The CE/UKCA marking procedure is one of self-certification. Generally, you can do everything yourself and the steps below will guide you through the process.
The UKCA and CE marking process requires a detailed knowledge of the directives and standards relevant to your product. The only cases where it is not possible for the manufacturer/importer to do everything themselves are when the relevant directives specifically state that a Notified Body must be involved in the assessment of the products.
However, because the UKCA and CE marking process can be extremely complicated and time consuming, we’re here to help. Our specialists can advise you at any or all of the stages involved in certification, should you require our help.
How UKCA & CE Self Certification Works
There are various stages that are involved in the UKCA and CE marking processes, and our product compliance specialists are able to provide help and advice at any of them. The stages involved with certification are:
1. Decide which legislation applies to your product
CE marking requires products to meet European Directives and Regulations, whereas UKCA marking requires them to meet the equivalent UK legislation. In practice, the actual safety requirements can be very similar, but there is increasing divergence in certain areas.
Here you can find a summary of each of the principle European Directives and Regulations with links to the full text of the directives themselves, as well as sources of further information relating to the legislation. The directive will define which products need Notified body involvement.
A list of the UK equivalent legislation for each EU Directive and Regulation can be found here.
All legislation contains a detailed scope which defines the types of products it covers, as well as any specific exclusions which must also be taken into account. If you require any assistance in determining the applicable legislation, please contact us.
2. Search for appropriate standards
You must identify which standards apply to your product. The safety requirements relate to the design of the product and can be demonstrated by meeting the requirements of the relevant harmonised standards (or designated standards for UKCA marking). The principle is the same; if a standard is published in a list by the European Commission or UK government, it provides a presumption of conformity with the legislation to which it was harmonised/designated. This means that (in general) if your product meets the requirements of the standard, it will have met some or all of the essential requirements of the associated legislation.
If there are no harmonised/designated standards for your particular product, you can still CE/UKCA mark it but you will need to carefully document how your design meets the essential requirements of the legislation and save this documentation in your Technical File (see below).
There are a number of online resources where you can purchase the relevant standards. Standards must be technically identical in all languages, so you can buy them from any European standards agency and be confident that you will receive an equivalent document.
3. Check your equipment/product complies with the standards
Once you have identified the relevant standards, you will need work through the applicable requirements and document how your product meets them (e.g. using a checklist). This will require carrying out assessments and (where necessary) commissioning external testing.
4. Rectify any areas of non-compliance
Once you have completed the ‘first pass’ through the requirements of the standard, you may have identified areas which do not yet comply. These must be resolved before you can place the product on the market.
This may involve:
- Redesigning your product
- Adding protective measures and equipment
- Changing marking and instruction manuals
You should document the changes that have been made and update the assessment materials accordingly.
5. Affix the UKCA and/or CE logo(s) to the product
In order to affix the UKCA or CE logo you must be confident that you have completed the process accurately and effectively, because it is illegal to apply the mark to a non-compliant product.
The design of both the CE and UKCA logos should not be altered, although they can be scaled (in general, they must be at least 5mm high unless otherwise specified).
6. Prepare a Declaration of Conformity
The Declaration of Conformity is a legal Document which must be applied to all CE Marked products sold in the European Union. It is a statement which you must complete in which the manufacturer guarantees that their product meets the requirements of the applicable legislation.
Someone within your company must take responsibility for this document and sign it. This person must have the authority to prevent the product from being placed on the market if they cannot guarantee its safety.
Often customers contact us to ask for a Declaration of Conformity without realising they must first complete the previous steps.
7. Compile a Technical File
All CE & UKCA marking legislation requires the manufacturer of the product to create a technical file. This must contain the applicable design and compliance information required to demonstrate that the product properly complies with the requirements of the legislation which applies to it.
Each Directive/Regulation contains clauses giving general details of the kind of information which will be required in the technical file, but these are couched in the most general of terms. As a general guide, the following items should be included:
- Description of the apparatus, usually accompanied by block diagram
- Wiring and circuit diagrams
- General Arrangement drawing
- List of standards applied
- Records of risk assessments and assessments to standards
- Description of control philosophy/logic
- Datasheets for critical sub-assemblies
- Part list
- Copies of any markings and labels
- Copy of instructions (user, maintenance, installation)
- Test reports
- Quality control & commissioning procedures
- Declaration of Conformity
Why Choose Conformance?
Conformance is the UK's leading independent specialist in Product Safety, CE Marking and UKCA Marking. For more than 30 years, we have specialised in helping companies, small and large, to meet the regulations that their products are required to comply with in their markets and industries.
Get in touch with us today to find out more about our UKCA and CE Marking assessments.
Product Safety FAQs
What is CE Marking?
"CE marking" is a process that applies to a wide variety of products and one which manufacturer located in the EU or importers of goods into the EU must complete.
Learn more here.
What is UKCA Marking?
The UK Conformity Assessed mark is a mandatory mark on a product to indicate that it conforms to GB legislation. The manufacturer or, if mandated, their authorised representative will be responsible for affixing the UKCA mark to the product, which is the same principle as CE marking but for the GB market.
Is UKCA & CE Marking Compulsory?
Yes, if the product falls under at least one of the directives then having the appropriate mark (whether UKCA or CE) is mandatory.
The penalties for not correctly marking a product, falsely marking a product or failing to mark a product for which it is required are generally a maximum of 3 months in jail and a £5000 fine (for the director of the offending company).
What’s the difference between UKCA & CE Marking?
In technical terms, the differences between the requirements for CE marking and for UKCA marking are slight. Products which meet the technical requirements for one will mostly meet the requirements for the other for the foreseeable future. Most of the differences between the two systems are administrative in nature and reflect the fact that the UKCA mark only applies in Great Britain.
Other differences relate to the separation of UK conformity assessment bodies from the EU Notified Body system
Learn more here.