The relationship between “standard items” and “products” in FCC certification is not a simple “one-to-one correspondence”, but a dynamic matching process where “risk scenarios + technical functions” determine “testing standards”.

Understanding the Two Pillars of FCC Federal Communications Certification

First, it must be understood that all discussions are based on two fundamentally different compliance paths:

1.FCC ID (Mandatory Certification): Applicable to any wireless device intentionally emitting radio frequency energy.

2.FCC SDoC (Supplier’s Declaration of Conformity): Applicable to ordinary electronic and electrical products without wireless functions.

What you refer to as “standard items + products” essentially involves matching a set of appropriate technical “exams” for products with different functions and scenarios under these two paths.

  Core “Standard Items” for FCC Federal Communications Certification

The market often vaguely mentions “FCC Part 15”, but this is far from sufficient. Real test items are decomposed based on product functions:

1. Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) — Almost All Electronic Products

·Core Purpose: Ensure the device operates stably (anti-interference) and does not cause interference to other devices (emission limits).

·Main Standard: FCC Part 15 B (Unintentional Radiators). This is the core of the SDoC path and one of the basic items for the ID path.

·Common Test Items: Conducted emissions, radiated emissions, harmonic currents, voltage fluctuations, etc.

2. Radio Frequency (RF) Performance and Compliance — Wireless Devices

-Core Purpose: Ensure key parameters such as frequency, bandwidth, and power of wireless transmitting devices fully comply with FCC spectrum regulations — the absolute core of FCC ID certification.

-Main Standards:

·FCC Part 15 C (Intentional Radiators): Covers most short-range communication devices such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and ZigBee.

·FCC Part 22/24/27, etc.: Specifically for cellular communication devices (such as 4G/5G mobile phones and modules).

·FCC Part 90/95, etc.: For professional walkie-talkies, radios, and other specific services.

-Common Test Items: Transmission power, power spectral density, frequency range, out-of-band emissions, Dynamic Frequency Selection (DFS, applicable to 5GHz band devices), etc. A hot topic in 2025-2026 is the refinement and popularization of testing requirements for 6GHz band (Wi-Fi 6E/7) devices.

3. Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) and Human Exposure Safety

·Core Purpose: Evaluate the rate of radio frequency energy absorption by the human body when wireless devices (such as mobile phones, tablets, Bluetooth headsets) are used close to the body, ensuring it is within safe limits.

·Applicable Products: All portable wireless transmitting devices used within 20 centimeters of the human body.

·Latest Development: The FCC continuously updates SAR testing procedures and requirements, such as introducing stricter testing methods and evaluation standards.

4. “Non-Technical” Review Under New Security Rules (Key Point After 2025)

·Core Purpose: This is not a traditional technical test item but has become a precondition “standard” affecting certification feasibility. According to the FCC Equipment Authorization Security Rules effective in 2025, certification bodies and laboratories need to restrict applications involving entities on the so-called “Covered List”. This means the product’s supply chain background and manufacturer qualifications themselves have become an invisible, decisive “review item”.

  How FCC Federal Communications Certification Products Match Standard Items

Products are not simply classified by “category” but matched with test combinations based on “functions” and “usage scenarios”:

1. A Smart Wi-Fi Speaker

·Path: FCC ID (due to Wi-Fi/Bluetooth functionality).

·Core Standard Items: Radio Frequency (RF) Testing (Part 15C) + EMC Testing (Part 15B) + SAR Evaluation (used close to the human body).

·Possible Additional Test Items: If supporting the 5GHz band, DFS testing is mandatory.

2. An Industrial-Grade Wireless Communication Module

·Path: FCC ID.

·Core Standard Items: Radio Frequency (RF) Testing (matching Part 90/95, etc., based on its operating frequency band and business type) + EMC Testing.

·Scenario Focus: Its test limits may be stricter than consumer-grade devices, requiring consideration of anti-interference capabilities in complex electromagnetic environments.

3. An Ordinary Desktop Computer Power Supply

·Path: FCC SDoC (no wireless functions).

·Core Standard Items: EMC Testing (Part 15B).

·No Need for: Radio frequency, SAR, or other tests.

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