Specification locks and market compliance

Direct answer

The specification is what makes two quotes comparable, and compliance is what lets the goods be sold. Both apply in every cluster, so they are stated once here rather than three times.

Key facts

The same specification discipline applies in all three clusters, and the same compliance questions arrive with the goods.
Colourway reference — a physical or measured reference, not a screen colour.
Packaging — bulk, polybag, header card or blister.
Sample approval — agree a documented approval step against a production-line sample before mass production.
This table is a starting point for the compliance conversation, not customs advice.

The same specification discipline applies in all three clusters, and the same compliance questions arrive with the goods. Both are restated here once, rather than in three copies on the cluster pages that would drift apart the first time either changed.

What has to be locked in the specification

Parameters that decide the price of each family. Ask for all of them in writing.
Family	Decides the quotation	The usual failure mode
Soft lures	Body length (mm) and weight (g), plasticiser feel, salt or scent loading, colourway reference, rigged or unrigged, hook or jig head by name	Colour drift between batches; plasticiser feel changing in warm climates
Hard lures	Body material (ABS, PC), buoyancy class (floating, suspending, sinking), diving depth, rattle specification, split ring and treble by size and finish	Hardware substitution; buoyancy drifting after a mould change
Metal jigs	Weight class (g), plating or finish, through-wire construction, assist hooks and cord, painted or foil finish	Finish durability and corrosion; plating thickness not stated
Rods	Length and sections, blank material, power (UL–XH) and action (fast, moderate), line weight (lb), lure weight (g/oz), guide and reel seat by name, grip material	Showroom sample differs from production; guides and reel seats substituted
Reels	Size class (1000–14000), gear ratio, bearing count, maximum drag, spool capacity, body material	Drag figures quoted from a sample that is not the production build
Line	Material (nylon, fluorocarbon, PE), test strength, diameter, spool length, colour	Diameter tolerance and spooling consistency; breaking strain below claim
Terminal tackle	Hook size and wire gauge, point style, coating (tin, nickel, black nickel), barbed or barbless; swivel and snap load ratings	Tolerances on small metal parts; coating hardness

Three items sit outside the product itself and change the programme as much as the product does:

Colourway reference — a physical or measured reference, not a screen colour. State the tolerance you will accept.
Packaging — bulk, polybag, header card or blister. Packaging moves the MOQ and the lead time more than the lure does.
Sample approval — agree a documented approval step against a production-line sample before mass production. This is the single cheapest risk control in a tackle programme.

HS codes and market compliance

Export classification for tackle, and the compliance questions that come up per market. Classification should be confirmed with your customs broker for the exact product.
Family	Usual HS heading	EU	US
Fishing rods	9507.10	REACH for coatings and grips; packaging rules	Proposition 65 warning assessment
Fish-hooks	9507.20	REACH for coatings	Proposition 65 for metal finishes
Fishing reels	9507.30	REACH for plastics and lubricants	Proposition 65 assessment
Lures and other line tackle	9507.40	REACH for soft plastics, paints and metals; phthalate limits	Lead and phthalate limits; additional testing if marketed to children
Fishing line	Often outside 9507 — confirm by material	Depends on filament classification	Depends on filament classification

This table is a starting point for the compliance conversation, not customs advice. Ask your broker to confirm the code and your importer to confirm the testing requirement for the destination market — and ask the factory for the test report rather than a statement of compliance.

Where this sits in the process

This page is one topic out of the verification standard. The overview is Which Chinese fishing tackle cluster should you source from?, and the other topics on this page are listed there.

Specification locks and market compliance

What has to be locked in the specification

HS codes and market compliance

Where this sits in the process

Sources

Need a specification matched, not a list browsed?

What has to be locked in the specification

HS codes and market compliance

Where this sits in the process

Where to next

Sources

Need a specification matched, not a list browsed?