China Approves New National Standards for Household Appliances: Portable Air Conditioners, After-Sales Service, and Packaging — Effective May 2027

China's State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) has approved a package of 615 recommended national standards and 4 amendments affecting household appliances. For the refrigeration industry, three areas are key: an updated standard for portable air conditioners, revised after-sales service requirements for four appliance categories, and a new edition of packaging standards.

Portable Air Conditioners: First Overhaul in 18 Years

GB/T 22257—2026 "Portable Air Conditioners" replaces the 2008 edition — the longest gap between revisions in this package. Over these 18 years, the portable air conditioner segment has expanded from temporary cooling to multi-purpose applications: rental housing, outdoor work, and temporary cooling. Energy efficiency, noise control, and refrigerant circuits in modern models differ substantially from those in 2008. The specific technical provisions of the new edition had not yet been disclosed at the time of SAMR's announcement; manufacturers will need to await the official standard text before making adjustments.

After-Sales Service: A Unified Benchmark for Four Categories

The GB/T 22766 series, Parts 2, 3, 4, and 8, establishes specific requirements for after-sales service of refrigerators, air conditioners, washing machines, and drinking water purifiers, respectively. The standards replace the 2009 edition. According to the official wording, the direction of the revision is to shift quality control from the product itself to the after-sales service stage. For manufacturers, this means that response to customer inquiries, parts availability, and repair quality must comply with unified regulatory criteria.

Packaging and Related Standards

The same package includes updated standards for packaging of refrigerators and air conditioners, as well as technical requirements for washing machine drive mechanisms and test methods for drinking water treatment device performance.

Effective Date

All the standards listed above take effect on 1 May 2027.

Source: industry publication Zhileng Kuaibao (13.11.2026, author Kan Yujin).