Handmade wooden toy train on a curved wooden track

Making and Selling Wooden Toys From Your Garage: CPSIA Basics

ByGarage Business Blueprint

Handmade wooden toys have a loyal audience: parents and grandparents who want simple, durable toys, and gift shoppers looking for something that isn’t plastic. A garage shop with a table saw, a scroll saw, a drill press and a good sander can turn out cars, trains, stacking blocks and puzzles. The woodworking is the easy part, though. Anything made mainly for children 12 and under is a “children’s product” under federal law, and that brings rules you need to understand before your first sale.

The rules in plain terms

The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) and the regulations of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) cover toys sold in the United States. Here is the general picture, as of October 2026:

  • Toy safety standard. ASTM F963 is a mandatory federal toy standard. CPSC says toys made after April 20, 2024 must meet the F963-23 version.
  • Children’s Product Certificate (CPC). You issue it yourself, based on testing. You don’t file it with CPSC, but it has to be available to retailers and to CPSC on request.
  • Tracking labels. Permanent marks on the toy and its packaging (where practical) that identify who made it, plus where and when it was made and batch information.
  • Lead. Paint and surface coatings are limited to 90 ppm lead, and total lead in accessible parts to 100 ppm.
  • Small parts. Toys for children under 3 can’t contain small parts. Toys for ages 3 to under 6 with small parts need a choking-hazard warning, including in online listings.

Relief for small makers

CPSC’s Small Batch Manufacturer program helps very small businesses. As of October 2026 the limits are $1,436,864 or less in gross revenue from all consumer products in the prior year, and no more than 7,500 units of the product. You have to register on SaferProducts.gov each year. Registration gives relief from some third-party tests, not all of them. Lead in paint and small parts testing still need a CPSC-accepted lab. You still issue a CPC and use tracking labels.

Wood itself helps. CPSC lists pure, untreated wood among materials that don’t need third-party testing for total lead, and in 2015 it determined that unfinished, untreated wood doesn’t contain the heavy elements ASTM F963 limits. Paint, stain or a finish changes that, so many makers keep finishes very simple. Either way, the limits still apply and you still certify. If you aren’t sure, ask CPSC’s Small Business Ombudsman.

Designing and selling

  • Design for an age group from the start. Big chunky toys for toddlers avoid the small-parts problem.
  • Round every edge, sand well and check for splinters. Glue joints and axles should stand up to rough play.
  • Etsy allows toys but bans small parts and choking hazards for children under 3, and expects sellers to follow children’s-product laws.
  • Keep your test reports and certificates organized. A local boutique may ask for them before stocking your toys.

Shop safety: wear eye and hearing protection, use push sticks and guards on the saws, and collect dust. Fine hardwood dust is a respiratory hazard.

The rules here are general information, not legal advice. Read CPSC’s guidance for your exact products and check your state for extra requirements.

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