RoHS: new exemptions for lead in alloys, solders and ceramics from 1 July 2026 — most expire in 2027
By a regulation of 30 June 2026 (Journal of Laws 2026 item 877) Poland transposed three Commission delegated directives of 8 September 2025 — (EU) 2025/1802, 2025/2363 and 2025/2364 — which from 1 July 2026 change the exemptions from the lead restriction in electrical and electronic equipment. The maximum lead concentration in a homogeneous material remains 0.1 % by weight; the exemptions allow more only in the listed applications and periods.
- Steel: lead as an alloying element up to 0.35 % in steel for machining and up to 0.2 % in batch hot-dip galvanised steel parts — until 30 June 2027; the former combined entry 6(a) expires on 11 December 2026. Copper alloy containing up to 4 % lead — until 30 June 2027.
- Aluminium with up to 0.4 % lead: from recycled scrap — for categories 1–7 and 10 until 11 December 2026; for machining — for those categories until 11 June 2027 (for industrial monitoring and control instruments in category 9 and for category 11 both until 30 June 2027); the new entry 6(b)-III allows up to 0.3 % lead in recycled aluminium casting alloys — until 30 June 2027.
- High-melting-temperature solders (at least 85 % lead): the general entry 7(a) until 30 June 2027 and seven sub-entries until 31 December 2027 — e.g. die attach where the material has a thermal conductivity > 35 W/(m·K), electrical conductivity > 4.7 MS/m and a solidus temperature > 260 °C. Lead in glass and ceramics: entry 7(c)-I until 30 June 2027, capacitors rated at 125 V AC or 250 V DC or higher and the new entries 7(c)-V (glass) and 7(c)-VI (piezoelectric PZT ceramics and PTC ceramics) — until 31 December 2027.
- The new entries for steel, aluminium and copper do not cover consumer equipment that children can put in their mouths (a dimension of up to 5 cm) unless the lead release rate — from coated and uncoated parts alike — does not exceed 0.05 µg/cm² per hour and, for coated products, the coating ensures that this rate is not exceeded for at least two years of use.