The mandatory standard prescribes requirements for the design, construction and labelling of projectile toys.
About projectile toys
The mandatory standard applies to projectile toys that are:
- supplied new
- designed or clearly intended for use in play by children under 14
- capable of launching a projectile.
Mandatory standard
The Consumer Goods (Projectile Toys) Safety Standard 2020 sets out the mandatory requirements for projectile toys. These requirements are intended to reduce the risk of choking, eye injuries and flesh wounds during play.
On 29 July 2021 the mandatory standard was updated to incorporate amendments which were made to the voluntary Australian and International standards in late 2020.
The mandatory standard is based on voluntary Australian and overseas standards which can be purchased from the SAI Global or ISO websites.
The ACCC can make a copy of these standards available for viewing at one of its offices, subject to licensing conditions.
Key requirements
This information aims to give suppliers a general idea of what is required by the mandatory standard. Suppliers must not rely on this information as a complete guide to compliance, and should refer to the Consumer Goods (Projectile Toys) Safety Standard 2020 for the full requirements.
Design and construction
A projectile toy must comply with the relevant sections in one of the following four standards:
- Australian/New Zealand Standard AS/NZS 8124.1:2019 - Safety of Toys - Part 1: Safety Aspects Related to Mechanical and Physical Properties (including amendments 1 and 2)
- European Standard EN 71-1:2014+A1:2018 Safety of Toys - Part 1: Mechanical and Physical Properties
- International Standard ISO 8124.1:2018 Safety of Toys - Part 1: Safety Aspects Related to Mechanical and Physical Properties (including amendments 1 and 2)
- American Society for Testing and Materials Standard ASTM F963-17 Standard Consumer Safety Application for Toy Safety.
These standards prescribe requirements for the design and construction of a projectile toy, including:
- the maximum force a projectile can be launched
- protective measures for projectiles that present a skin puncture hazard
- the size of projectiles
- features to prevent improvised projectiles from being launched in a hazardous manner.
Warning requirements
If a projectile toy is capable of launching a projectile more than 300 millimetres or with a kinetic energy greater than 0.08J, the packaging or instructions accompanying the projectile toy must include a statement to the following effect:
WARNING: Do not aim at eyes or face
More information is available in the Explanatory Statement on the Federal Register of Legislation website.