The national standard GB/T 44180-2024, “General Technical Requirements for Kitchen & Bath Hardware Products,” released in 2024, has now taken effect. For the first time, it systematically regulates faucets, showers, floor drains, angle valves, hoses and other kitchen & bath hardware, with strict limits on the release of harmful substances in products that come into contact with drinking water — pushing lead-free compliance to the center of the industry agenda.

1. The New Standard Draws a “Hard Line”

Drafted jointly by 25 organizations including JOMOO Kitchen & Bath and Xiamen Zhuobiao Kitchen & Bath Technical Service, the standard covers the full range of kitchen & bath hardware and strictly limits the release of heavy metals such as lead, chromium and nickel in products contacting drinking water. From raw material selection (lead-free brass, stainless steel) to surface-finishing processes, every step now faces stricter scrutiny.

2. Overseas Regulation Tightens Too: CPSC Issues Mass Recall

While the new national standard advanced in China, overseas regulators moved in parallel. In June 2025, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced a recall of over 100,000 faucets sold on Amazon for excessive lead release. Among nine named brands, three launched large-scale recalls and the other six received public warnings. With markets in the U.S. and Europe already enforcing NSF/ANSI 61 and California AB1953, lead release has become a shared compliance red line across China, the U.S. and Europe.

3. Compliance Moves from a “Bonus” to a “Threshold”

For the industry, lead-free compliance is shifting from a “nice-to-have” to an “entry requirement.” On one hand, small manufacturers unable to meet material and process standards will be gradually squeezed out of export markets; on the other, compliant enterprises are gaining concentrated orders and brand premium opportunities. The consensus is clear: whoever completes the lead-free upgrade first takes the initiative in going global.

4. FangHong: A Sanitary Ware Maker with Compliance as Its Baseline

As a professional manufacturer with over 21 years in the sanitary plumbing industry, FangHong has always put material safety first. We control quality from the raw material stage, using copper and stainless steel that meet domestic and international standards, while key ceramic cartridge components pass relevant certifications. Our product range covers basin faucets, kitchen faucets, shower systems and push-and-turn cartridges, serving global customers with OEM/ODM services and offering lead-free material and finishing options per target market requirements.

5. Outlook

With continued policy tightening on new national standards and water-efficiency labeling, plus “zero tolerance” for lead release in Europe and the U.S., lead-free compliance will become the standard for faucet exports. FangHong will continue to treat compliance as our bottom line, working with global partners to bring safer, more reliable plumbing products to the world.