ReferenceReference

RoHS Substance Limits

Note: general educational information, not legal advice. Check the official source before relying on it.

The ten substances restricted under RoHS and the maximum concentration of each permitted by weight in any homogeneous material.

Updated
2026-06-12
Key point

RoHS restricts ten substances. Each has a maximum concentration measured in every homogeneous material, so the limit applies to the smallest separable material, not to the whole product.

RoHS caps ten substances in electrical and electronic equipment. The limits below apply to each homogeneous material within a product, meaning every uniform material that cannot be mechanically separated must comply on its own.

Overview#

SubstanceMaximum concentration by weight
Lead (Pb)0.1%
Mercury (Hg)0.1%
Cadmium (Cd)0.01%
Hexavalent chromium (Cr VI)0.1%
Polybrominated biphenyls (PBB)0.1%
Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE)0.1%
Bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP)0.1%
Butyl benzyl phthalate (BBP)0.1%
Dibutyl phthalate (DBP)0.1%
Diisobutyl phthalate (DIBP)0.1%

Cadmium sits at 0.01%, every other substance at 0.1%. The four phthalates (DEHP, BBP, DBP, DIBP) were added by Directive (EU) 2015/863.

Check a concentration#

Pick a substance and enter the mass of it and of the homogeneous material it sits in. The calculator works out the concentration and compares it to the RoHS limit.

Use any unit (mg, g…) as long as both fields use the same one.

Enter both masses to see the concentration.

RoHS-Grenzwerte gelten je homogenem Werkstoff — der kleinsten Einheit, die sich mechanisch trennen lässt, nicht dem Gesamtbauteil. Cadmium hat 0,01 %, alle anderen 0,1 %. Ausnahmen (Anhang III/IV) können einzelne Verwendungen erlauben.

RoHS-Richtlinie 2011/65/EU, Anhang II

Specific uses can be temporarily permitted under a RoHS exemption, where the limit does not apply to that application until the exemption expires.

Learn 2 flashcards
RoHS Substance LimitsRoHS limitsRoHS: Restriction of Hazardous Substances (Directive 2011/65/EU)RoHSHomogeneous MaterialHomogeneous MaterialRoHS Exemptions: Searchable Reference (Annex III & IV)RoHS exemptionsConcentration LimitConcentration LimitSubstance (REACH)SubstancePolybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDE)PBDELead (Pb)LeadPhthalates (DEHP, BBP, DBP, DIBP)PhthalatesPolybrominated Biphenyls (PBB)PBBMercury (Hg)MercuryCadmium (Cd)CadmiumHexavalent Chromium (Cr VI)Cr VI
RoHSlimitsrestricted substanceshomogeneous material