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RoHS Restricted Substances and Exemptions Reference

RoHS questions come up in every design review and every supplier survey. This reference puts the ten restricted substances, the exemptions most often cited on bills of materials and the eleven equipment categories in one searchable table.

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ReferenceTypeItemLimit or scopeNote
Annex II
Substance
Lead (Pb)
0.1% by weight
Per homogeneous material
Annex II
Substance
Mercury (Hg)
0.1% by weight
Per homogeneous material
Annex II
Substance
Cadmium (Cd)
0.01% by weight
Stricter limit than the others
Annex II
Substance
Hexavalent chromium (Cr VI)
0.1% by weight
Per homogeneous material
Annex II
Substance
Polybrominated biphenyls (PBB)
0.1% by weight
Flame retardant class
Annex II
Substance
Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE)
0.1% by weight
Flame retardant class
Annex II
Substance
DEHP (bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate)
0.1% by weight
Added by Delegated Directive (EU) 2015/863
Annex II
Substance
BBP (butyl benzyl phthalate)
0.1% by weight
Added by Delegated Directive (EU) 2015/863
Annex II
Substance
DBP (dibutyl phthalate)
0.1% by weight
Added by Delegated Directive (EU) 2015/863
Annex II
Substance
DIBP (diisobutyl phthalate)
0.1% by weight
Added by Delegated Directive (EU) 2015/863
Annex III 6(a)
Exemption
Lead in steel for machining and galvanised steel
Up to 0.35% lead by weight
Check current expiry before relying on it
Annex III 6(b)
Exemption
Lead in aluminium alloys
Up to 0.4% lead by weight
Check current expiry before relying on it
Annex III 6(c)
Exemption
Lead in copper alloy
Up to 4% lead by weight
Common for brass machined parts
Annex III 7(a)
Exemption
Lead in high melting temperature solders
Lead-based alloys with 85% lead or more
Not for standard tin-lead eutectic solder
Annex III 7(c)-I
Exemption
Lead in glass or ceramic, other than dielectric ceramic in capacitors
Component specific
Example: piezoelectronic devices
Annex III 7(c)-II
Exemption
Lead in dielectric ceramic of capacitors
Rated 125 V AC or 250 V DC or higher
Check scope wording in the annex
Annex III 8(b)
Exemption
Cadmium and its compounds in electrical contacts
Component specific
Check current scope and expiry
Annex III 15
Exemption
Lead in solders in flip chip packages
Between semiconductor die and carrier
Only to complete a viable electrical connection
Annex I
Category
Category 1
Large household appliances
Annex I
Category
Category 2
Small household appliances
Annex I
Category
Category 3
IT and telecommunications equipment
Annex I
Category
Category 4
Consumer equipment
Annex I
Category
Category 5
Lighting equipment
Annex I
Category
Category 6
Electrical and electronic tools
Large-scale stationary industrial tools are excluded
Annex I
Category
Category 7
Toys, leisure and sports equipment
Annex I
Category
Category 8
Medical devices
In scope since 2014 for most devices
Annex I
Category
Category 9
Monitoring and control instruments including industrial
Industrial instruments in scope since 2017
Annex I
Category
Category 10
Automatic dispensers
Annex I
Category
Category 11
Other EEE not covered by categories 1 to 10
Open scope since 2019

Exemptions are renewed, amended or allowed to expire by the European Commission. Confirm the current wording and validity period in the Official Journal or EUR-Lex before you rely on an exemption in a declaration. This table is a quick lookup, not a legal interpretation.

Search material declarations privately

Optional: talk through putting supplier RoHS and REACH documents behind an on-prem search.

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How to use the reference

Type a substance, an exemption number or a keyword such as solder or brass into the search box. Use the Type column to filter the three groups. For a part on your BOM, check the substance limits first, then see whether a listed exemption applies to the specific use. Export the rows you need to PDF or Excel to attach to a design review or a supplier declaration request.

  • Search 7(a) to find the high melting temperature solder exemption
  • Search copper to find the 6(c) brass entry
  • Filter by Category to confirm whether your product is in scope

The rule behind the numbers

Directive 2011/65/EU, known as RoHS 2, restricts hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment placed on the EU market. The limits apply to each homogeneous material, meaning a part that cannot be mechanically separated further, not to the whole product. Delegated Directive (EU) 2015/863 added four phthalates, bringing the list to ten substances. Conformity is shown through technical documentation and the CE marking with an EU declaration of conformity.

Common mistakes

The most frequent errors are applying the limit at product level instead of homogeneous material level, assuming an exemption covers a whole assembly, and using an exemption that has expired or been narrowed. Keep a record of which exemption supports each part, and review them whenever the Commission publishes a change.

  • Citing an exemption number without checking its scope wording
  • Ignoring plasticisers in cable jackets and seals
  • Accepting a supplier RoHS statement without test data or a declaration
  • Forgetting that spares and repairs have their own rules

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the RoHS limits?

Lead, mercury, hexavalent chromium, PBB, PBDE and four phthalates are limited to 0.1% by weight in homogeneous materials. Cadmium is limited to 0.01%. The limits apply to each homogeneous material rather than to the finished product as a whole.

What is a homogeneous material?

It is a material of uniform composition throughout, or a material made of a combination that cannot be disjoined or separated into different materials by mechanical actions such as unscrewing, cutting, crushing or grinding.

Do RoHS exemptions expire?

Yes. Exemptions in Annex III are granted for limited periods and can be renewed, amended or allowed to lapse. Always check the current validity in EUR-Lex before using one in your declaration of conformity.

Is industrial equipment covered?

Industrial monitoring and control instruments entered scope in 2017 under category 9, and category 11 has been open scope since 2019. Large-scale stationary industrial tools remain excluded. Check the scope wording for your product.

If you keep RoHS and material declarations scattered across supplier files and your ERP item master, we can help build a private search over them.

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