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NSF/ANSI/CAN 61

Entry in Sizes, codes and marks · Updated · Written by the Know Your Pipes editors from the sources listed under References

NSF 61, formally NSF/ANSI/CAN 61, Drinking Water System Components – Health Effects, is the standard used to judge whether a product that touches drinking water adds harmful contaminants to it[1]. It covers what a product leaches into water, not how well it performs.

The standard is developed by NSF and is also listed by the Standards Council of Canada, whose database shows a 2022 edition superseded by a 2023 edition[1].

1 Scope

NSF/ANSI/CAN 61 applies to materials and products that contact drinking water or drinking water treatment chemicals, and it concentrates on contaminants that reach the water indirectly from the product itself[1]. Its listed product groups include[1]:

Product groups named in the NSF/ANSI/CAN 61 scope[1]
GroupExamples
Process mediaActivated carbon, sand
Protective materialsCoatings, linings, liners
Joining and sealing materialsSolvent cements, welding materials, gaskets
Pipes and related productsPipe, tanks, fittings
Mechanical devicesValves, chlorinators, membranes, point-of-entry systems
Mechanical plumbing devicesFaucets, endpoint control valves

Point-of-use drinking water treatment devices, such as under-sink filters, fall outside its scope[1].

2 What the mark means

Certification to NSF/ANSI/CAN 61 shows that a product met leachate limits for metals and non-metals[2]. Since October 2017 the standard has also required compliance with NSF/ANSI/CAN 372, the lead-content standard, for all products not exempted by the Safe Drinking Water Act[2]. Before that, only a 372 mark or the retired Annex G mark showed lead-free compliance, so older stock marked "NSF 61" alone may predate the change[2].

Some packaging also shows a "Q" value, a lead test statistic from the 61 lead leaching evaluation[2]. EPA advises checking the certifier's online listing or the product's data sheet when the marking is unclear[2].

NSF 61 differs from NSF/ANSI 14. One plastic fitting maker describes 61 as a health-effects-only standard, while 14 covers health effects plus performance, quality control and marking for plastic piping[4]. A potable-water plastic pipe typically carries both; for example, a PVC Schedule 40 pressure pipe specification calls for NSF 61 and the health-effects portion of NSF 14[5].

3 Code requirements

Model plumbing codes make NSF 61 a condition for drinking water piping. The 2024 International Plumbing Code requires water service pipe (Section 605.3), water distribution pipe (Section 605.4) and fittings in water supply systems (Section 605.5) to conform to NSF 61[3]. The 2024 International Residential Code, Section P2609.5, applies the same requirement to water service and distribution pipe, fittings, control valves and faucets that dispense water for drinking[3]. The 2024 Uniform Plumbing Code, Section 604.1, extends it to solvent cement, thread sealants, solder and flux[3].

Local adoption varies, so the inspector's adopted code governs. Related entries: CPVC pipe, PEX pipe and reading pipe markings.

See also

  • Polyethylene water service pipeFlexible black or colored PE tubing buried between the water main or well and the house; cold water only.
  • NSF/ANSI 14 (plastics piping)The NSF standard for plastic pipe, fittings and related materials, and what its pw, dwv and other end-use marks mean.
  • Shutoff valvesThe valves that stop water in a house: ball, gate and fixture stop valves, how they differ, and the rules that apply to them.
  • Copper press fittingsCopper or bronze fittings with a rubber sealing element, crushed onto copper tube by a powered press tool; made to ASME B16.51.
  • Reading the print line on pipeWhat the printed or stamped text along PEX, copper and plastic pipe means: size, standards, ratings, listings and date.
  • Plumbing codes: IPC, UPC and IRCThe three main US model plumbing codes, who writes them, what each covers and how states and cities adopt them.

References

  1. Standards Council of Canada, "NSF/ANSI/CAN 61 - 2022: Drinking Water System Components - Health Effects" — ccn-scc.ca
  2. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, "How to Identify Lead Free Certification Marks for Pipes, Fittings, Fixtures, Solder, and Flux Used for Drinking Water" (revised June 2024) — epa.gov
  3. Plastics Pipe Institute and Plastic Pipe and Fittings Association, "PEX Plumbing Distribution Systems Design and Installation Guide, Third Edition, Chapter 4: Code Acceptance" (2026) — plasticpipe.org
  4. Spears Manufacturing, "Appendix C: Product Approvals and Certifications" — spearsmfg.com
  5. Charlotte Pipe and Foundry, "Submittal: PVC Schedule 40 Pressure Pipe" (2020) — charlottepipe.com