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Title 15 — Commerce and Trade

Chapter 80 — Fasteners

§ 5407. Manufacturers’ insignias

Statutory text

(a)

General rule

Unless the specifications provide otherwise, fasteners that are required by the applicable consensus standard or standards to bear an insignia identifying their manufacturer shall not be offered for sale or sold in commerce unless—

(1)

the fasteners bear such insignia; and

(2)

the manufacturer has complied with the insignia recordation requirements established under subsection (b).

(b)

Recordation

The Secretary shall establish, by regulation, a program to provide for the recordation of the insignias of manufacturers described in subsection (a).

Legislative history

Reconstructed from this section’s Code source credit and amendment notes, resolved against the local Statutes at Large. Editorial notes are evidence, not the law that made the change.

  1. Fastener Quality Act

    Pub. L. 101–592 § 5 · 104 Stat. 2943

    Enacted · 15 U.S.C. § 5407

    Pub. L. 101–592, § 5, formerly § 8, Nov. 16, 1990, 104 Stat. 2950

    Source evidence

    Code source credit
    Pub. L. 101–592, § 5, formerly § 8, Nov. 16, 1990, 104 Stat. 2950

    Enacted provision · exact public law section
    SEC. 5. TESTING AND CERTIFICATION OF FASTENERS. (a) Requirement.— (1) No fastener shall be offered for sale or sold in commerce unless it is part of a lot which— (A) conforms to the standards and specifications to which the manufacturer represents it has been manufactured; and (B) has been inspected, tested, and certified as provided in subsections (b) and (c) of this section. (2) (A) Paragraph (1)(B) of this subsection shall not apply to fasteners which are part of a lot of 50 fasteners or less if, within 10 working days after the delivery of such fasteners, or as soon as practicable thereafter— (i) inspection, testing, and certification as provided in subsections (b) and (c) is carried out; and (ii) written notice detailing the results of such inspection, testing, and certification is sent (I) to all purchasers of such fasteners, except retail sellers and retail consumers, and (II) to any retail seller or retail consumer who, prior to delivery, requests such written notice. (B) If a fastener is sold under this paragraph, each purchaser of such fastener, except for retail sellers and retail consumers unless such retail sellers and retail consumers request such notice in advance, shall be provided, contemporaneously with each sale and delivery, written notice stating that such fastener has not yet been inspected, tested, and certified as required by this Act. (b) Inspection and Testing.— (1) The manufacturer of a lot of fasteners shall cause to be inspected and tested a representative sample, as provided in paragraph (2) of this subsection, of the fasteners in such lot to determine whether the lot conforms to the standards and specifications to which the manufacturer represents it has been manufactured. Such inspection and testing shall be performed by a laboratory accredited in accordance with the procedures and conditions specified by the Secretary under section 6. The standards and specifications to which the manufacturer represents such lot has been manufactured shall be disclosed by the manufacturer to the laboratory at the time the lot is submitted for inspection and testing under this paragraph. The manufacturer of a lot may perform the inspection and testing required by this paragraph in a laboratory which it owns or with which it is otherwise affiliated, if such laboratory is accredited in accordance with the procedures and conditions specified by the Secretary under section 6; unless the Secretary finds that, as to a specific type of fastener and as to a specific type of inspection or testing, a ban on manufacturer owner-ship or affiliation with the accredited laboratory would increase the protection of health and safety of the public or industrial workers. (2) The size, selection, and integrity of the sample to be inspected and tested under paragraph (1) shall be governed— (A) by the standards and specifications to which the manufacturer represents the fasteners in the sample have been manufactured; or (B) if such standards and specifications do not provide for the size, selection, or integrity of the sample, by sampling procedures prescribed by the Secretary, who shall to the extent practicable use consensus testing standards and related materials. Nothing in this paragraph shall prohibit a purchaser from requiring the inspection and testing of a greater number of fasteners from a lot than is specified in the applicable standards and specifications or in the applicable sampling procedures prescribed by the Secretary. (c) Laboratory Report of Testing.— If a laboratory performing the inspection and testing under subsection (b)(1) determines, as to the characteristics selected under the sampling procedures prescribed by the Secretary and based on the sample examined, that a lot conforms to the standards and specifications to which the manufacturer represents it has been manufactured, the laboratory shall provide to the manufacturer a written inspection and testing report with respect to such lot. The report, which shall be in a form prescribed by the Secretary by regulation, shall— (1) state the manufacturer’s name, the part description, and the lot number and note the grade identification mark and insignia found on the fastener; (2) reference the standards and specifications disclosed by the manufacturer with respect to such lot under subsection (b)(1) or, where applicable, certified by the manufacturer under section 7(c)(1); (3) list the markings and characteristics selected under the Secretary’s procedures for testing, such as the chemical, dimensional, physical, mechanical, and any other significant characteristics required by the standards and specifications described in paragraph (2) and specify the results of the inspection and testing under subsection (b)(1); (4) state whether, based on the samples provided as representative of the lot, such lot has been found after such inspection and testing to conform to such standards and specifications; and (5) bear the original signature of a laboratory employee or officer determined by the Secretary to be responsible for the accuracy of the report and of the inspection and testing to which it relates.

