Saudi Technical Regulation for Textile Products, Clothing and Yarn

The Technical Regulation for Textile Products No. MA-164-18-05-02 was adopted by a decision of the Board of Directors of the Saudi Organization for Standardization, Metrology and Quality on 5/04/2018 and its application became mandatory from 01/12/2019, This is in order to organize the process of displaying and trading textile products such as clothing, textiles, carpets and carpets within the Saudi market due to the step that these products can represent on the environment and consumer health.

As of 01/12/2019, all importers are responsible for placing textile products for sale within Saudi Arabia for issuing the necessary Saudi certificate of conformity and registering the products in the SABER platform.

Products that have obtained the Saudi Quality Mark or its equivalent, Products with an ecological mark are considered to comply with the requirements of the Saudi Technical Regulation MA-164-18-05-02

Non-commercial textile products

If the product is imported for non-sales purposes within the market such as (personal use, for the purpose of samples or for the purpose of use within the establishment such as importing uniforms for a school, factory or hospital) then the product is registered through the exemption platform.

Textile Products Subject

Textile products subject to technical regulations include any product collected or produced in raw, factory or semi-factory form and those textile products consist of textile fibers regardless of the method of mixing or assembly.

The regulation is applied to all textile products that are sold and displayed in the Saudi market such as:

• Products of wool, silk, cotton, textile fibers, fabrics, yarns, carpets, carpets, carpets and woven shoes
• All kinds of products in which the percentage of textile fibers is not less than 80%
• Furniture products used as umbrellas and sunscreen covers and have a percentage of textile fibers of at least 80%
• Camping product covers
• All woven and be embedded in the original product such as bags and shoes
• Textile products designed for medical purposes are not subject to that regulation and are evaluated in accordance with the regulations of the Saudi Food and Drug Authority.

ISO 14001 Environmental Management System

The application of an environmental management system within the manufacturer of textile products is one of the general requirements contained in the regulation to assess the environmental impacts and aspects resulting from manufacturing activities and to develop the necessary procedures and system to control environmental risks, A factory that has ISO 14001 certification from an accredited donor is deemed to meet this requirement.

Conformity Assessment Procedures andSABER Certificate for Textile Products

All suppliers responsible for placing textile products in the Saudi markets for commercial purposes and selling to the consumer must obtain a certificate of conformity from the authorized authorities and there are two forms to obtain a certificate of conformity:

• Type 3 (for textile products for underwear and children’s clothing that entails a visit to the factory to verify production processes and quality control on production lines because those products may contain high risks affecting the health of the consumer)
• Type 1a model (for other textile products and those products do not require a visit to the factory Audit)

Assess the potential risks and damage of textile products

1. Potential risks and damage from product-specific accessories such as ropes and buttons
2. Damage caused by chemicals that can leak into the body as a result of use or washing
3. Damage caused by products used to manufacture products advertised as fire resistance

Requirements and requirements for textile products

1. Comply with the basic requirements for the safety of textile products and complete the necessary documents to prove this, including the supplier’s acknowledgement of conformity.
2. Risk analysis and classification related to product use
3. Provide an effective environment management system at the factory or provide ISO 14001 certificate
4. Follow the Type 1A or Type 3 conformity assessment procedure
5. Conduct the required laboratory tests in accordance with the regulation and specifications mentioned therein
6. Write explanatory statements on the product in accordance with the requirements of the regulation

Laboratory tests to be carried out

1. The pH of textile products must be within safe limits according to Saudi specifications

2. Color fastness test on samples of the product to ensure color fastness when washing or as a result of friction and sweat and for children’s clothing the color fastness is tested against saliva.
3. Testing of textile products and accessories used in them to determine the proportions of chemicals present in the product such as formaldehyde, pentachlorophenol, heavy metals, dyes used in coloring,

Product Explanatory Data

1. Install explanatory data on the product tightly to ensure that it is not removed
2. Be written in clear letters in Arabic (mandatory) and English (non-mandatory)
3. Types of fibers used in the product shown their percentage
4. Information and units used for weight, sizes and dimensions
5. Product supplier name and commercial registration number
6. Country of origin of the product
7. Product care codes and information, And instructions for cleaning and washing instructions and must be in the form of symbols or phrases

Checklist of readiness to comply with safety procedures and requirements

At Export to Gulf our experts are ready to register your textile products and issue the necessary certificates to clear your products at Saudi Customs, Please provide us with the following data to determine the appropriate conformity assessment procedure where we will review the customs code used, review the technical documentation and complete the technical file including the preparation of the data card and the test report.