SinoApps, Completing the Spreadsheet
In the first article, SinoApps Eases China RoHS Compliance, I described the SinoApps service and web site. In this second article I show how to submit product data and request a China RoHS compliance report in both English and Simplified Chinese.
After downloading the Excel template, illustrated in the first article, it must be completed with material content data for your product. Start with the instructions to familiarize yourself with the terminology and the fields of the spreadsheet.
The China RoHS legislation uses terms in ways that can be confusing. In particular, the word component is used in a very unusual way. Here a component is a final product or a sub-assembly of a product. What most of us would call components are called parts in China RoHS. In terms of a BOM, a component is a top-level or mid-level item. Parts are all the items at the bottom level of a BOM.
Each part must then be broken down into materials and substances. A material is some distinct portion of a part. It is often made of multiple substances. Substance has essentially the same definition as that used by EU RoHS for a homogeneous substance. Substances are basic chemicals and almost always have CAS numbers. This exercise will be familiar to all who have done the same for EU RoHS.
Finally, each substance needs a classification and a percentage. Classification must be one of the six controlled substances (Pb, Hg, Cd, Cr-VI, PBB, PBDE) or Others. The percentage is calculated exactly as it is for EU RoHS. Divide the mass of the substance by the mass of the homogeneous material in which the substance is used. If your product is fully compliant, then the only classification you will use is Others.
The required fields are Component, Part, Material, Classification and Percentage. While full material content data is not required, why avoid it? China RoHs requires that a Chinese lab test every component, and if you don't identify the materials, they will. If you declare the materials in your report, then the testing will simply confirm your report. When dealing with bureaucracies, cooperation is always more beneficial to the outcome.
Once completed, upload the spreadsheet to SinoApps. Just login and go to the Compliance, Upload Data section. You can browse to the file on your computer and then click the Upload button. A few days after uploading you will receive an email message alerting you that your translation is done. My trial was completed in less than 2 days.
Retrieving your reports is just as easy as submitting the spreadsheet. In the Compliance, Compliance Report section you will find two versions: English and Simplified Chinese. You can view the English report online and both reports can be downloaded. The download files are Excel spreadsheets.
China RoHS is going to heat up when the product catalog is published later this year. As with EU RoHS, preparation is key. Collect all the data you need to perform a complete material content analysis. Then copy that data into spreadsheets and upload them to SinoApps. If you have a large number of components to submit, one of the subscription levels will be most cost-effective. However many products you need to submit, SinoApps is the easiest way to generate the required China RoHS compliance reports.
Additional Resources
SinoApps - online China RoHS compliance services.
SinoApps - Powerful Compliance Tool.
China RoHS Translations - RoHSwell review of available, translated regulations.
China RoHS and China WEEE - RoHSwell view.
