The CPSC magnet rule, codified at 16 CFR part 1262, is the mandatory federal Safety Standard for Magnets. It covers consumer products designed, marketed or intended for entertainment, jewelry (including children’s jewelry), mental stimulation or stress relief that contain one or more loose or separable magnets. Every such magnet that fits entirely within the small parts cylinder must have a flux index of less than 50 kG² mm², and the rule applies to products manufactured after October 21, 2022 (CPSC, data checked 2026-10-12).
That puts magnet sets, magnetic desk toys, fidget magnets and magnetic jewelry sold on Amazon inside the question. This guide lays out CPSC’s criteria in CPSC’s wording so you can run the check on your own product; it does not decide whether any specific product is covered or compliant.
Sources: CPSC Magnets business guidance, CPSC Magnets FAQs, 16 CFR part 1262 and 16 CFR 1501.4 (Code of Federal Regulations, edition revised as of January 1, 2025, via govinfo), CPSC’s November 15, 2022 letter to retailers and sellers of magnets, CPSC’s flux index calculation SOP, and CPSC’s CPC and GCC pages. Data checked 2026-10-12.
What 16 CFR 1262 Is
CPSC’s guidance page says the Commission “establishes a mandatory safety standard for magnets,” published in the Federal Register at 87 FR 57756 and codified as 16 CFR part 1262. Section 1262.1 states the purpose: to reduce “an unreasonable risk of death or injury to consumers who ingest one or more hazardous magnets” from a subject magnet product.
The regulation has five sections:
| Section | What it does |
|---|---|
| 1262.1 | Scope, the October 21, 2022 manufacturing cut-off, and the toy exemption |
| 1262.2 | Defines “hazardous magnet” and “subject magnet product” |
| 1262.3 | The single performance requirement: flux index under 50 kG² mm² |
| 1262.4 | Test procedure, pointing to ASTM F963 sections 8.25.1 through 8.25.3 |
| 1262.5 | CPSC’s findings on risk, costs and alternatives |
The cut-off is a manufacturing date. Section 1262.1(b) applies the rule to subject magnet products “manufactured after October 21, 2022.” CPSC’s page adds that the effective date for the rule’s Notice of Requirements is December 20, 2022.
Is Your Product a Subject Magnet Product?
Section 1262.2(b) gives a two-part definition. A product is a subject magnet product when both parts are true:
| Test | CPSC wording |
|---|---|
| Purpose | “designed, marketed, or intended to be used for entertainment, jewelry (including children’s jewelry), mental stimulation, stress relief, or a combination of these purposes” |
| Magnets | “contains one or more loose or separable magnets” |
Three points from CPSC’s FAQ narrow how this reads.
Single magnets count. The rule “does not differentiate between consumer products containing magnet sets or individual magnets.” A product with one loose magnet is evaluated the same way as a large set.
Marketing is part of the test. The definition says “designed, marketed, or intended.” A product’s listing title, images and bullet points describe how it is marketed, so a listing that pitches a magnet item as a stress toy or a desk fidget speaks to the purpose test.
“Loose or separable” is not defined. CPSC’s FAQ says: “The regulation does not define these terms, though firms should certainly exercise due diligence.” It points firms to the use-and-abuse tests in 16 CFR 1500.51, 1500.52 or 1500.53 to judge whether a magnet could come free in reasonably foreseeable use. The FAQ also says that where a magnet cannot be separated from a component but the component itself fits in the cylinder, “Such components would be considered within scope and must be tested.”
On Amazon, that brings magnet sets, magnetic desk sculptures, fidget magnets and magnetic jewelry into view. Whether a given item qualifies turns on the two tests, not its category name.
Exemptions: Toys and Professional Sales
The rule names two groups outside its reach.
