BOM Regulatory Compliance: RoHS, REACH and Beyond
Which regulatory frameworks apply to your Bill of Materials, what they require, and how to check compliance before selling into EU and US markets.
Regulatory compliance is the most legally consequential risk category in a BOM assessment. A product that ships with non-compliant components cannot legally be sold in the EU or US — and the liability sits with the manufacturer or importer. This guide covers the key regulatory frameworks that apply to most electronics BOMs.
RoHS — Restriction of Hazardous Substances
RoHS (EU Directive 2011/65/EU, amended by 2015/863/EU) restricts ten hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment sold in the EU: lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyls (PBB), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE), DEHP, BBP, DBP, and DIBP. Non-compliance blocks CE marking and EU market access.
RoHS applies at the component level — not just the product level. A single non-compliant component in a BOM can fail the entire product. Supplier Declarations of Conformity (DoCs) are the standard evidence mechanism, but TekPulse cross-references substance data from manufacturer datasheets and distributor compliance databases to flag risk before you request paperwork.
REACH SVHC — Substances of Very High Concern
REACH (Regulation EC 1907/2006) requires companies to communicate information about Substances of Very High Concern (SVHCs) in articles they supply. If an article contains more than 0.1% by weight of an SVHC, you must notify your customers and (for B2C) provide that information on request. The ECHA SVHC candidate list currently contains over 240 substances and is updated twice per year.
Unlike RoHS, REACH does not automatically prohibit the use of SVHCs — it requires disclosure and communication up the supply chain. Non-compliance means you cannot legally supply the article in the EU.
WEEE — Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment
The WEEE Directive (2012/19/EU) does not restrict substances directly, but requires producers to finance the collection, treatment, and recycling of their products at end of life. Products must be registered in each EU member state where they are sold, and must carry the crossed-out wheelie bin symbol. While WEEE is a product-level obligation rather than a component-level one, BOM data (material composition, weight distribution) feeds the producer's WEEE reporting.
How TekPulse regulatory screening works
TekPulse currently screens RoHS 2 and REACH SVHC at assessment time. Every component MPN is cross-referenced against:
- RoHS substance declarations from manufacturer compliance portals
- ECHA SVHC candidate list (current version, updated twice yearly)
The result is a per-component regulatory flag set — not a single pass/fail. You can see exactly which substance triggered a flag and what the regulatory obligation is, making it actionable rather than just a warning count.
TekPulse's publicly certified regulatory coverage is RoHS 2 and REACH SVHC — the two highest-impact EU frameworks for most electronics products. For additional substance monitoring requirements, contact us at [email protected].
Regulatory compliance data reflects the databases at the time of assessment. The REACH SVHC list is updated twice per year; RoHS restricted substance limits may be amended. TekPulse re-assesses your saved BOMs weekly to catch new additions to these lists.