What do Guobiao (GB) standards in China entail?

GB standards are Chinese national standards issued by the Standardization Administration of China (SAC). According to the Standardization Law and its implementing regulations, GB standards are divided into mandatory and recommended standards. Mandatory standards are prefixed “GB”, while recommended standards are prefixed “GB/T”; a standard number follows the prefix. New standards are released continuously, and existing standards are changed or updated frequently. GB standards are the basis for product testing which products must undergo during China Compulsory Certification (CCC). If there is no corresponding GB standard, CCC is not required.

CCC serves to enforce GB standards. For example, GB standards for child safety seats were promulgated in July 2011 and came into effect a year later in 2012. In the one-and-a-half years since then, however, very few manufacturers have been able to meet the standards. To enforce the standards, the Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) recently announced that child safety seats sold in China must undergo CCC by September 2015. The certification administration will begin accepting applications from child safety seat manufacturers from September 1, 2014.