RoHS-restricted substance: Lead (Pb) — What It Means, How to Verify

Lead (Pb) is restricted under the EU's RoHS Directive 2011/65/EU (European Commission) because of its documented health and environmental hazards. Products placed on the EU market in scope of RoHS must keep this substance below the Annex II maximum concentration value in any homogeneous material.

What this certification means

The RoHS Directive (Restriction of Hazardous Substances) restricts the use of ten classes of substances in electrical and electronic equipment placed on the EU market. Lead (Pb) is one of those restricted substances. The legal text is published by the European Commission and is directly enforceable across all EU member states under 2011/65/EU Annex II.

Who issues it

The certification is issued and maintained by European Commission - RoHS Directive. This is the authoritative body for the scheme; their public site is the only source we treat as canonical for current criteria, fees, and the list of certified products.

How to verify the badge is real

To check whether a product genuinely carries this certification:

1. Look for the official mark on the packaging or product. Most schemes publish an image of the exact logo and any required identifier (licence number, certificate number, country code) on their website.
2. Look the product up in the issuer's public register: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:02011L0065-20240313
3. Check the certificate is current — most certifications have a multi-year renewal cycle. An expired certificate is no longer valid even if the badge is still printed on packaging that was made earlier.
4. If in doubt, contact the issuer directly. They are the only party who can confirm the status of a specific certificate.

How this badge appears on packaging

You may see this certification referenced as any of:

leadpblead oxidelead sulfatelead chromatelead acetatetetraethyl leadlead solderpbolead(ii)

What gets certified, what does not

RoHS Compliant is scoped to the criteria published in the standard document linked above. What it covers: the specific environmental, safety, or performance tests defined for lead (pb). What it does not cover: claims outside that scope — for example, ethical labour, carbon footprint, circular packaging, or animal welfare, unless those topics are explicitly named in the criteria.

Comparison with adjacent certifications

RoHS Compliant is the primary scheme in its domain within our index; we did not match a directly competing scheme. If a competing label is shown on a product alongside this one, verify each independently with the issuing body.

What this certification does NOT guarantee

It is worth being explicit: RoHS Compliant does not guarantee things outside its explicit criteria. Certifications are scoped: they test what they test and stay silent on the rest. Always read the issuer's standard document to see exactly which claims are covered.

This is not a flaw of the scheme — every certification is scoped — but readers regularly over-read a badge. If a topic matters to you and the scheme is silent on it, look for a complementary certification or ask the brand directly.

Technical identifiers

• CAS number: 7439-92-1 (used to look the substance up in chemical databases)
• EC number: 231-100-4 (European Community Inventory identifier)
• Maximum concentration value (MCV): 0.1% by weight in homogeneous material, per Annex II
• Substance category: heavy_metal
• Reason for restriction: Neurotoxic; developmental toxicity

Sources: European Commission - RoHS Directive · last fetched 2026-10-04 · See also: 2011/65/EU Annex II

Verify on European Commission - RoHS Directive: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:02011L0065-20240313 →

We index publicly listed certifications; we do not issue them. Information here reflects what the issuing body has published on its public site as of 2026-10-04. Always verify directly with the issuer for current status — criteria, fees and validity can change.