Plating and compliance standards

What plated and filled jewellery may be called, and the nickel, lead and cadmium limits that apply when you sell into Europe and the United States.

What plated and filled jewellery may be called

Term	Where	Requirement	Rule
Gold filled (GF)	USA	Gold of at least 10K bonded to a base metal; the gold layer is at least 1/20 of the total metal weight, stated with the karat (e.g. 1/20 14K GF).	16 CFR 23.3
Gold overlay / rolled gold plate (RGP)	USA	Gold of at least 10K, at least 1/40 of the total metal weight, stated with the fraction and karat (e.g. 1/40 12K RGP).	16 CFR 23.3
Gold plate / gold plated	USA	Gold of at least 10K applied by any process, thick enough and covering enough of the surface for reasonable durability; no minimum thickness is set.	16 CFR 23.3
Gold electroplate	USA	Gold of at least 10K applied by electroplating, at least 0.175 microns (about 7 millionths of an inch) of fine gold throughout.	16 CFR 23.3
Heavy gold electroplate	USA	At least 2.5 microns (about 100 millionths of an inch) of fine gold throughout.	16 CFR 23.3
Gold wash over a base metal layer	USA	If the gold layer is covered by a base metal such as nickel and then a thin wash of gold, that must be disclosed. "Gold flashed" and "gold washed" are not defined terms in the Guides.	16 CFR 23.3
Vermeil	USA	Sterling silver coated or plated with gold of at least 10K, at least 2.5 microns of fine gold throughout.	16 CFR 23.4
Sterling silver / solid silver	USA	At least 925 parts per thousand silver.	16 CFR 23.5
Coin silver	USA	At least 900 parts per thousand silver.	16 CFR 23.5
Silver plate	USA	All significant surfaces plated with silver of reasonable durability.	16 CFR 23.5
Platinum (on its own)	USA	At least 950 parts per thousand platinum. 850 and 900 must be marked with the fineness (e.g. 900Pt).	16 CFR 23.6

Nickel, lead and cadmium limits

Limit	Where	Requirement	Rule
Nickel: piercing posts	EU (REACH)	Nickel release below 0.2 µg/cm² per week from posts inserted into pierced ears or other piercings.	REACH Annex XVII, entry 27
Nickel: skin contact	EU (REACH)	Nickel release no more than 0.5 µg/cm² per week from parts in direct and prolonged contact with the skin (rings, chains, earring hooks, watch backs…).	REACH Annex XVII, entry 27
Lead	EU (REACH)	Below 0.05% lead by weight in any individual part of jewellery.	REACH Annex XVII, entry 63
Cadmium	EU (REACH)	No more than 0.01% cadmium by weight in metal parts of jewellery.	REACH Annex XVII, entry 23
Lead in children's jewellery	USA	Accessible substrate no more than 100 ppm lead; paint and surface coatings no more than 90 ppm.	CPSIA
Cadmium in children's jewellery	USA	No more than 75 ppm cadmium in a component (industry standard recognised by the CPSC, not law).	ASTM F2923

A summary for orientation, not legal advice. Other countries have their own rules (e.g. UK REACH, California Proposition 65). Check the current law and test with an accredited laboratory.

Estimates for guidance; verify before production.

Interactive Plated, filled or solid? Two rings can look identical and hold a thousand times different amounts of gold. Take one ring size and shape, switch between gold flashed, electroplated, vermeil, rolled gold, gold filled and solid gold, and see the layer to scale and the gold it really contains, with the legal meaning of each word. Open

Choose a finish, from gold flashed to solid gold, and see the layer and the gold it holds.

Before you export

Terms like gold filled and vermeil have legal meanings in the United States, and Europe limits how much nickel, lead and cadmium jewellery may contain or release. Buyers in these markets will ask for test reports.

More trade tools

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