 of framework Regulation (EC) No 1935/2004: under normal or foreseeable use they must not transfer constituents to food in quantities that could endanger health, change the food's composition unacceptably or spoil its taste and smell.

Labelling: Article 15

• The words "for food contact" (or a local-language equivalent), a specific indication of use (e.g. "coffee machine", "soup spoon"), or the glass-and-fork symbol in Annex II; not required for articles clearly intended for food contact, such as a table knife;
• Special instructions for safe and appropriate use where needed (e.g. "not for microwave use");
• The name or trade name and address of the manufacturer, processor or seller responsible, established in the EU;
• Labelling or identification ensuring traceability;
• At retail, the use indication and instructions must be in a language easily understood by purchasers, and Member States may require their official language.

Plastics: declaration of compliance

Plastic articles fall under Regulation (EU) No 10/2011: only authorised substances may be used and overall and specific migration limits apply. Article 15 requires a written declaration of compliance (DoC) at every marketing stage other than retail, with the content set out in Annex IV, renewed when composition or production changes substantially or new scientific data emerge. As importer or brand owner, obtain the DoC and supporting migration test reports from your factory and keep them on file. Ceramic tableware has its own lead and cadmium rules and declaration under Directive 84/500/EEC as amended by Directive 2005/31/EC. Bisphenol A is banned in many food contact materials by Regulation (EU) 2024/3190, applicable since 20 January 2025 with transitional periods for some products; check the text for your category. Bamboo fibre and bamboo powder are not authorised additives under 10/2011, and "bamboo-melamine" tableware has been a target of coordinated enforcement.

Food contact problems are usually notified through RASFF, the rapid alert system for food and feed, rather than Safety Gate. Mechanical and heat risks such as loose pan handles, glasses shattering when heated or unguarded knife edges are GPSR matters and belong in the same risk analysis. Because the food contact rules are not in the Annex I list of harmonisation legislation in Regulation (EU) 2019/1020, our reading is that the GPSR's general duties (Article 9 labelling and documentation, Article 16 responsible person) normally apply in full to non-electric kitchenware.

Electric kitchen appliances

Kettles, air fryers and blenders are harmonised products: CE compliance under the Low Voltage Directive, EMC Directive and RoHS, and for some categories ecodesign and energy labelling rules; parts touching food or water are also subject to 1935/2004. GPSR Chapter III Section 1 does not apply to them, but the GPSR's online, accident and recall rules do. Stove-top pressure cookers are generally within the Pressure Equipment Directive 2014/68/EU and need conformity assessment under it. For appliances, see the electronics white paper.

Home textiles, candles and chemical restrictions

Home textiles: fibre labelling under Regulation (EU) No 1007/2011

Curtains, bedding, towels, rug pile and sofa covers fall under the Textile Fibre Names Regulation. Article 2(2) brings in products with at least 80% textile fibres by weight, furniture, umbrella and sunshade coverings with at least 80% textile components, and the textile parts of the upper layer of multi-layer floor coverings, mattress coverings and camping goods coverings. Labels must be durable, easily legible and securely attached (Article 14); products with non-textile parts of animal origin (leather trim, feathers) must say "contains non-textile parts of animal origin" (Article 12); labels must be in the official language(s) of the Member State of sale (Article 16(3)); and online, the fibre composition must be clearly visible before purchase (Article 16(2)). Regulation 1007/2011 governs composition labelling only, not safety, so safety risks in textiles (cords on children's curtains, detachable small decorations) remain under the GPSR. Because 1007/2011 is also listed in Annex I to Regulation (EU) 2019/1020, there is room for interpretation on which GPSR chapters apply to textile products under Article 2(1); the safe course is to prepare GPSR Article 9 labels and technical documentation anyway.

Candles and fragrance products

The main candle risks are oversized flames, cracking containers, falling wicks and unattended burning. Commonly used standards are EN 15493 (fire safety), EN 15494 (product safety labels with warnings and pictograms), EN 15426 (sooting behaviour) and EN 17885:2023+A1:2025 for candle accessories. The Commission once drafted a decision on candle safety requirements, but it was not adopted, and as of our check these candle standards are not on the 2026/901 list. Testing to EN 15493 and labelling to EN 15494 is still standard industry practice. Fragrance oils and reed diffuser liquids that are chemical mixtures may also need CLP classification, labelling and packaging, which should be assessed separately.

Common REACH Annex XVII restrictions

• Entry 51: DEHP, DBP, BBP and DIBP, individually or combined, must stay below 0.1% of the plasticised material in most articles (PVC tablecloths, shower curtains);
• Entry 50: PAHs in rubber or plastic parts in prolonged or repeated skin contact;
• Entry 43: azo dyes releasing certain aromatic amines in textiles and leather in prolonged skin contact;
• Entry 77: formaldehyde emissions from furniture and wood-based articles (above).

Articles containing a substance of very high concern (SVHC) above 0.1% also trigger the information duty in REACH Article 33.

Label and online information table for home goods

The table brings together the marking requirements that come up most often for home goods. Field-by-field examples are in the GPSR label requirements guide, and our sister tool gpsrtools.com can produce a draft label for you to check line by line.

A QR code can link to multilingual manuals or assembly videos, but GPSR Article 21 treats electronic information as an addition only, and recital 32 says digital means such as QR codes could provide information "in addition", so digital-only labelling does not meet the obligations. Amazon has stated publicly that products in its EU stores need manufacturer, EU responsible person and safety information and that listings missing it may be deactivated; Seller Central fields change, so follow the current pages. Platform steps are in GPSR information you must show online.

Risk assessment tips for home goods

GPSR Article 6 lists the aspects to consider when assessing safety, and the Commission's guidelines include a technical documentation template. For home goods, walk through these questions:

1. Who will use or touch it: homes have children and older people. Cabinets get climbed, cords get reached, small decorations get swallowed; Article 6 asks you to consider vulnerable consumers.
2. Can it be confused with something else: candles or ornaments shaped like fruit or desserts may end up in a child's mouth, and the Commission's guidelines single out food-imitating products.
3. Foreseeable misuse: standing on a chair to change a bulb, microwaving a food box, placing an oil lamp within a child's reach.
4. Mechanical and structural: stability, strength, pinch points, sharp edges, glass breakage.
5. Heat and fire: candles, heating pads, pan handle temperatures.
6. Chemical: food contact migration, formaldehyde, phthalates, azo dyes.
7. Information: are warnings, assembly and care instructions complete and in the right languages?

For each risk, record the description, the measures taken (design change, test, warning), the standard or method used and the test report number; the Commission's guidelines ask for all identified risks to be listed, whatever their level. After launch, log complaints, recalls and corrective actions. Accidents causing death or serious harm must be notified through the Safety Business Gateway to the authority of the country where they happened (GPSR Article 20); recalls use the recall notice template in Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/1435 and, as a rule, offer the consumer a choice of at least two remedies among repair, replacement and an adequate refund (Article 37). See accidents, recalls and Safety Gate, or start with the 3-step compliance check.