OEKO-TEX Standard 100 product classes, limits and certification
OEKO-TEX Standard 100 is a voluntary label for textiles tested for over 1,000 harmful substances. Its 4 classes, key limits and how certification works.
OEKO-TEX Standard 100 explained
OEKO-TEX Standard 100 is a voluntary, private label for textiles lab-tested for harmful substances. Every thread, button and accessory on a certified article is tested against a list of over 1,000 harmful substances. OEKO-TEX tightens many limits as skin contact increases. A certificate is valid for one year and must be renewed every year.
It covers yarn to finished goods, plus accessories and recycled materials. Leather articles fall under LEATHER STANDARD and chemicals, auxiliaries and colourants under ECO PASSPORT, while shoes qualify only if they have a clear textile component (Standard 100, Edition 01.2026, section 2).
What "OEKO-TEX certified" means
On this label, OEKO-TEX certified means the article passed harmful-substance tests as produced. It is not a quality label. Use, cleaning, or burning behaviour, product safety, textile labelling and unlisted SVHCs are outside the test, and recycled or organic claims need their own rules (section 3.1). Professional treatment ends certified status, including washing and chemical cleaning (section 5.10).
OEKO-TEX states that certification complies with Annexes XIV and XVII of the REACH regulation, the US CPSIA and the ECHA SVHC candidate list. It is OEKO-TEX's own claim, so check the legal requirements for your market directly.
Scan the QR code or enter the certificate number in the OEKO-TEX Label Check. The certificate number on the OEKO-TEX site also shows Annex 4 or the optional Annex 6, which is often stricter (section 3.1). Annex 6 is the expanded catalogue for companies focused on the Detox campaign (section 5.2.1).
The four product classes
| Class | Covers | Example |
|---|---|---|
| I | Babies and children up to 36 months (3 years) | diapers |
| II | Worn with a large part of the surface against the skin (shirts, underwear, mattresses) | bed linen |
| III | Only a small part of the surface touches the skin (e.g. stuffings) | jackets |
| IV | Decoration material (table cloths, curtains, upholstery fabrics, floor coverings) | curtains |
Sources: section 4.4, OEKO-TEX. Future use sets the class.
Key limit values
Since 2026 the limits sit in a separate Excel file, the OEKO-TEX Restricted Substance List, not in the standard (2026 notice). Figures below are Annex 4, version 03.2026 - 01.09.2026. A measured result must be below the limit. pH must fall inside its range (Annex 4).
| Parameter | I | II | III | IV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| pH | 4.0-7.5 | 4.0-7.5 | 4.0-9.0 | 4.0-9.0 |
| Free and partially releasable formaldehyde (mg/kg) | not detectable (below 16)* | 75 | 150 | 300 |
| Extractable lead (mg/kg) | 0.2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Extractable cadmium (mg/kg) | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 |
| Extractable nickel (mg/kg) | 1 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Chromium(VI) (mg/kg) | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 |
| Carcinogenic arylamines from azo colourants, each (mg/kg) | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 |
| Phthalates, sum (mg/kg) | 500 | 500 | 500 | 1,000 (sum without DINP) |
| PFAS, sum (µg/kg) | 250 | 250 | 250 | 250 |
| Total fluorine (mg/kg) | 50 | 50 | 50 | 50 |
*Class I formaldehyde is not detectable under Japanese Law 112 (below 16 mg/kg). Metallic accessories and metallized surfaces: nickel 0.5 mg/kg in class I and 1 mg/kg in II-IV. Class IV phthalates use the sum without DINP. Non-PFAS fluorine is excluded, and the scope must say so. Intentional PFAS use is not allowed (RSL and footnotes).
How OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certification works
Apply in writing to an OEKO-TEX institute of your choice, send production samples, and pick Annex 4 or Annex 6. The institute sets the test plan. Each component is tested (section 5.9). Valid STANDARD 100 certificates for inputs narrow that plan. If every component has already been successfully tested to STANDARD 100, testing costs for the finished product are waived.
One certificate covers an article group, not every product the company makes. First certification needs an on-site visit, before or soon after issue, and the visit must be passed. Each company is visited at least once every three years, unless the site holds OEKO-TEX STeP. You sign a Declaration of Conformity and take responsibility for production that matches the tested samples. The label licence is handed over with the certificate (sections 3.2, 5.9 and 6.3).
The OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certificate lasts one year. Renewal opens three months before expiry, and the certificate number stays the same when the new term follows straight on. A late renewal does not extend validity (section 5.9).
The 2026 rules took effect on 1 June 2026 (2026 notice). For renewals, the upstream certificate must come from the direct supplier and every wet or chemical process in the supply chain must be certified, with a transition until June 2027 (sections 5.7 and 5.8).
RegAffairs AI answers what Standard 100 tests and how to get certified with links to source documents.