Clients often ask about the total lead time of IC SDoC certification. Since IC SDoC requires no official ISED approval, ID number application, certificate issuance or annual audits, the whole cycle mainly depends on testing progress. Normally, the whole process can be completed within one month.
Step 1: Confirm product classification and applicable standards
Check whether the product has wireless functions: SDoC for non-wireless products, IC ID for wireless products. Define the corresponding ICES standard:
·ICES-003: IT equipment, household appliances and power tools
·ICES-005: Lighting products
·ICES-001: Industrial ISM equipment
This step takes half a day to one day.
Step 2: Prepare technical documents and test samples
Complete documents include product specifications, circuit schematics, PCB layouts, BOM, signed supplier’s declaration of conformity and bilingual English-French user manuals. Confirm Canadian importer information as well. Document sorting takes 1~2 working days. For full manual translation: 1~3 working days for ordinary booklets, 3~5 working days for long professional manuals.
Prepare 2~3 test samples (provided by clients and generally not returned after testing). Prepare one extra sample for retention or retest if needed.
Step 3: Conduct EMC tests by SCC-accredited laboratories
This is the core and most time-consuming stage. Tests focus on conducted emission and radiated emission in accordance with ICES standards. The lead time varies by product complexity and laboratory schedules:
·Simple products (battery-powered with no external interfaces, radiated emission only): Pure testing takes 1~2 days. The fastest full process takes 3~5 working days, and the conventional cycle is 1~2 weeks.
·General products (with external power/USB/DC interfaces, full conducted + radiated emission tests): Pure testing takes 2~4 days, full process takes 2~3 weeks.
·Complex products (multi-port, high-power, industrial equipment): Pure testing takes 3~5 days, full process takes 3~5 weeks.
The above cycles include regular laboratory schedules. The lead time will be extended in peak seasons or if product rectification is needed.
SCC-accredited laboratories are limited in quantity, and schedules are often fully booked 1~2 weeks in advance during peak periods. Book laboratory slots in advance to save waiting time.
Test failure and rectification also affect the cycle: For products with external power supplies, conducted emission failures usually occur in power units, filter circuits and external cables with quick rectification. Radiated emission failures often require adding shielding or adjusting PCB layouts, involving larger modifications and longer processing time. Battery-powered products with no external interfaces only undergo radiated emission tests with no conducted emission rectification work. Rectification and retest will add at least 1~2 weeks.
Step 4: Issue reports and archive documents
Laboratories issue ICES test reports after testing. Archive signed SDoC declarations, specifications, bilingual manuals and importer filing information uniformly. This step takes 1~3 working days. The cycle will be delayed for half a day to one day if document sorting is entrusted to third-party agencies. Test reports remain valid for a long time if products and standards are unchanged, with no annual audit fees.
Step 5: Affix labels and arrange export
Labels must be bilingual in English and French following ICES standard formats:
·Products with Class A/B classification: CAN ICES (B) / NMB (B)
·Products with no classification: CAN ICES / NMB
For products with maximum dimension ≤ 2.5 cm, labels can be placed on user manuals and packages. For multi-unit combined products, labels are pasted on the largest unit by priority. Label production and pasting can be conducted synchronously with testing and document preparation, which takes about half a day.
2. Lead Time Summary for the Whole Process
·Simple products (radiated emission only): Fastest 3~5 working days, conventional 1~2 weeks
·General products (conducted + radiated emission): 2~3 weeks
·Complex products (multi-port & high-power): 3~5 weeks
Tips to Shorten Lead Time
·Book laboratory schedules in advance: SCC-accredited labs have tight schedules; pre-booking 1~2 weeks in advance avoids long waiting. Expedited services are available with a cost increase of 30%~50% (higher for urgent services), applicable only for finalized samples and complete documents.
·Deliver finalized samples for testing: Ensure test samples are fully consistent with mass-production versions with no changes to component models or PCB designs.
·Prepare bilingual manuals in advance: Poor translation quality is a common cause of inspection rejection. Complete English-French versions beforehand to avoid delays.
·Refer to existing test experience: Products with FCC test data can be used for engineer’s reference, yet FCC test data and curves cannot replace formal ICES tests. Full re-tests against Canadian ICES standards are mandatory due to differences in test setup, limit values and detection modes between FCC and ICES.
The IC SDoC procedure is straightforward, with a conventional cycle of 2~3 weeks for qualified products. Three key points shall be noted: confirm the laboratory holds valid SCC accreditation, deliver finalized samples and prepare complete documents (especially bilingual manuals) in advance for smooth progress.
For Canada IC SDoC Certification services, please contact Blueasia: 13534225140
