CCC Mark (China Compulsory Certificate)
The CCC Mark (China Compulsory Certificate, also called 3C) is China's mandatory product-certification mark. Products on the CCC catalogue — including many electrical and electronic goods, vehicles and parts, toys, and safety-related products — must obtain CCC certification and display the mark before they can be imported into, sold in, or used in China.
Certification involves testing at a Chinese-recognised lab, a factory audit, and ongoing surveillance, administered under the market-regulation authority (SAMR/CNCA). At the border, China Customs checks CCC compliance for catalogue products, and goods lacking required certification can be refused entry. CCC is therefore a critical market-access and compliance requirement for exporters to China, comparable to conformity marks elsewhere (CE, SASO/SABER, G-Mark), and something to secure well before shipping. Understanding whether a product needs CCC — and building it into the timeline — is essential to trading regulated goods into China.
For catalogue products, no CCC mark means no China market — goods can be stopped at the border. Securing CCC certification (testing, factory audit) takes time and must be planned before shipping, making it a make-or-break market-access step for exporters of regulated goods to China, alongside conformity regimes like CE and SABER elsewhere.
Which products need the CCC mark?
Products on the CCC catalogue — many electrical/electronic goods, vehicles and parts, toys and safety-related items — must be certified and marked before import or sale in China.
What does CCC certification involve?
Testing at a recognised lab, a factory audit and ongoing surveillance, with China Customs checking compliance at the border.