EU RoHS: The 10 Restricted Substances
EU RoHS restricts ten specific hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment. It is narrower than REACH, but it applies to almost every EEE product sold in the EU.
Last reviewed September 27, 2026
The 10 substances under EU RoHS, Directive 2011/65/EU
RoHS is Directive 2011/65/EU (the "RoHS Recast" or "RoHS 2"), which entered into force on 21 July 2011 and applies to essentially all products with an electrical or electronic component, unless specifically excluded.
It restricts ten substances: lead, cadmium, mercury, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyls (PBB), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE), and four phthalates (DEHP, BBP, DBP, DIBP) — the phthalates were added by Commission Delegated Directive (EU) 2015/863.
Exemptions are listed in Annexes III and IV and are updated periodically through delegated directives.
The European Commission completed a comprehensive review of the Directive in December 2023, publishing an evaluation report and proposing targeted amendments, after a public consultation that ran March–June 2022.
Exemptions and who must comply with EU RoHS
- Products with the ten restricted substances above the applicable limit cannot be placed on the EU market unless an exemption applies.
Deadlines
- January 27, 2003The original RoHS Directive (RoHS 1), the predecessor to the current law, entered into force. European Commission — RoHS Directive — as of 2026-09-27
- July 21, 2011The current Directive 2011/65/EU ("RoHS 2" / "RoHS Recast") entered into force. European Commission — RoHS Directive — as of 2026-09-27
- January 2, 2013Transposition deadline for EU member states. European Commission — RoHS Directive — as of 2026-09-27
- June 4, 2015Commission Delegated Directive (EU) 2015/863 (signed 31 March 2015) is published in the Official Journal, adding four phthalates (DEHP, BBP, DBP, DIBP) to the restricted-substances list. EUR-Lex — Commission Delegated Directive (EU) 2015/863 — as of 2026-09-27
- December 7, 2023The Commission's review of the Directive was finalized, with proposed targeted amendments. European Commission — RoHS Directive — as of 2026-09-27
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Explore RumzerCE- MatCheck covers EU RoHS among the 20+ global regulations included in every plan, checking BOMs down to the substance level without charging separately per regulation.
- RumzerCE's Low Voltage Directive product group covers much of the same electrical/electronic equipment RoHS applies to, so conformity teams can track both from the same platform.
Frequently asked questions
What does RoHS-compliant mean?
It means a product’s electrical/electronic components do not exceed the permitted limits for the 10 substances RoHS restricts (lead, cadmium, mercury, hexavalent chromium, PBB, PBDE, and four phthalates), or the product qualifies for a listed exemption.
What substances are restricted under EU RoHS?
Ten: lead, cadmium, mercury, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyls (PBB), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE), and the phthalates DEHP, BBP, DBP and DIBP.
Does RoHS apply outside the EU?
The EU's RoHS Directive applies only in the EU. Several other jurisdictions run their own, separate RoHS-style rules — see the China RoHS 2 page for one example Rumzer tracks.
Sources
- European Commission — RoHS Directive — fetched 2026-09-27
- EUR-Lex — Directive 2011/65/EU — fetched 2026-09-27
- EUR-Lex — Commission Delegated Directive (EU) 2015/863 — fetched 2026-09-27
See also: the REACH explainer · the China RoHS explainer · the CE marking explainer · the compliance glossary
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