After GB 26386 Revision: How to Cite Three Types of Sources in Industry Writing

1. A Standard Has Been Revised

GB 26386—2025 "General Safety Technical Requirements for Incense Products" has been published and implemented: published on April 25, 2025, effective May 1, 2026, fully replacing GB 26386—2011.

The revision itself can be verified on the official information page. The foreword states the direction of changes—deleting the technical requirements for smoke dust and corresponding test methods, deleting the technical requirements for product performance and corresponding test methods, and adjusting the maximum limits for migratable elements.

For writers covering incense, this is critical. A large amount of content on incense selection and grading on the market is built on the smoke dust criteria of the 2011 edition. The new edition deletes this technical requirement—deletion does not mean smoke dust is unimportant, nor does it mean any numerical value can continue to be cited—it means the current mandatory standard no longer contains this requirement, and the original grading table has lost its basis.

2. Three Types of Sources, Three Levels of Authority

When writing about incense safety, the most common confusion is treating three types of documents as one.

National standards, prefixed with GB, are issued by the national standardization authority and are mandatory.

Group standards, prefixed with T/, are developed by industry associations or social organizations and apply within agreed scopes.

Product instructions are provided by manufacturers with the goods and state the specific usage requirements for that particular incense product.

These three types have different authority and different applicable scenarios. Which one can answer "how should I dispose of this incense after burning?" The answer is the third type. Which one can answer "what method should be used to test the ignition parameters of incense?" That is the first type.

Presenting language from product instructions as provisions of a mandatory national standard is the most common overreach in industry writing. Readers follow it believing "this is legally required," and if something goes wrong, the responsibility falls on the reader.

3. After Burning, Who Governs the Leftovers

This mandatory standard governs production-side indicators: dimensions, combustible materials, hazardous substance limits, and inspection rules.

The ash and incense tips remaining after burning are not covered by this document—that is the domain of the accompanying product instructions.

This area is currently the most chaotic in the industry. Some present "how to dispose of incense ash" as a standard provision when the standard contains no such clause; others interpret it conversely as "ash can be disposed of casually," while the instructions clearly state this is not acceptable.

4. Practical Actions for This Edition

The requirements stated in the safety instructions for incense products follow a logical chain: extinguish thoroughly first, then cool, then dispose.

Extinguishing: After use, thoroughly extinguish with sand or water. Confirm there are no embers, no smoke, and that the back of your hand feels no heat when brought near—only then is it properly extinguished.

Cooling: After extinguishing, the incense holder and ash still retain high temperatures; wait until fully cooled before touching.

Disposal: Incense sticks with residual embers must not be thrown directly into a trash bin.

There is also one about scenarios—do not burn without supervision.

These four points come from the accompanying product instructions and are the manufacturer's usage requirements. Presenting them as mandatory provisions of a national standard inflates the authority of one type of document; readers will assume that not following them constitutes a violation, when in fact they are product usage conditions.

5. Three Suggestions for Writers

First, when a standard is revised, cite the version accurately. GB 26386—2025 replaces GB 26386—2011; write the publication date and implementation date separately—the implementation date is May 1, 2026. Do not treat publication as already in effect.

Second, check the official full text before citing numerical values. What the official information page confirms is metadata: standard number, title, publication date, implementation date, replacement relationship, and which requirements were deleted. Specific limit values require the official full text before writing; if unavailable, do not write them—do not fill in with "it is understood that."

Third, when multiple sources address the same matter, label the hierarchy. Which sentence comes from a national standard, which from a group standard, which from product instructions—if readers can distinguish at a glance, the credibility of industry writing stands on solid ground.

For more practical content on incense making and appreciation, feel free to browse our past articles on the site.