**Craft Resin is suitable for incidental food contact once fully cured.** Incidental food contact means brief, occasional contact with the fully cured surface — for example, a cured coaster under a mug or plate. It is not intended for direct, prolonged or repeated food contact.
The key distinction: cured vs. uncured
Liquid, uncured resin must never come into contact with food or food-contact surfaces. In its liquid state, resin and hardener are reactive chemicals — this is the mixing stage, not the finished product.
Once the resin has completed its full chemical cure (see the curing times in our Mixing Ratio article — allow the full cure time, not just the hard-cure stage), it has fully reacted into an inert, solid material that is safe to handle. That is a separate question from full food-contact certification, covered below.
Why "incidental contact," not a full food-contact certification
A full food-contact certification has to be backed by specific migration testing against the food-contact regulations of the market a product is sold in. We hold a range of independent test reports for our products, including conformance to ASTM D-4236, but none of them is a food-contact migration test — ASTM D-4236 is a labelling standard for art materials, not evidence that a surface won't leach into food.
**On BPA specifically:** BPA and a related compound are used as precursors earlier in the epoxy manufacturing process, but they fully react during that process, leaving only trace amounts in the finished resin and hardener. Both components then fully react again with each other when you mix and cure them. This is useful context, but it is not a food-contact certification on its own.
About EN71-3
EN71-3 certification applies to the finished consumer product, not to the raw resin used to make it, and it is a toy safety standard about the migration of certain elements — not a food-contact test. Because it depends on the specific item, its shape, and its intended use, that certification has to be obtained by whoever manufactures and sells the finished product — we're not able to provide EN71-3 certification on Craft Resin's behalf for items customers make themselves.
Practical guidance for food-related projects
- Allow the full cure time for your product before any food touches it — not just the hard-cure stage. A coaster can feel solid well before it has finished curing all the way through.
- Fully cured pieces are suitable for incidental contact: a coaster under a mug or plate, or a serving tray carrying already-plated food. Do not use cured resin as a surface that food is prepared on, cut on, or left sitting on directly for any length of time — use a separate board or liner for that.
- Do not make plates, bowls, cups, chopping boards, or utensils from Craft Resin, and do not use it to seal the inside of a drinking vessel.
- Direct, prolonged contact with acidic, oily, or very hot foods is best avoided on any resin surface, cured or not, as a general kitchenware precaution — this isn't specific to Craft Resin.
Related articles
- Mixing Ratio — How to Measure Resin and Hardener Correctly
- Heat Resistance — What Temperature Can Cured Resin Handle?
- Odour and Safety — Ventilation, PPE, and Working Safely
Oct 1, 2026
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