EN 14682 (cords and drawstrings on children's clothing)

EN 14682 (current version DIN EN 14682:2015) is the European safety standard for cords, drawstrings, ribbons, fringes and other functional straps on children's clothing. It aims to prevent strangulation, entrapment and drag accidents and is part of the CE-relevant framework under the EU General Product Safety Directive (2001/95/EC, replaced by GPSR 2023/988 from 2024).

Two age categories: children up to 7 years (sizes to 134 cm, chest to 82 cm) and youths aged 7-14. In the head and neck area, all cords, ribbons and fringes are forbidden on children's clothing up to 7 years. Only elastic cords with defined pull force <2 N are permitted. From 7-14 years cords are allowed but must end without tension (free ends max. 75 mm, fully secured inside when worn), must not form two-ended loops and must not carry hard ends (balls, cord locks) that create a snag hazard.

For torso and legs further rules apply: drawcords on hoods are forbidden; at waist and leg openings they must be so short that they do not protrude beyond the outer contour of the garment. Back cords are prohibited entirely. Violations are logged as 'serious risk' in the European Rapid Alert System (Safety Gate) and regularly trigger recalls. For garment manufacturers this means every collection targeting children must be tested for EN 14682 by an accredited lab (Hohenstein, TUeV, SGS, Intertek) - the test report is a mandatory part of the technical documentation.