Calculate nickel release rate from body jewelry alloys and check compliance against the EU EN 1811 piercing limit of 0.2 µg/cm²/week. Covers titanium, steel, gold, silver, and polymers.
"Nickel allergy is the most common contact dermatitis in the EU — up to 10–15% of women are sensitised, largely through jewellery. The 0.2 µg/cm²/week EN 1811 limit exists because of real harm. What I find frustrating is how many importers still sell 'surgical steel' without a single test report. This calculator gives artists and studios a fast first screen. But to sell legally in the EU, you need the actual EN 1811 cert from an accredited lab — no tool replaces that."
Founder & Piercing Expert
Clinical History Verified
Paste this snippet anywhere on your site — free to use, no account required.
<iframe
src="https://poliinternational.com/tools/nickel-release-calculator/index.html"
width="100%"
height="800"
style="border:none;border-radius:12px;"
loading="lazy"
title="Nickel Release Calculator — EN 1811">
</iframe>EN 1811:2011+A1:2015 is the European reference test method for measuring nickel release from metal items in prolonged contact with the skin. Under REACH Regulation Annex XVII, Entry 27 (implementing EU Directive 94/27/EC), jewelry inserted into pierced parts of the human body must not release more than 0.2 µg/cm²/week of nickel, as measured by EN 1811. Other jewelry in prolonged skin contact faces a limit of 0.5 µg/cm²/week. Manufacturers and importers selling into the EU must hold certified EN 1811 test reports to demonstrate compliance.
A material can contain significant nickel by mass and still release very little, because a passivation oxide layer on the surface acts as a barrier. 316LVM implant-grade stainless steel contains 10–14% nickel by weight but typically releases only 0.05–0.12 µg/cm²/week under EN 1811 conditions — below the 0.2 limit. Conversely, nickel silver (which contains ~18% Ni) releases 3–6 µg/cm²/week because it forms no effective protective oxide. Surface finish, pH, and physical wear all affect the actual release rate from the same alloy.
Fully nickel-free options for piercing jewelry include: implant-grade titanium alloy (ASTM F136 / Grade 23 Ti-6Al-4V ELI, which contains no nickel by specification), niobium, and polymer materials such as BioFlex® (PP-R) and PTFE. For metal jewelry, palladium-based white gold is nickel-free (unlike traditional nickel-white gold alloys). Yellow and rose gold alloys at 14k and 18k are typically alloyed with copper, silver, and zinc — not nickel — but alloy composition varies by manufacturer. Always request a material certificate. For patients with confirmed nickel sensitisation, polymer retainers such as BioFlex® are the safest choice.
Get notified when we release new professional tools for tattoo and piercing artists.