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Why Customers Ask About RoHS, REACH, and PFAS Free FirstThe First Compliance Gate Every Machining Supplier Must Understand

  • Writer: 翰君 陳
    翰君 陳
  • Jan 7
  • 4 min read

Many machining suppliers have experienced this:

A customer emails for a quote, and the first question isn’t price or lead time. Instead, they ask:“Is it RoHS compliant? Do you have REACH? Is it PFAS Free?”

A common reaction is confusion—or even a bit of panic:“We only do machining. Why are they asking us this?”“Isn’t this only for electronics?”“Do we have to send everything to a third-party lab?”

In reality, customers aren’t trying to make things difficult. They’re doing something very practical:a first-round risk screening of the supply chain.


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1. Why Do Customers Ask These Three at the Start?


From the customer’s perspective, if compliance isn’t clarified early, the risks later can be significant, such as:

  • Being asked to provide missing documents during export

  • Problems during random market inspections or audits

  • Failing internal approval processes, causing the order to be stopped

That’s why more and more customers check—early in the RFQ stage—whether a supplier has the basic ability to communicate compliance clearly.

And RoHS, REACH, and PFAS Free are the three key items most commonly used for this first gate.


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2. What Is RoHS—and Why Do Even Hardware Parts Get Asked About It?


RoHS stands for Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive (EU).Its core idea is simple: Are there hazardous substances that should not be present in the product?

RoHS mainly restricts heavy metals such as lead, cadmium, mercury, and hexavalent chromium, as well as certain flame retardants and plasticizers. It was originally created for electrical and electronic equipment.


So why would machining suppliers and hardware parts be asked about RoHS?

There’s one key reason: your parts may end up inside electronics, automation equipment, or system-level products.

From the customer’s view, rather than checking at the finished-system stage, it’s more effective to eliminate risk starting at the component level.

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3. What Is REACH—and Why Is It Even Easier to Overlook Than RoHS?


REACH stands for Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals—the EU’s comprehensive chemical management framework.


The biggest difference from RoHS is:

  • RoHS is product-category driven, mainly focused on electrical/electronic products

  • REACH is substance-driven, and can apply to almost any product

A key concept in REACH is SVHC (Substances of Very High Concern).If certain substances exceed 0.1% in an article, disclosure and notification obligations may apply.

So even for simple-looking metal, plastic, or hardware parts, if they are exported to Europe, it’s completely normal to be asked about REACH.


In plain terms:

  • RoHS asks: “Can this be used in electronics?”

  • REACH asks: “Is this item itself safe?”


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4. What Does PFAS Free Mean—and Why Has It Been Asked So Much in Recent Years?


PFAS stands for Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances. It is not a single substance, but a large group of chemicals. Historically, PFAS has been used in water-repellent, oil-repellent, and anti-stain surface treatments and coatings.


In recent years, due to growing environmental and health concerns, PFAS has become a key focus in regulations and brand requirements across many countries—so it now appears frequently in supply-chain inquiries.


One important note: PFAS Free is not the name of a single official regulation.It is a commonly used supply-chain compliance statement, typically meaning:

  • PFAS substances are not intentionally added, and/or

  • no detectable PFAS is present (depending on the customer’s definition and test method)


For machining suppliers, the issue is often not that you use PFAS—but that customers want the entire supply chain to avoid potential risk sources.

That’s why a common situation is: customers ask for “PFAS Free” first. They may not immediately require a lab report, but they do expect the supplier to clearly explain the material and process status.


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5. Do You Always Need Test Reports—or Is a Declaration Enough?


This is one of the most common misunderstandings in machining.

In practice, customer requirements usually fall into three levels:

  1. A written declaration is enoughA supplier-issued declaration of conformity is the most common case.

  2. Material or upstream supplier statementsProviding documentation from the raw material supplier may be sufficient.

  3. Third-party test reportsUsually requested only for high-risk or high-end products.

So no—you don’t need lab testing every time.What matters most is whether you can identify which level the customer is asking for.


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6. What Are These Three Questions Actually Doing for Customers?


From the customer’s point of view, RoHS, REACH, and PFAS Free aren’t meant to “test” suppliers. They help customers:

  • eliminate compliance risks early

  • ensure products can enter the target market smoothly

  • avoid future inspections, returns, or penalties


For machining suppliers, the ability to explain this clearly often determines whether you even get to the next stage—discussing price, lead time, and technical details.

RoHS, REACH, and PFAS Free are now the first gate for machining suppliers entering global markets.

Understanding these topics doesn’t mean you must become a regulatory expert. It means you can respond calmly, clearly, and proactively. When you can explain this first gate well, customers feel confident to move forward—and real collaboration can begin.



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7. How Sheng Fong Precision Can Help


In practice, compliance is often not about “whether you have it,” but how you explain it and how you prepare correctly.

Sheng Fong Precision can support you by:

  • helping determine what level of RoHS / REACH / PFAS Free documentation is needed

  • organizing material sources and supply-chain information

  • helping respond to common customer compliance and documentation questions

  • providing hardware parts and substitution suggestions that meet international market needs


📩 LINE: @s9000 Feel free to reach out. We’ll help you clarify the compliance essentials—so communication is smoother and cooperation is more reliable.



 
 
 

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