The compliance documents an importer needs for stainless steel drinkware are decided by the destination market and the retail channel, not by the bottle. The same 18/8 vessel that clears into one market on a food-contact declaration needs a different set again for a chain that runs its own supplier audit — so the request should be written per market and per customer, not once for the product.
The named standards, and which market they belong to
| Market or question | What is normally asked for |
|---|---|
| United States | FDA food-contact compliance and California Proposition 65 for the restricted substances |
| European Union | LFGB and the EU food-contact framework, with REACH SVHC for restricted substances |
| United States, juvenile products | CPSIA, when the item is marketed for children |
| Thermal performance claims | EN 12546-1 for the container, when a claim is printed on the pack |
| Transit durability | ISTA 1A, when the retail channel specifies a transit test |
| Factory-level audit | ISO 9001, and a social-compliance audit such as BSCI or SMETA where the buyer requires one |
This is the same list the site publishes on the certification matrix, grouped by the market each one answers to, because a standard quoted without its market is not a compliance statement — it is a fragment.
What to ask for, in the order that keeps a shipment moving
- The declaration that covers the item and the market. Named to the item number and the destination, not to the range.
- The test report behind it. A declaration with no report is a statement of intent.
- The date the report was issued, and its validity. Which is the reason we do not print certificate numbers in a catalogue.
- The factory-level certificates. For the buyer whose own compliance team runs a supplier audit.
- Anything your retailer adds. Retail chains layer their own requirements on top, and they differ between chains.
Why certificate numbers do not belong in a catalogue
A certificate number is valid for one issue. Printed into a brochure or a web page it stays there after the certificate is superseded, and the day a customs broker checks it, the number is worse than absent — it is a claim with a date on it. The current issue travels with the order instead. That is a deliberate choice on this site, and it is why the quality page names standards rather than numbers.
Questions buyers ask
Can a supplier supply every certificate before the order?
Factory-level certificates, yes. Product-level reports for a specific configuration may depend on the decoration and the lid, and some markets need the sample in hand. Be suspicious of a supplier who has every document ready for every market before knowing the market.
Does the decoration change the compliance position?
It can — coatings and inks are in contact with a surface a person drinks from, which is why the food-contact declaration has to name the finished configuration rather than the bare body.
What about the packaging?
Printing and packaging are covered by their own rules in several markets, and they are not part of a drinkware food-contact report. Ask separately if the pack carries a claim.
Tell us the item and the destination market and we will answer with what exists, what is current, and what would have to be commissioned — a technical enquiry is the fastest route.
