Safety of toys — Mechanical and physical properties

What this standard covers and how we test it

EN 71-1 is the mechanical and physical part of toy safety under the Toy Safety Directive. It looks at the toy the way a child will use it, including foreseeable misuse, and asks whether any part can choke, cut, trap or strangle. Age grading drives everything: a toy for children under 36 months is judged far more strictly than one for school-age children.

The report covers:

• Small parts, torque and tension tests, drop and tip-over behaviour
• Sharp points and edges, and accessibility of hazardous parts
• Entrapment of fingers, head and neck, and cord or strap length limits
• Packaging, warnings, and the justification for the declared age group

We test against the version cited in the harmonised list on the day of the test, and issue clause-by-clause results in the form a notified body expects for EC type-examination.

We normally test EN 71-1 together with EU 2009/48/EC: one sample set, one set of test dates, and a single report pack that the declaration of conformity can reference.