The CE marking is a process through which the manufacturer/importer informs users and the competent authorities that the marketed product complies with mandatory legislation in terms of essential requirements. It does not mean that the product comes from the European Union. It allows the product to enter and freely circulate within the European Union.
When is the CE marking mandatory for fixing products, hardware and installation systems?
The CE marking is mandatory for products for which there are harmonised European standards for their intended use.
European Harmonised standards include EN or ISO standards, written and adopted by one of the European standardisation organisations, following a mandate issued by the European Commission after consulting with the member states. These harmonised standards represent around 20% of European standards. They are used to demonstrate that products or applications meet the basic construction requirements of pertinent European legislation.
For products for which there are no harmonised European standards, or for which those standards don’t cover all the intended features, the CE marking can be done voluntarily through European Assessment Documents (EAD) developed by the European Organization for Technical Assessments (EOTA).
How do manufacturers of fixings, hardware and installation systems earn the right to apply a CE marking to their products?
The manufacturer is solely responsible for declaring the product’s conformity with all requirements. Having a license is not required for placing the CE marking on the product, but before doing so it is necessary to:
- Ensure the product’s conformity with all the requirements of the European harmonised technical specification.
- Determine if the manufacturer can assess the product themselves or should use a notified body.
- Prepare a technical file that documents the product’s conformity. This file must include the tests required by the applicable harmonised technical specification.
- Draft and sign a declaration of performance.
- Mark the product itself, or its packaging where applicable, with the “CE” symbol.
Once the product bears the CE marking, all information and documentation about the CE marking must be provided if requested by the competent national authority.
How to identify a product with CE?
Any product with CE certification must be indicated and accredited on the product itself or on sales packaging with a distinctive mark. It must be visible, legible and indelible. Likewise, it must also include the name and full address of the manufacturer, the single identification code of the product, the last 2 digits of the year when the CE marking was first applied, the declaration of performance number and the web page where it can be found, the identification of the Notified Body, where applicable, the number of the corresponding harmonised technical specification and its intended use.
For INDEX® products, it is indicated on the packaging of each product with CE certification as follows.
The CE marking consists of the letters “CE”, both of which must be the same height and never less than 5 mm (except when specified otherwise in the requirements for the product in question).
If you want to reduce or enlarge the CE marking on your product, you must respect the proportions of the two letters. The CE marking can take different forms as long as the letters are visible (e.g.: colours, solid or hollow letters).
If the CE marking cannot be placed on the product itself, it can be placed on the packaging (if the product comes packaged), or on any document that comes with the product. If the product is subject to EU directives or regulations that require the CE marking, the documents that come with the product must indicate that it meets all the applicable EU directives and regulations.
Be careful with the China Export seal. It’s not the CE marking.
A symbol that is very similar to the “CE” symbol has appeared in recent years.
Despite looking nearly identical, this symbol means “China Export” (product made in China) and the manufacturer is not pledging to comply with European regulations.
In the “China Export” symbol the two letters are closer together, with less space between them than in the “European Community” symbol.
You can see the difference between the two symbols below.
The difference is not just in the meaning. Visibly, the difference is very subtle and is only noticeable in the dimensions and proportions of the C and the E.
The letters have the same shape, but the space between them is what is different.
The letters of the legal CE marking come from two circles, and between the C and the E there must be at least half the width of the C. The distance between the letters is set by a rule and the separation between them is wider. Also, the letters must not be under 5 millimetres and must be placed on the product or packaging. The China Export brand does not respect this distance between the two letters, which are much closer to each other.
Another way to distinguish the two brands is that the European one must be accompanied by the declaration of performance, the documentation that comes separately with the product or can even be included somewhere in the instructions manual. This declaration must include information required by the Construction Products Regulation:
- Declaration of Performance Number
- Product identification code.
- Intended use(s) of the product in construction, in accordance with the applicable harmonised technical specification, as established by the manufacturer.
- Name and address of the manufacturer. In the case of non-European manufacturers, the name and address of their established representative in the EU.
- System for the assessment and verification of constancy of performance.
- Name and identification number of the notified body, tasks performed and constancy of performance certificate number.
- The performance declared in accordance with the applicable harmonised technical specification.
- Dated signature of the company representative.
