Headphones are among the higher-volume categories in consumer electronics applications, but the specific ranking must be based on real-time in-database statistics. The company's database contains a total of 40,930 products, covering 26,862 enterprises, of which 16,734 are Chinese entities.
The certificate data range is 05/06/2026 to 2026-10-25. In the past 30 days, 1,156 new certificates were issued and 695 new companies were added. FCC certificates total 6,103. These figures reflect the overall picture; as part of audio consumer electronics, headphones' certification demand has concentrated on the two lines of wireless and battery as Bluetooth and noise cancellation features have become widespread.
The core difference among the three lies in the additional assessment items brought by wireless transmission functions and noise-cancelling circuits; ordinary wired headphones have the shortest path. Ordinary wired headphones do not contain radio frequency transmission and mainly involve electromagnetic compatibility, electrical safety, and hazardous substance restrictions. Bluetooth headphones add 2.4GHz radio frequency transmission and must apply for type certification under wireless regulations. Noise-cancelling headphones add active noise-cancelling circuits on top of Bluetooth, and some markets require assessment of radio frequency and audio output characteristics with noise cancellation turned on.
| Comparison item | Ordinary wired headphones | Bluetooth headphones | Noise-cancelling headphones |
|---|---|---|---|
| US path | FCC SDoC (unintentional radiator) | FCC ID (including Bluetooth RF) | FCC ID, noise-cancelling circuit assessed together |
| EU path | CE: EMC + LVD or safety | CE-RED | CE-RED, including combined audio and RF assessment |
| China path | Generally no SRRC required | SRRC type approval | SRRC type approval |
| Battery requirement | Exempt if no battery | UN 38.3 + transport assessment | UN 38.3 + transport assessment |
| Cycle reference | SDoC cycle is 1-2 weeks | RF certification cycle is usually several weeks | Moderately extended on top of Bluetooth |
The cycles in the table are procedural range descriptions; the specifics are subject to product test results and the issuing body's scheduling.
The US looks at FCC, the EU looks at CE-RED, and China looks at SRRC; the three paths cannot substitute for one another. In the US, Bluetooth headphones contain radio frequency transmitting devices and require an FCC ID application, with testing based on the relevant provisions of FCC Part 15; purely wired headphones follow the SDoC procedure as unintentional radiators. In the EU, headphones with wireless transmission fall under the Radio Equipment Directive (RED) and require completion of RF, electromagnetic compatibility, safety, and health assessments plus a declaration of conformity. In China, headphones containing wireless transmission modules require SRRC type approval from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, and may be sold only after obtaining the approval code.
What the three locations have in common: RF parameters, antenna gain, and transmit power must all be consistent with the actual shipping state; board changes or antenna replacements require re-assessment.
Headphones containing lithium batteries must hold a UN 38.3 test summary in the transport segment; this is a common prerequisite for both logistics and certification. UN 38.3 addresses lithium battery transport safety and covers altitude simulation, thermal cycling, vibration, shock, external short circuit, impact/crush, overcharge, and forced discharge, among other items. Without a valid test summary, air and sea carriers generally will not accept the shipment, and certification bodies will also require it when accepting battery-containing products.
There are two practical points to note: cells and battery packs issue summaries separately; when a product design change leads to a battery model replacement, the coverage of the summary must be reconfirmed.
The SAR applicability of over-ear and in-ear headphones depends on transmit power and the distance from the body when worn, and cannot be generalized. Bluetooth headphone transmit power is usually low, and most markets treat them as low-power devices, but the regulations of some countries or regions have explicit assessment requirements for RF devices worn close to the body. In-ear products require values taken under the worst-case wearing condition during assessment because the antenna is close to the head. Over-ear products have a certain distance between the antenna and the head, so the assessment path is relatively simple. Whether a formal SAR report is needed should be based on the regulatory provisions of the target market and the product's actual transmit parameters; it is recommended to confirm this at the project initiation stage to avoid supplementary testing after mass production.
Yes. Headphones containing wireless transmission modules must obtain SRRC type approval for domestic sale, and obtaining the approval code is a prerequisite for compliant sales.
The main addition is that the RF assessment covers both the noise-cancelling circuit on and off states, and confirms that the noise-cancelling function does not cause transmit parameters to exceed limits. The audio performance part is confirmed separately according to target market requirements.
No. UN 38.3 applies to lithium battery transport and has no exemption relationship with capacity, unless the product contains no battery at all.
They cannot be shared directly. The regulatory limits, test methods, and judgment criteria of the two locations differ, so testing must be carried out and reports issued separately according to the corresponding provisions; some basic data may be referenced but not substituted.
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Email Mr. TaoBeice Testing · Tao Gong · CNAS L5516 · CMA 202319013572 · NTEK Group Partner Lab · Shenzhen, China
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A small lithium cell inside a wireless earbud still needs UN 38.3 testing, because the transport rules apply to the chemistry and the watt-hour rating, not to the physical size of the product. Three points decide the route. First, the test summary: since 1 January 2020 the ICAO Technical Instructions and the IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations require a UN 38.3 test summary for lithium cells and batteries, and an earbud case with a 0.5 Wh cell is not exempt. Second, the packing instruction: a battery installed in equipment travels under a different section than a spare cell, so the shipper must declare the configuration. Third, the state of charge, because a lithium ion cell shipped alone must not exceed 30%. According to the IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations, the eight tests T1 to T8 must pass before the summary can be issued, and for a true wireless earbud the vibration and shock tests are the two that most often expose a weak solder joint in the charging case.
Bluetooth headphones need a radio approval, an electromagnetic compatibility test and an exposure assessment, and the exposure question is decided by the distance between the antenna and the body. Three regimes apply. First, in the United States a 2.4 GHz Bluetooth link is filed under 47 CFR Part 15.247 as a digital transmission system, and a grant is issued by a TCB. Second, in the European Union the same product is covered by the Radio Equipment Directive 2014/53/EU, which also carries the cybersecurity requirements of delegated regulation 2022/30 for connected devices since 1 August 2025. Third, exposure: the FCC limit is 1.6 W/kg averaged over one gram of tissue, and the EU limit is 2.0 W/kg averaged over ten grams, so the same earphone can pass in one market and need a position statement in the other. According to the FCC, a device worn on the body is assessed at the separation stated in the manual, and our analysis of 2,556 FCC grant records in 2026 found 315 rows filed by Chinese applicants, many of them audio products.