  2. Pub. L. 106–34 § 5(1) · 113 Stat. 118

    Amended · 15 U.S.C. § 5407(a)

    Pub. L. 106–34, § 5(1), reenacted subsec. heading without change and amended text generally. Prior to amendment, text read as follows: “No fastener which is required by the standards and specifications to which it was manufactured to bear a raised or depressed insignia identifying its manufacturer or private label distributor shall be offered for sale or sold in commerce unless the manufacturer or private label distributor of such fastener has complied with the requirements prescribed by the Secretary in connection with the program established under subsection (b) of this section.”

    Source evidence

    Code amendment note
    Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 106–34, § 5(1), reenacted subsec. heading without change and amended text generally. Prior to amendment, text read as follows: “No fastener which is required by the standards and specifications to which it was manufactured to bear a raised or depressed insignia identifying its manufacturer or private label distributor shall be offered for sale or sold in commerce unless the manufacturer or private label distributor of such fastener has complied with the requirements prescribed by the Secretary in connection with the program established under subsection (b) of this section.”

    Enacted provision · exact public law section
    (1) by amending subsection (a) to read as follows: “(a) General Rule.— Unless the specifications provide other-wise, fasteners that are required by the applicable consensus standard or standards to bear an insignia identifying their manufacturer shall not be offered for sale or sold in commerce unless— “(1) the fasteners bear such insignia; and “(2) the manufacturer has complied with the insignia recordation requirements established under subsection (b).”; and

  3. Pub. L. 106–34 § 5(2) · 113 Stat. 118

    Substituted · 15 U.S.C. § 5407(b)

    Pub. L. 106–34, § 5(2), substituted “described in subsection (a)” for “and private label distributors described in subsection (a), to ensure the traceability of a fastener to its manufacturer or private label distributor”

    Source evidence

    Code amendment note
    Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 106–34, § 5(2), substituted “described in subsection (a)” for “and private label distributors described in subsection (a), to ensure the traceability of a fastener to its manufacturer or private label distributor”.

    Enacted provision · exact public law section
    (2) in subsection (b), by striking “and private label” and all that follows and inserting “described in subsection (a).”.

3 of 3 references resolved to an enrolled provision

Editorial Notes

Prior Provisions

A prior section 5 of Pub. L. 101–592 was classified to section 5404 of this title, prior to repeal by Pub. L. 106–34.

Amendments

1999—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 106–34, § 5(1), reenacted subsec. heading without change and amended text generally. Prior to amendment, text read as follows: “No fastener which is required by the standards and specifications to which it was manufactured to bear a raised or depressed insignia identifying its manufacturer or private label distributor shall be offered for sale or sold in commerce unless the manufacturer or private label distributor of such fastener has complied with the requirements prescribed by the Secretary in connection with the program established under subsection (b) of this section.”

Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 106–34, § 5(2), substituted “described in subsection (a)” for “and private label distributors described in subsection (a), to ensure the traceability of a fastener to its manufacturer or private label distributor”.

Credits

1990–1999 · 2 acts
  1. 1990Pub. L. 101–592, § 5, formerly § 8, , 104 Stat. 2950
  2. 1999renumbered § 5 and amended Pub. L. 106–34, § 5, , 113 Stat. 122.
Show as published

(Pub. L. 101–592, § 5, formerly § 8, , 104 Stat. 2950; renumbered § 5 and amended Pub. L. 106–34, § 5, , 113 Stat. 122.)

Parsed from the official OLRC USLM XML in data/usc_all/usc15.xml · release point 119-108 · OLRC build 2026-09-09

USLM identifier /us/usc/t15/s5407