China Releases a National Standard GB/T 40180-2021

The Standardization Administration of China issued its national product standard GB/T 40180-2021 <Buoyant swimwear for infants and children>, which becomes effective on December 1, 2021 and is included in China’s No. 7 announcement on the approved national standards in 2021. 

Scope

This document is suitable for buoyancy swimwear whose shells are made of textile materials and worn by infants and children ages 14 years or below. Other wearable buoyancy products such as collars, armbands, chest straps, knapsacks, etc. can reference this document.

This document isn’t suitable for lifejackets and buoyancy aids with plastic as the main material.

Definition for Buoyant Swimwear

Wearable clothing that uses textile fabrics as the main shells and is equipped with buoyancy materials and/or inflatable air chambers to provide floatation required for water sports.

Main technical contents

The main technical content includes the following 4 requirements: 

1. Instruction for use of finished products, size and specification, and warning and markings which must be on the product.
2. Safety requirements in the water, includes the requirements for product construction, buoyancy performance, seam strength and durability of inflatable air chambers, resistance to puncturing of inflatable air chambers, and overall integrity of the finished product when worn.
3. Quality requirements includes general requirements and internal quality.
   General requirements include the requirements for formaldehyde content, pH value, decomposable carcinogenic aromatic amines, odour, total heavy metal contents, phthalates contents, flammability, attached components, filling material, attachments, residual metal needle, and these items shall comply with the rules of GB 31701.
   Internal quality includes fibre content, colourfastness of shell and lining (colourfastness to rubbing, colourfastness to water, colourfastness to saliva, colourfastness to perspiration, colourfastness to washing with soap, colourfastness to sea water, colourfastness to chlorinated water(swimming-pool water), colourfastness to transfer in joints, colourfastness to light), fabric stretch at specified force, fabric stretch and recover (after tested colourfastness to chlorinated water(swimming-pool water), tear force, force to seam rupture, seam slippage, and bursting strength using steel ball method.
4. Appearance quality

Details of the Technical Content

For more information, please refer to the China National Standard GB/T 40180-2021 <Buoyant swimwear for infants and children> or contact SGS directly.

SGS Global Softlines has an extensive network of over 40 laboratories worldwide, with a strong team of committed professionals from multi-disciplinary backgrounds. Our internationally accredited state-of-the-art testing laboratories offer a comprehensive range of physical, chemical and functional testing services for components, materials and finished products. We help your company ensure quality, performance and compliance with international, industrial and regulatory standards worldwide. In the end, it’s only trusted because it’s tested. Discover more at www.sgs.com/softlines. 

For inquiries, please contact:

Louann Spirito
Consumer and Retail — Softlines
US & Canada Softlines Business Head
t: +1 973 461 7919 

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