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Heavy Metal Index

Australia Customs (Prohibited Imports) Regulations - heavy-metal import restrictions

Regulation

Scope The loaded rows cover imported goods listed in the compiled Customs (Prohibited Imports) Regulations: coated toys, cosmetic products, money boxes, coated pencils or paint brushes, erasers resembling food in scent or appearance, candles with lead-containing wicks, and candle wicks.

Page snapshot
Referenced by3 pages
Effective2026-07-13

Scope

The loaded rows cover imported goods listed in the compiled Customs (Prohibited Imports) Regulations: coated toys, cosmetic products, money boxes, coated pencils or paint brushes, erasers resembling food in scent or appearance, candles with lead-containing wicks, and candle wicks. Tableware release provisions are documented as a non-routeable subprovision because their units are not product ug/kg.

Exact limit and units

MetalMatrixLimitUnitBasis
LeadToys coated with a material90mg/kgnon-volatile content of coating material
ArsenicToys coated with a material25mg/kgnon-volatile content of coating material
AntimonyToys coated with a material60mg/kgnon-volatile content of coating material
CadmiumToys coated with a material75mg/kgnon-volatile content of coating material
MercuryToys coated with a material60mg/kgnon-volatile content of coating material
ChromiumToys coated with a material60mg/kgnon-volatile content of coating material
LeadCosmetic products, except lead acetate hair treatments250mg/kglead or lead compounds calculated as lead
LeadMoney boxes coated with a material90mg/kgcoating material
LeadPencils or paint brushes coated with a material90mg/kgnon-volatile content of coating material
ArsenicPencils or paint brushes coated with a material25mg/kgnon-volatile content of coating material
AntimonyPencils or paint brushes coated with a material60mg/kgnon-volatile content of coating material
CadmiumPencils or paint brushes coated with a material75mg/kgnon-volatile content of coating material
MercuryPencils or paint brushes coated with a material60mg/kgnon-volatile content of coating material
ChromiumPencils or paint brushes coated with a material60mg/kgnon-volatile content of coating material
LeadErasers resembling food in scent or appearance90mg/kgproduct content as listed
ArsenicErasers resembling food in scent or appearance25mg/kgproduct content as listed
AntimonyErasers resembling food in scent or appearance60mg/kgproduct content as listed
CadmiumErasers resembling food in scent or appearance75mg/kgproduct content as listed
MercuryErasers resembling food in scent or appearance60mg/kgproduct content as listed
ChromiumErasers resembling food in scent or appearance60mg/kgproduct content as listed
LeadCandles with wicksgreater than 0.06% prohibitedpercent by weightlead in wick
LeadCandle wicksgreater than 0.06% prohibitedpercent by weightlead in wick

How tested

The imported-goods schedule states the concentration units and coating basis but does not print a dedicated test method for these entries. The tableware migration provisions use a different release basis and are not loaded into the ug/kg register.

Enforcement posture

The listed goods are prohibited imports unless the required written permission has been granted or unless the goods fall outside the schedule description. The compilation is prepared by the Office of Parliamentary Counsel and states the law in force at the compilation date.

History of changes

The Customs (Prohibited Imports) Regulations were made in 1956. This source is Compilation No. 147, showing amendments in force on 13 July 2026 and registered on 4 August 2026.

How it compares

These are import restrictions on specified consumer goods, not domestic contaminant maximum levels. They should be compared only against limits for the same product form and basis.

Sources

Update history

The five most recent substantive edits to this page, classified major (evidence or structure moved), correction (a published value or statement was wrong and has been fixed), or minor (narrative rewritten without changing the underlying evidence). Each description is derived from what the edit did to this page; the linked commit is the authoritative record, routine regeneration passes are excluded, and the full version history lives in git. When DOI minting comes online (see schema docs), each entry below will also link to a version-pinned DataCite DOI.

CommitDateChangeDescription
a8052bb2026-08-09major1 source added; contamination-profile values revised; 7 sections added