RoHS, REACH and Fastener Compliance: What Exported Equipment Must Document
Fasteners rarely make compliance headlines, yet their coatings are exactly where restricted substances live. Export-bound equipment inherits every screw's chemistry.
RoHS: the electronics-facing rule
RoHS restricts lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium and certain flame retardants in electronics assemblies. Fastener impact: hexavalent-chromium passivates (the classic yellow zinc look) are obsolete in compliant supply; trivalent passivates and zinc-nickel systems replaced them. Older "yellow zinc" specs must be re-specified, not re-sourced.
REACH: the broader net
REACH tracks substances of very high concern (SVHC) across all articles. Fastener-relevant SVHCs appear in some lubricant carriers, patch adhesives and older plating additives. Suppliers must answer SVHC content questions per article above 0.1% — a reason to choose suppliers with coating chemistry documentation, not just plating capability.
Practical documentation set
- RoHS declaration per fastener part number and coating.
- REACH SVHC status statement referencing current candidate list date.
- Coating process identification (e.g. "Zn-Ni 12–15%, trivalent passivate, no Cr-VI").
Topprecision maintains RoHS/REACH declarations for its standard range and reissues them when the candidate list updates — so customer compliance teams are never chasing certificates at shipment time.
