RoHS Scope

What substances are covered by RoHS?

The hazardous substances covered by RoHS directive 2002/95/EC are:

• Lead (Pb)
• Cadmium (Cd)
• Mercury (Hg)
• Hexavalent chromium (CrVI)
• Polybrominated biphenyl (PBB), a flame retardant
• Polybrominated diphenyl (PBDE), a flame retardant

Who should be concerned with RoHS?

Companies that must comply with the RoHS directive are those that:

• Manufacture and sell electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) under their own brand
• Resell under their own brand EEE made by other manufacturers
• Import or export EEE on a professional basis

What equipment is covered by RoHS?

RoHS applies to low- voltage electrical and electronic equipment designed to operate at 1000V AC or less and 1500V DC or less, listed in Annex 1A of the WEEE directive 2002/96/EC:

• Large household appliances
• Small household appliances
• IT and telecommunications equipment
• Consumer equipment
• Lighting equipment
• Electrical and electronic tools (with the exception of large-scale stationary industrial tools)
• Toys, leisure and sports equipment
• Automatic dispensers
• Spare parts for the above equipment manufactured after July 2006

A detailed list of the equipment categories may be found in Annex 1B of directive 2002/96/EC.


What equipment is currently outside the scope or exempt from RoHS?

• Medium-voltage electrical and electronic devices
• Spare parts for electrical and electronic devices manufactured prior to July 2006
• Arms, munitions and national-defense-related material
• The two categories of electrical and electronic equipment listed in Annex 1A of directive 2002/96/EC, which will be included at a later date:
  
  

  -	Medical devices
  -	Monitoring and control instruments

  
  
• Large-scale stationary industrial tools
• Exceptions listed in the Annex to directive 2002/95/EC
  
  

  -	Mercury in certain lamps
  -	Lead in the glass of cathode ray tubes, fluorescent tubes and electrical components
  -	Lead in solder used in servers and storage systems (until 2010)
  -	Lead as an alloying agent in steel (0.35% by weight), aluminum (0.4% by weight), and copper (4% by weight)
  -	Lead in certain high melting temperature-type solders
  -	Lead in solders for network infrastructure equipment
  -	Lead in certain electronic ceramic parts
  -	Cadmium plating less than 0.01% by weight
  -	Hexavalent chromium in carbon steel cooling systems for absorption refrigeration

Download the directives:

ROHS 2002/95/EC
WEEE 2002/96/EC