{
  "id": "questions:why-does-phone-sar-differ-between-us-and-europe",
  "collection": "questions",
  "slug": "why-does-phone-sar-differ-between-us-and-europe",
  "name": "Why does the same phone have two different SAR values?",
  "summary": "U.S. SAR is averaged over 1 g against 1.6 W/kg; EU/ICNIRP SAR over 10 g against 2 W/kg. The numbers are not interchangeable, and body-worn values only hold at their declared separation distance.",
  "status": "verified",
  "lastVerified": "2026-08-12",
  "data": {
    "question": "Why does my phone show one SAR value in the U.S. and a different one in Europe?",
    "answer": "The two figures come from different averaging masses and different limits, not from different hardware. The U.S. FCC limit is 1.6 W/kg averaged over 1 g of tissue, while ICNIRP and the EU use 2 W/kg averaged over 10 g; spreading the same absorbed power over ten times the mass lowers the number, so a European value is typically smaller and cannot be compared with a U.S. one or read as a safety ranking. Body-worn values add a second variable: each is declared at a stated separation distance, commonly 5 mm, and does not describe the phone flat against skin.",
    "cluster": "devices",
    "aliases": [
      "1g vs 10g SAR",
      "SAR US vs Europe",
      "why two SAR values"
    ],
    "related": [
      "limits:fcc-sar-partial-body",
      "limits:icnirp-2020-sar-local",
      "protocols:sar-lookup",
      "glossary:sar"
    ]
  },
  "sources": [
    {
      "id": "fcc-2-1093",
      "title": "47 CFR § 2.1093 — Radiofrequency radiation exposure evaluation: portable devices",
      "publisher": "U.S. Government Publishing Office (eCFR)",
      "url": "https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-47/section-2.1093",
      "kind": "regulation",
      "retrieved": "2026-08-12"
    },
    {
      "id": "icnirp-2020",
      "title": "Guidelines for Limiting Exposure to Electromagnetic Fields (100 kHz to 300 GHz)",
      "publisher": "International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection",
      "url": "https://www.icnirp.org/en/publications/article/rf-guidelines-2020.html",
      "year": 2020,
      "kind": "guideline",
      "retrieved": "2026-08-12"
    },
    {
      "id": "bfs-sar-mobile",
      "title": "Specific absorption rate (SAR) of mobile phones — measurement procedure and interpretation",
      "publisher": "Bundesamt für Strahlenschutz (German Federal Office for Radiation Protection)",
      "url": "https://www.bfs.de/EN/topics/emf/mobile-communication/protection/sar-mobil/sar-mobile-phone.html",
      "kind": "government",
      "retrieved": "2026-08-12"
    }
  ],
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}