On September 23, 2026, China's Certification and Accreditation Administration (CNCA) issued Announcement No. 22 of 2026, revising the CCC certification implementation rules for luminaires and ballasts. The announcement was widely publicized on October 8, 2026 by the State Administration for Market Regulation and major media. From January 1, 2027, luminaire and ballast CCC certification must be carried out under the new rules.
If you make, sell, or source lighting for the China market, this touches your paperwork, your factory audits, and how your existing certificates move forward. The good news: it does not change your product design.
What changed: implementation rules, not product standards
This revision covers the implementation rules of certification, not the product standards themselves. Two documents were reissued:
- Luminaires: CNCA-C10-01:2026
- Ballasts: CNCA-C10-02:2026
It's worth being precise about the difference, because it decides who has to do work and what kind.
| Item | Implementation rules (what changed) | Product standards |
|---|---|---|
| What it governs | Certification mode, unit division, quality assurance capability, post-certification supervision | Safety and performance metrics of the product |
| Who uses it | Certification bodies, certified companies, regulators | Testing labs, company R&D and production |
| Impact of the revision | Certification process and supervision style may change | Product design and test items may change |
The rules govern how you certify; the standards govern whether the product qualifies. Your product metrics haven't moved. What moved is the road you take to certification.
Four changes to the luminaire rule — which one hits your cost
| Change | What it means for you |
|---|---|
| Refined quality assurance capability | Concrete guidance for key processes, key components, and finished-product inspection |
| Stronger product consistency | Clearer certification-unit division and sampling; manage consistency if you change models often |
| Stronger post-certification supervision | Classified by status, history, and risk — high-risk gets checked more often |
| Optimized certification mode | General, large, and single-batch custom luminaires — three modes |
Quality assurance capability is the one that takes the most effort. The old way was to copy a generic template; now the assessment points are given per luminaire process, so simply reusing old system documents is more likely to stall.
Product consistency is watched more closely. The room to dodge — same housing, swapped driver, new color temperature counted as a new model — is smaller.
Post-certification supervision is now classified. Higher risk means more frequent checks; lower risk means fewer interruptions.
Certification mode is the most important item this round.
Certification mode: one becomes three
The old rule sent every luminaire through a single mode. The new rule splits them into three — general luminaires, large luminaires, and single-batch custom luminaires — each following its own path.
Pulling "single-batch custom luminaires" out on its own creates a lane for engineering-custom and small-batch OEM work. Previously, a few dozen non-standard fixtures still had to run the whole general process.
One thing to get straight: the mode is not something a company picks. It is determined by product type and production method, and you have to confirm it item by item against the classification catalogue in the new rules.
| Certification mode | Typical products | What it means for makers |
|---|---|---|
| General luminaires | Standard fixtures in batches with fixed models | Follow the mature process, focus on consistency |
| Large luminaires | Oversized fixtures or those with special installation | Verified against the traits of large products |
| Single-batch custom luminaires | Engineering-custom, small-batch OEM fixtures | Fits the single batch, no need to copy the general flow |
The ballast rule changed too — and LED drivers are in it
Ballasts are a core companion component of luminaires, and their safety performance directly affects the whole fixture. CNCA-C10-02:2026 divides certification units into three categories — magnetic ballasts, electronic ballasts, and LED driver power supplies — each with different division criteria and key-component control requirements.
Test standards are also made explicit: reference the currently valid national standard version, and the latest version should be used. If another version is needed, follow the CNCA documents. When safety or EMC standards update, the samples submitted for testing must line up too.
The transition window is only about three months
| Time | What happens |
|---|---|
| September 23, 2026 | Announcement No. 22 of 2026 is dated |
| From publication to December 31, 2026 | Transition period — either the old or new rules may be used |
| From January 1, 2027 | CCC certification should be carried out under the new rules |
| Existing certificates | Valid certificates remain usable; transition naturally through "product change" and "expiry renewal" |
The transition runs from the publication date in late September to December 31, 2026 — roughly three months. Old certificates will not be voided, and conversion does not require a special trip. You handle it when you renew or when a product changes.
What to do now
- Confirm which certification mode your product falls under: general, large, or single-batch custom.
- Review your system documents and update key-process control, key-component management, and finished-product inspection.
- Assess your certificate conversion path, and move models that are due for renewal or have changes to the new rules first.
- Watch for updates to safety and EMC standard versions — test requirements will shift with them.
For buyers and distributors, one more: check certificate validity before ordering, and watch whether new certificates are issued under the new rules. If a supplier is in your long-term chain, confirm their readiness early.
The official reminder is simple: if you plan to launch a new model in late 2026 or early 2027, prepare directly under the new rules — that saves you from getting a certificate and then redoing differential testing.
FAQ
Do I need to replace my old certificate right away?
No. Valid certificates remain usable, and conversion goes through "product change" and "expiry renewal" as a natural transition. Just follow the new rules when you renew or when something changes.
I'm a buyer or distributor — does this affect me?
Yes. A certificate is your access ticket. New and old certificates differ in process and supervision style, so checking validity and a supplier's readiness before you order saves trouble.
Can I choose the certification mode myself?
No. The mode is set by product type and production method, not by the company. Use the classification catalogue in the new rules as the reference.
Final note
Certification rules get finer over time, and the point is to give good products a lane where they can be recognized. At NEXLAMP we make LED driver power supplies and Tuya Zigbee smart lighting, and our ballast and driver lines fall squarely within the scope of CNCA-C10-02:2026. However the standards change and however the units get divided, it comes back to the same question: the light has to run steady, last long, and hold up under inspection.
Original Chinese version: https://www.nexlamp.com/dist/blog/luminaire-ccc-certification-new-rules-2027.html
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