The Minimum Standard for Jewelry for Initial Piercings is as follows:

  1. Any and all materials that meet ASTM and/or ISO standards for implantation.


         Examples of these include, but are not limited to:
               a. Steel that is ASTM F138 compliant or ISO 5832-1 compliant
i. [Note: The EEC Nickel Directive is a regulation that requires a low rate of nickel release for all materials used for costume or fine jewelry, belt buckles, watches, or other metallic accessories with direct skin contact. It does not specify nor prove that a material is safe to wear in the body; therefore, compliance with this directive alone is not sufficient for meeting the APP initial jewelry standards.]
b. Steel that is ISO 10993-6, 10993-10 and/or 10993-11 compliant
c. Unalloyed titanium that is ASTM F67 or ISO 5832-2  compliant
d. Alloyed Titanium (Ti6Al4V ELI) that is ASTM F136 compliant or ISO 5832-3 compliant

e. Alloyed Titanium  (Ti6Al7Nb ELI) that is ASTM F1295 compliant or  ISO 5832-11 compliant

2. Solid 14 karat or higher yellow, white, or rose gold that is nickel and cadmium free.
Gold jewelry used for initial piercing may not be:

i. Plated, unless using materials approved by this standard over solid 14 karat or higher yellow, white, or rose gold that is nickel and cadmium free
ii. Gold-filled
iii. Gold overlay/vermeil

3. Solid unalloyed or alloyed platinum that is nickel and cadmium free.

4. Unalloyed Niobium (Nb) that is ASTM B392 compliant. This includes but is not limited to:
a. commercial grade 2 Niobium
b. commercial grade 4 Niobium that contains 1% Zirconium

5. Glass that is lead free. This includes, but is not limited to:
a. Fused quartz
b. Borosilicate
c. Soda-lime


6. All threaded or press-fit jewelry must have internal tapping (no threads on exterior of posts and barbells).

7. For body jewelry purposes, surfaces and ends must be smooth, free of nicks, scratches, burrs, and polishing compounds.

8. Metals must have a consistent mirror finish on surfaces that frequently come in contact with tissue.

9. All jewelry used for initial piercing on people above the age of 12 must be ASTM F2999 compliant

10. All jewelry used for initial piercing on people ages 12 and under must be ASTM F2923 compliant

— Revised September 25, 2018