How to Check CE, ISO and Test Reports From a Chinese Supplier

Almost every Chinese supplier will send you a CE certificate, an ISO 9001 certificate and a test report within minutes of being asked. Some are genuine and belong to that company and that product. Many are genuine but belong to someone else, cover a different product, have expired, or are not what the buyer thinks they are. A few are simply edited PDFs.

This guide explains what each document really proves and how to check it yourself before you rely on it.

Certificate, test report or declaration?

• Test report: a laboratory tested a sample against a standard on a date. It says nothing about the products made since then. It is only as useful as the match between the sample and your order.

• Certificate: a certification body says a product type or a management system meets a standard, usually with factory inspection and ongoing surveillance. It has a number, a scope and an expiry date.

• Declaration of conformity: the manufacturer or importer declares that the product meets the rules. For most CE products this is the legal document, and it is signed by the maker, not a lab.

CE: what a "CE certificate" usually is

For most product groups, such as many electrical products under the Low Voltage and EMC directives, CE marking is based on the manufacturer's own declaration and technical file. No notified body is involved. The "CE certificate" a supplier sends is often a voluntary certificate of conformity issued by a test lab or consultancy after testing one sample. It can be useful evidence, but it is not an EU approval.

Some products, such as certain machinery, pressure equipment, gas appliances, lifts and personal protective equipment, do need a notified body. In that case the certificate carries a four-digit notified body number. Check that number in the European Commission's NANDO database: the body must exist and be notified for that directive or regulation and that product.

Remember that in the EU the importer carries legal responsibility. A certificate in the supplier's name does not move that responsibility to them.

ISO 9001 and other system certificates

• Certificates issued in China by certification bodies approved in China must be registered with the national certification and accreditation administration (CNCA). Its public query site lets you search by company name or certificate number and shows whether the certificate is valid, suspended or withdrawn.

• Many international certification bodies also list valid certificates in IAF CertSearch or in their own online registers.

• Check that the company name matches the business license exactly, that the address is the factory and not only an office, and that the scope covers the manufacture of your product. A scope of "sales of electrical products" does not mean the company makes them.

• Look at the expiry date and remember that an ISO certificate needs yearly surveillance audits to stay valid.

CCC for products sold in China

CCC is the compulsory mark for many products sold inside China. It is not required for export, but a CCC certificate is a useful clue: it names the applicant, the manufacturer and the factory. You can search it on the CNCA site. If the manufacturer and factory on the certificate are another company, your supplier is probably trading.

Test reports

• Ask the laboratory, not the supplier, to confirm the report. SGS, Intertek, Bureau Veritas, TÜV and most large labs offer online report verification or answer by email.

• Compare the applicant and manufacturer on the report with the supplier. A report in a different company's name means the sample came from someone else.

• Compare the model, photos and description in the report with the product you are buying. Reports often cover a "similar" model, or a sample with a better material than mass production.

• Check the date and the standard version. An old report against a withdrawn standard may not help you at customs.

• For safety-critical items, consider a new test on samples taken from your own production during inspection.

Warning signs

• Fonts, spacing or a QR code that do not match the issuer's normal certificates.

• A certificate that "covers" every product the company sells, from cables to motors.

• A supplier who refuses to give the certificate number, or sends only a picture with the number cropped.

• Certificates from small "certification" companies with no accreditation that you can find.

Questions to send the supplier first

1. What is the certificate or report number, and which body or laboratory issued it?

2. Whose name is on it as applicant, manufacturer and factory?

3. Which model was tested, and is it the same as the one we are ordering, including materials and key components?

4. When does the certificate expire, and when was the last surveillance audit?

5. Can we take samples from our own production for a new test if needed?

Certificate checks are part of every supplier verification I do. For the rest of the checks, see how to verify a Chinese supplier and common supplier scams, where borrowed certificates are one of the most common tricks.

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LocalAuditChina is an independent verification service, not a certification body or a law firm. This guide is general information about how certificates work, not legal or compliance advice.