Toys subject to 16 CFR part 1250. Section 1262.1(c) exempts “Toys that are subject to 16 CFR part 1250.” CPSC’s page explains that part 1250 incorporates ASTM F963, the toy safety standard. A magnetic children’s toy is therefore assessed under the toy rule rather than part 1262; section 1262.5(h) lists ASTM F963-17 among the standards that address the magnet ingestion hazard. This guide does not summarize its toy magnet clauses. Section 1262.4 notes that a read-only copy of ASTM F963-17, the edition it cites for the flux test, “is available for viewing on the ASTM website.”
Professional and industrial channels. The definition excludes products “sold and/or distributed solely to school educators, researchers, professionals, and/or commercial or industrial users exclusively for educational, research, professional, commercial, and/or industrial purposes.” Note both words: solely and exclusively. A listing on a general consumer storefront is not a sale solely to educators or industrial users.
Products aimed at adults are not on the list; jewelry is named in the definition itself.
The Flux Index 50 kG² mm² Line
Section 1262.2(a) defines a hazardous magnet as one “that fits entirely within the cylinder described in 16 CFR 1501.4” and has a flux index of 50 kG² mm² or more. Section 1262.3 then requires each loose or separable magnet that fits the cylinder to have a flux index of less than 50 kG² mm².
The check runs in two gates:
| Gate | Question | If no |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Size | Does the magnet fit entirely within the 16 CFR 1501.4 cylinder? | The flux limit does not apply to that magnet |
| 2. Strength | Is its flux index under 50 kG² mm²? | The magnet is a hazardous magnet under 1262.2(a) |
The cylinder. Section 1501.4 says an item fails if it fits “entirely within the cylinder, in any orientation,” placed “without compressing it.” The cylinder’s dimensions appear only in Figure 1 of section 1501.4, which is an image; the regulation text and CPSC’s magnets page do not state them in words. Section 1501.4 adds that “the English dimensions shall be used” for compliance. Read the figure on the official CFR page rather than relying on a secondhand number.
The flux index. CPSC’s laboratory SOP for small rare-earth magnets (document SREM-002, effective May 28, 2026) describes the calculation: multiply “the square of the maximum flux density in the Z-axis direction (kG²) by the area of the pole surface (mm²).” Pole area is ¼·π·d² for a sphere and length times width for a rectangle or cube. The SOP notes it was prepared by CPSC staff and does not necessarily represent the Commission’s views; the binding method is the one in section 1262.4.
Because flux density is squared, a strong rare-earth magnet with a small face can still exceed the limit.
How the Test Is Run
Section 1262.4 sets two steps. First, “Select at least one loose or separable magnet of each shape and size in the subject magnet product.” Second, measure the flux index of each one following sections 8.25.1 through 8.25.3 of ASTM F963-17, as incorporated in the codified text. CPSC’s magnets page refers to the same sections of ASTM F963.
A set mixing 5 mm spheres with 10 mm cubes needs at least one of each tested.
Which Certificate to Issue: CPC or GCC
CPSC’s page says Section 14(a) of the Consumer Product Safety Act requires certification, with a “Children’s Product Certificate or CPC for children’s products” and a “General Certificate of Compliance or GCC for general-use products.” (CPSC’s GCC page calls the same document the General Certificate of Conformity.)
| General-use magnet product | Children’s magnet product (e.g., children’s jewelry) | |
|---|---|---|
| Certificate | GCC | CPC |
| Basis | “testing or a reasonable testing program” | test results “from a third-party, CPSC-accepted laboratory” |
| Third-party lab | “not a requirement for general-use products” | Required |
| Elements | 7, in CPSC’s fixed order | 7, in CPSC’s fixed order |
Both certificates use the same seven elements: product identification, citation to each applicable rule, the certifying manufacturer or importer, the records contact, date and place of manufacture, date(s) and place(s) of testing, and any third-party laboratory. The citation element is where 16 CFR part 1262 goes. CPSC’s magnets page does not prescribe exact citation wording for this rule.
A large magnet still needs a certificate. CPSC’s FAQ says that if a product meets the subject magnet product definition but its magnet is too large for the cylinder, a certificate is still required. For a general-use product not covered by another rule, CPSC says sections 6 and 7 of the GCC may be marked “N/A.”
