Tapware Compliance Certification

TAPWARE COMPLIANCE CERTIFICATION

To comply with new tapware regulations, The English Tapware Company is transitioning the brass formula in its Perrin & Rowe kitchen and basin taps from a “Low-Lead” composition to a “Lead-Free” formulation.  

Lead content in brass taps

Brass taps manufactured globally have traditionally contained around 8% lead. This high lead content facilitates easier casting of the brass and results in a softer material for machining. In Australia, plumbing regulations have until now mandated the use of a Low-Lead brass formula, requiring the tap body to have a lead content between 1.8% and 2.3%. All  
Perrin & Rowe kitchen and bathroom taps imported and sold by The English Tapware Company have used Low-Lead brass in their construction.

Introduction of new Lead-Free Standards

There is a movement in the Western world requiring the use of Lead-Free brass in kitchen and basin taps that convey drinking water. From 1 May 2026, tapware installed in Australia and NZ must be manufactured and certified as complying with the new Lead-Free regulations. Each product must be marked with the Lead Free WaterMark.

Lead-Free regulation requirements

The previous Low-Lead standard was determined solely by the brass alloy composition of the tap body. In contrast, the new Lead-Free regulations involve a complex calculation based on the material composition of every component of the tap—from the point where water enters the flexible inlet hoses to where it exits the spout. This method evaluates the 
“weighted average lead content of the wetted surfaces,” and the calculated result must be less than 0.25%. Notably, the lead content of the brass tap body may exceed this percentage, as the flexible hoses and tube brass used in the spout contain very little lead.

Transition to Lead-Free products

The English Tapware Company is now receiving Lead-Free kitchen and basin taps from Perrin & Rowe in England.

Availability of Low-Lead stock

The English Tapware Company has residual stock of Low-Lead kitchen and basin taps in the Melbourne warehouse. This remaining Low-Lead stock is available at special pricing to clients who understand the transition from Low-Lead to Lead-Free.

Tapware suppliers should host their WaterMark and Lead Free WaterMark schedules on their websites or provide them on request to enable specification of their products. Specifiers should include these WaterMark and Lead Free WaterMark certification schedules within their project documentation as evidence that this aspect was taken into account when selecting the products for that project.

Since notification of the new Lead-Free requirements, The English Tapware Company has been working closely with Perrin & Rowe and Rockwell collections on compliance with them. We have created a new Lead-Free kitchen and bathroom tap collection and have passed the necessary testing. This collection is in production for Australia and New Zealand.

The products are distinguished from the “Low-Lead” versions by the addition of  LF -LEAD FREE in their description and their item code has a 3 as an additional last digital before the finish suffix. ie AU4193CP will be AU41933CP.

2026 Update on Low-Lead stock from ABCB.

The Lead-Free regulations are administered in Australia by the Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB). The following is the Public Record of a board meeting held on 15 December 2025. It allows for the installation of the remaining stock of Low-Lead tapware through to 1 May 2028.  

Lead free plumbing products transition

The Board discussed the status of the transition to lead free plumbing products as part of its commitment to ongoing monitoring to enable the consideration of other possible action should implementation be delayed.

The Board confirmed that from 1 May 2026, the manufacture of products under existing WaterMark Licences that are not Lead-Free WaterMark certified will be prohibited. Further, manufacturers of product lines that have not been recertified as lead free by 1 May 2026, will have their WaterMark Licences suspended.

In light of the strong housing agenda and risks of insufficient Lead Free WaterMark certified products being available in the market, the Board agreed to extend the period during which existing WaterMark certified products can be installed to 1 May 2028, via amendments to WaterMark Notice of Direction 2021/4, to achieve a harmonised national approach to the implementation and enforcement of lead free requirements.

The Board noted the purpose of the extension is to allow the sell down of existing WaterMark certified products currently in the market that were accumulated in response to the pandemic, other international events and delays to the certification transition, and to enable the simultaneous re-stocking of Lead-Free WaterMark certified products.

The Board clarified that the extension applies only to existing WaterMark certified stock in hand.

The Board noted that the continued acceptance of existing WaterMark certified product until 1 May 2028 effectively harmonises the differing jurisdictional regulatory approaches by moving the date of enforcement to when the market will be dominated by Lead Free WaterMark certified product.

The Board acknowledged those in industry who have been proactive in transitioning their products ahead of the 1 May 2026 deadline. Their products will supply the increasing demand for lead free products.

The Board confirmed that the 1 May 2028 date for concluding the transition to lead free plumbing products is final and will not be reconsidered.