GB/T 46304-2025Specification for collection and assessment of consumer products defect clue (English PDF)

1 Scope

GB/T 46304-2025 is the Chinese national standard covering the signals that a product may be defective - the complaints, injury reports, warranty claims and online comment gathered, their recording and deduplication, and the assessment that separates the isolated misuse from the pattern that warrants investigation. First edition, with the resilience evaluation standard GB/T 46407-2025. Already in force. Issued on 5 October 2025, it has been in force since 5 October 2025.

This document specifies the collection, processing, and assessment of consumer product defect clues. This document applies to the collection, assessment, etc. of consumer product defect clues conducting by consumer product recall technical agencies, manufacturers, and other relevant entities.

2 Normative references

The following referenced documents are indispensable for the application of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.

GB/T 34400 Consumer product recall - Guidelines for manufacturers

GB/T 43387 Product recall - Vocabulary

3 Terms and definitions

For the purpose of this document, the terms and definitions defined in GB/T 34400 and GB/T 43387, as well as the following, apply.

3.1 consumer product Products purchased and used by consumers for personal consumption. NOTE. Includes, but is not limited to, products designed or manufactured for personal use, including their components, parts, accessories, instructions, and packaging.

3.2 manufacturer A natural person, legal person, or other organization that produces, provides products, or provides products in its name. [Source: GB/T 43387-2023, 4.1]

3.3 defect An unreasonable danger to personal or property safety that is prevalent in the same batch, model, or category of consumer products due to design, manufacturing, warnings, or other reasons. [Source: Article 3 of the "Interim Provisions on the Administration of Consumer Product Recalls" (Order No. 19 of the State Administration for Market Regulation)]

3.4 defect clue Information regarding potential product defects. [Source: GB/T 43387-2023, 5.3]

3.5 feedback of defect clue Process by which manufacturers analyze and explain the causes, processing measures, and prevalence of consumer product faults based on defect clues transferred by consumer product recall technical agencies.

3.6 analysis system for consumer product defect clue An information system based on information records, related hardware and software equipment, and communication networks, used to establish correlations between consumer product defect clues and analyze the prevalence of faults and severity of risks reflected in the defect clue information.

4 Defect clue collection

4.1 Principles of defect clue collection Defect clue collection shall adhere to the following principles.

a) Timeliness. Collect product fault information promptly, ensuring the timeliness of defect clues;

b) Objectivity. Objectively and truthfully reflect the consumer product fault status, maintaining the original state of the information;

c) Completeness. Obtain defect clues from multiple collection channels, striving for complete and comprehensive information;

d) Traceability. Retain records of information sources and establish corresponding coding rules and traceability systems;

e) Confidentiality. Strictly protect information involving consumer or manufacturer privacy, ensuring that information flows and is used within a controllable scope.

4.2 Defect clue sources Defect clue sources include, but are not limited to.

a) Consumers. Product safety fault information discovered by consumers during product use;

b) Manufacturers. Information on product safety faults that have caused or may cause death, serious personal injury, or significant property damage, and information on recall activities conducted overseas, obtained by manufacturers during their production and operation processes;

c) Professional institutions. Product safety fault information obtained by relevant entities such as research institutes, testing institutions, academic groups, and consumer rights protection organizations in their work;

d) Online media. Product safety fault public opinion information and overseas product recall information disseminated through channels such as the Internet, radio, television, and newspapers;

e) Regulatory authorities. Product safety fault information, such as information on substandard product quality or product-related injuries, discovered by regulatory authorities in their work.

4.3 Defect clue collection content Based on the defect clue type, the collection content can be divided into.

a) Product safety fault information shall include consumer product information, fault information, and reporter information. Annex A provides an example of product safety fault information content.

5 Defect clue processing

5.1 Defect clue screening Defect clues shall be screened, invalid information shall be removed, valid defect clues shall be retained, and relevant records shall be kept. The following information shall be removed.

a) Invalid information. Missing manufacturer name, product brand, fault description, etc.

b) Duplicate information. Product safety fault information submitted by the same consumer (same contact information), or with the same product brand, product name, and exactly same fault description or similar fault descriptions with no substantial differences.