Both CPSC certificate pages also state that from July 8, 2026, importers of most regulated consumer products must eFile certificates with U.S. Customs and Border Protection; our CPSC eFiling guide covers the mechanics. For CPC detail, see our Children’s Product Certificate guide.
What CPSC Told Online Sellers
On November 15, 2022, CPSC’s Office of Compliance and Field Operations sent a letter about the new rule. It says the rule “makes it unlawful to sell non-compliant magnet products manufactured after October 21, 2022,” and urges recipients “to carefully review your sales listings for any products subject to the Magnets Rule.”
The letter also reminds firms that section 15(b) of the Consumer Product Safety Act requires manufacturers, importers and distributors to report to CPSC when they obtain information reasonably supporting the conclusion that a product fails to comply with an applicable consumer product safety rule. That duty is explained in our CPSC Section 15(b) guide.
CPSC’s magnets page does not state any labeling or warning requirement under part 1262. The findings in section 1262.5 explain why: CPSC considered warnings as an alternative and concluded that safety messaging “is not likely to adequately reduce the magnet ingestion hazard.”
What This Means for an Amazon Listing
Before listing a magnet product, the practical file is: a decision on whether it is a subject magnet product, a cylinder check for every magnet shape and size, a flux index result for each one that fits, and a CPC or GCC citing 16 CFR part 1262. How Amazon collects those documents is covered in our Manage Your Compliance guide, and the listing side of a recall is covered in our Amazon product recalls guide.
Common Mistakes
- Treating “for adults” as an exemption. The exemptions are toys under part 1250 and solely professional or industrial channels. Adult marketing is neither.
- Testing one magnet from a mixed set. Section 1262.4 requires at least one magnet of each shape and size.
- Skipping the certificate for large magnets. CPSC’s FAQ says a subject magnet product needs a certificate even when its magnet is too large for the cylinder.
- Ignoring components. A non-separable magnet inside a small component that fits the cylinder is in scope and must be tested.
- Forgetting the manufacturing date. The rule applies to products manufactured after October 21, 2022; the certificate records the date of manufacture.
Pre-Listing Checklist
- Check the purpose test against your listing copy: entertainment, jewelry, mental stimulation or stress relief.
- Decide whether each magnet is loose or separable, using use-and-abuse testing.
- Check whether the product is a toy subject to 16 CFR part 1250 instead.
- Check every magnet shape and size against the 16 CFR 1501.4 cylinder.
- Get a flux index result for each magnet that fits, per ASTM F963 sections 8.25.1 to 8.25.3.
- Issue a GCC, or a CPC with CPSC-accepted lab testing for children’s products, citing 16 CFR part 1262.
- If you import, confirm the certificate is eFiled.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the CPSC magnet rule apply to magnetic jewelry?
Jewelry, including children’s jewelry, is one of the purposes named in 16 CFR 1262.2(b). Magnetic jewelry with loose or separable magnets fits the definition; each such magnet that fits the small parts cylinder must have a flux index under 50 kG² mm² (data checked 2026-10-12).
Are magnetic toys for kids covered by 16 CFR 1262?
Toys subject to 16 CFR part 1250, which incorporates ASTM F963, are exempt from part 1262. They are assessed under the toy standard instead.
What does a flux index of 50 kG² mm² mean?
It is the limit for magnets small enough to fit the cylinder. CPSC’s lab SOP calculates it as the squared maximum flux density in kilogauss times the pole surface area in square millimeters.
Do magnet products need third-party lab testing?
Children’s products need a CPC based on testing by a CPSC-accepted third-party lab. For general-use products, CPSC’s GCC page says third-party testing is not a requirement; the GCC rests on testing or a reasonable testing program.
Conclusion
The magnet rule turns on two definitions and one number. Check the purpose and loose-or-separable tests, rule out the toy and professional-channel exemptions, test every magnet shape that fits the cylinder against the 50 kG² mm² limit, and hold a CPC or GCC that cites 16 CFR part 1262.