The short answer: test the finished piece, after wear
REACH Annex XVII entry 27 caps nickel release at 0.5 µg/cm²/week for articles in direct and prolonged skin contact and 0.2 for posts inserted into pierced body parts. EN 1811:2023 is the harmonised test, with pass values of 0.88 and 0.35. For coated pieces, EN 12472:2020 simulates two years of wear before the release test runs.
General guidance as of October 2026, not legal advice. Confirm limits and standard versions with your testing laboratory.
Why the law limits release rather than content
Nickel allergy is contact dermatitis, and it is provoked by nickel ions that migrate from a surface onto skin, usually after sweat has done its work. A limit on content would be easier to enforce but would not match the mechanism, which is why entry 27 is written as a release rate per square centimetre per week.
Two consequences follow for buyers.
- A piece with nickel somewhere inside it can still pass, if the surface barrier holds through wear. The test is what proves the claim, not the alloy certificate.
- A piece with no nickel in the base can still fail, if a plating line uses a nickel strike or a nickel-containing interlayer, or if the wrong findings are picked from a parts bin.
Neither outcome is visible on a spec sheet, which is why the test is worth running on the finished design rather than on a similar piece from last season.
The limits and the pass values
| Article | REACH limit (entry 27) | Pass value in EN 1811:2023 |
|---|---|---|
| Direct and prolonged skin contact: earrings, necklaces, bracelets, rings, watch straps | 0.5 µg/cm²/week | 0.88 µg/cm²/week or below |
| Post assemblies inserted into pierced body parts | 0.2 µg/cm²/week | Below 0.35 µg/cm²/week |
The 2023 version changed the wording at the 0.5 limit: a result is compliant when it is 0.88 or below, where the earlier edition required strictly below 0.88. The 0.35 figure for piercing is unchanged. EN 1811:2023 was published by CEN on 22 February 2023 and entered the harmonised list for entry 27 through Commission Communication C/2023/1604 in December 2023, alongside EN 12472:2020 and EN 16128:2015 for spectacle frames.
A report quoting EN 1811:2011+A1:2015 is not wrong history, it is simply an outdated method. Ask for the current version.
EN 12472: two years of wear, compressed into a week
Entry 27 requires coated articles to keep release within the limit for at least two years of normal use. EN 12472:2020 is how a laboratory approximates that. The article is exposed to a corrosive atmosphere, then tumbled with an abrasive paste and granules, and only then does the EN 1811 release test run.
Two details from the 2020 edition worth knowing. The wear medium is coconut shell granules, replacing the earlier mix of coconut and nut shells, and the lactic acid reagent purity was raised from above 85 per cent to above 88 per cent. More importantly for design decisions, articles whose outer coating contains nickel are outside the scope of EN 12472: the standard cannot simulate protection that a nickel-containing top coating does not provide. Where it is uncertain whether the outer coating contains nickel, the guidance is to run EN 1811 both ways, with and without the wear simulation, and report both results.
For a plated brass earring, that means the plausible route to a pass is a coating route without nickel in the outer layer, plus a barrier that survives the tumbling barrel. Gold flash over a nickel interlayer is a familiar failure pattern, and it is the reason the plating route belongs in the conversation before sampling rather than after the first order.
The finished article rule
Entry 27 applies to the article as it is placed on the market, and EN 1811:2023 is explicit that each sample tested must comply and that sub-parts are assessed in their own right. In practice:
- A test on a brass blank, a loose finding or a plating coupon does not carry over to the assembled earring.
- Post, hook, clasp, charm and any metal spacer that touches skin are separate candidates for testing.
- A change of plating supplier, plating thickness, tumbling polish or solder can change the result, because each of those changes the surface that contacts skin.
A supplier who sends one report covering the material family rather than the SKU has given you an input, not evidence for the product you will sell.
How a plated brass earring is tested
- Identify which parts sit in direct and prolonged contact with skin.
- Establish whether the article is coated, and whether the outer coating contains nickel.
- Where the coating qualifies, run the EN 12472:2020 wear and corrosion simulation first.
- Immerse or suspend the test part in artificial sweat solution per EN 1811 for one week at around 30 °C.
- Measure the nickel in the solution by ICP-OES or an equivalent method, and divide by the exposed surface area before masking.
- Report each part and each sample against the 0.88 or 0.35 pass value, with the unit as µg/cm²/week.
925 sterling silver follows the same route. Silver is not automatically exempt, and rhodium plated silver is a coated article that goes through the wear simulation like any other.
What to check in the report you receive
- Report number, issue date, and whether it is the complete file with the sample pages attached
- Laboratory name, address, and ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation with EN 1811 inside its scope
- Standard version used, EN 1811:2023, plus a statement of whether EN 12472:2020 was applied
- Sample identification matching your SKU, batch and plating finish, with a photo where the laboratory provides one
- Which parts were tested, and how non-contact surfaces were masked
- Results per sample and per part, in µg/cm²/week, next to the pass value rather than a bare pass mark
- The margin to the limit, since a result at 0.84 leaves nothing for production variation
What Qiuqiu Atelier confirms per project
Nickel-free requirements can be discussed before production, not after sampling. For each design we confirm the base material, the plating route and thickness range by SKU, the findings, and which test documentation can be provided for the destination market and order scope. Reports reference the sample they were run on, and where a design changes, the change is stated so you can decide whether a retest is needed.
That is the input a compliance file needs. It is not a standing certification, and no factory statement replaces a report from an accredited laboratory on your specific production.
If you have a nickel requirement attached to a design, put it in the brief and send it through the Qiuqiu Atelier quote form with the target quantity.
FAQ
Does 925 sterling silver need nickel testing?
It can, yes. Entry 27 applies to the finished article rather than to the alloy name, and plating, solder and findings can all introduce nickel. Rhodium plated silver is a coated article, so the wear simulation applies to it as well.
Can gold plated brass pass entry 27 if the brass contains nickel?
The limit is on release, so a barrier that keeps release within 0.5 µg/cm²/week after simulated wear can pass, provided the outer coating itself does not contain nickel. If the coating contains nickel, the wear simulation cannot rescue it under EN 12472's scope, and the design needs a different plating route.
Is an EN 1811:2011 test report still acceptable?
It measures the same property on an older method, and buyers increasingly ask for the 2023 version because the acceptance wording changed and the quality control clauses were reworked. For a new production run, request EN 1811:2023 and state whether EN 12472:2020 was applied.
What does "nickel free" mean on a supplier specification?
It usually means the supplier intends to avoid nickel, not that a laboratory verified the finished piece. Ask whether the claim covers the base alloy, the plating route and the findings, and ask for the report that ties the result to your SKU and batch.