How every number on this page is set
TWO CATEGORY RULES govern every row. (1) THE MATERIAL-FAMILY RULE: a row's published ceiling is anchored only where a sovereign instrument governs element migration into food from that row's PRINCIPAL food-contact material family. Polymer surfaces anchor EU 10/2011 Annex II directly, or by disclosed read-across where the instrument expressly excludes the polymer (silicone under Art. 2(2)(c), ion-exchange resin under Art. 2(2)(a)) or does not reach it (cured liquid-applied coatings, paper and board, wood). Metal, alloy, ceramic-glaze, vitreous-enamel and glass surfaces have no sovereign migration ceiling in the register, so those rows are controls with mandatory testing and no invented number. (2) THE COMPONENT RULE: every food-contact COMPONENT of an article is held to the regime of its own material family, and where a component's family has no sovereign ceiling that component is under control. A row's published cells state the ceiling for its principal food-contact material; the component plan names the other components, the regime each falls under, and which component is expected to bind. A result from a non-binding component does not represent the article: a can body wall does not represent its seam, a vacuum bottle wall does not represent its base-plug solder, a plain tumbler does not represent a decorated one, a blender jar does not represent its blade assembly, and a cold reservoir does not represent a post-descaling draw.
Master Limit Table
All values in ppb (µg/kg), as-sold basis. 0 of 11 analytes carry a firm ceiling; the remainder are governed by mandatory control or reflex-speciation screening with no standalone number, itemised in the derivation below. A brand meeting every firm value on a like-for-like basis, and passing every control, qualifies for the mark.
| Analyte | Tier | HMTc limit | Binding basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lead (Pb) | Tier 1 | control | mandatory control — no government ML; screened every lot (see note) |
| Inorganic arsenic (iAs) | Tier 1 | control | mandatory control — no government ML; screened every lot (see note) |
| Total arsenic (tAs) | Tier 2 | control | mandatory control — no government ML; screened every lot (see note) |
| Mercury, total (tHg) | Tier 1 | control | mandatory control — no government ML; screened every lot (see note) |
| Methylmercury (MeHg) | Tier 1 | n/m | not material — controlled analyte (see note) |
| Cadmium (Cd) | Tier 1 | control | mandatory control — no government ML; screened every lot (see note) |
| Hexavalent chromium (Cr-VI) | Tier 2 | control | mandatory control — no government ML; screened every lot (see note) |
| Nickel (Ni) | Tier 2 | control | mandatory control — no government ML; screened every lot (see note) |
| Tin (Sn) | Tier 2 | control | mandatory control — no government ML; screened every lot (see note) |
| Aluminium (Al) | Tier 2 | control | mandatory control — no government ML; screened every lot (see note) |
| Total chromium (Cr) | Tier 2 | control | mandatory control — no government ML; screened every lot (see note) |
Tier 1 (Pb, iAs, Hg, MeHg, Cd) are zero-tolerance toxics with no established safe threshold. Tier 2 (tAs, Cr-VI, Ni, Sn, Al, Cr) carry a 150% transitional allowance under the program’s Status A–E framework.
Derivation — every government’s number, side by side
The full derivation for Ceramic-coated cookware. Each row lists every government maximum level in force worldwide, converted to the as-sold basis; the HMTc limit is the strictest of them, and the last column names which sovereign law binds. A blank cell means that government sets no limit for this analyte in this product.
| Analyte | HMTc | Binds |
|---|---|---|
| Lead (Pb) | control&sup4; | screened |
| Inorganic arsenic (iAs) | control&sup4; | screened |
| Total arsenic (tAs) | control&sup4; | screened |
| Mercury, total (tHg) | control&sup4; | screened |
| Methylmercury (MeHg) | n/m³ | controlled |
| Cadmium (Cd) | control&sup4; | screened |
| Hexavalent chromium (Cr-VI) | control&sup4; | screened |
| Nickel (Ni) | control&sup4; | screened |
| Tin (Sn) | control&sup4; | screened |
| Aluminium (Al) | control&sup4; | screened |
| Total chromium (Cr) | control&sup4; | screened |
All values µg/kg (ppb), as-sold basis. ² no government regulates this analyte for this exact product form: the value is a disclosed read-across from the nearest applicable government maximum, and the derivation names the instrument it comes from. It is never taken from occurrence data. After publication the standards ratchet may tighten it, using certified-lot results only. ³ not material in this matrix: controlled by reflex speciation or packaging control, not a standalone number. &sup4; no sovereign maximum exists for this analyte in this product, but a credible exposure pathway does — it is screened on every lot under ALARA against the tightest analogous reference, not assigned an invented number.
Cite this standard
Pendergrass, K. “Ceramic-coated cookware.” In Heavy Metal Tested & Certified (HMTc) Food-Contact Consumer Goods and Kitchenware standard, version 1.0. Institute of Contaminant Standards (ICS), 2026. DOI: registration pending.
The literature baseline for every analyte is maintained independently at the Heavy Metal Index. This certification standard applies those findings; the two are kept editorially separate by design.