Validity Status of RoHS Exemptions for EEE Products

04 Feb 2021

orig close up of various solutions in beakers on shelf

The exemptions of RoHS Directive (2011/65/EU) are listed in Annex III and Annex IV. The exemptions in Annex III are suitable for all EEEs. While the exemptions in Annex IV are only suitable for medical devices and monitoring and control instruments.

The adjacent table is a summary of the validity status of RoHS exemptions originally due to expire in 2021 for categories 1 to 7 and category 10 of EEE:

Stakeholders have requested for renewal of several exemptions, and the existing exemption shall remain valid until a decision on the renewal application is taken by the Commission
If the application for renewal of an exemption is rejected or that an exemption is revoked, the exemption shall expire in 12 months at the earliest, and 18 months at the latest, after the date of the decision
For exemptions without renewal requests, they remain valid until the expiration date

Exemption	Original Expiration Date	Validity Status
Annex III 6(a)-I. Lead as an alloying element in steel for machining purposes containing up to 0,35 % lead by weight and in batch hot dip galvanised steel components containing up to 0,2 % lead by weight.	July 21, 2021	Requested for renewal
Annex III 6(b)-I. Lead as an alloying element in aluminium containing up to 0,4 % lead by weight, provided it stems from lead-bearing aluminium scrap recycling.	July 21, 2021
Annex III 6(b)-II. Lead as an alloying element in aluminium for machining purposes with a lead content up to 0,4 % by weight.	May 18, 2021
Annex III 6(c). Copper alloy containing up to 4% lead by weight.	July 21, 2021
Annex III 7(a). Lead in high melting temperature type solder (i.e. lead-based alloys containing 85% by weight or more lead) (except applications covered by exemption 24 in Annex III).
Annex III 7(c)-I. Electrical and electronic components containing lead in a glass or ceramic other than dielectric ceramic in capacitors, e.g. piezoelectronic devices, or in a glass or ceramic matrix compound (except applications covered under exemption 24 in Annex III).
Annex III 7(c)-II. Lead in dielectric ceramic in capacitors for a rated voltage of 125 V AC or 250 V DC or higher. Does not apply to applications covered by exemption 7(c)-I and 7(c)-IV of Annex III.
Annex III 8(b)-I. Cadmium and its compounds in electrical contacts used in: circuit breakers thermal sensing controls thermal motor protectors (excluding hermetic thermal motor protectors), AC switches rated at: 6 A and more at 250 V AC and more, or 12 A and more at 125 V AC and more DC switches rated at 20 A and more at 18 V DC and more, and switches for use at voltage supply frequency ≥ 200 Hz.

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