We often see the letters CE on products we purchase. For your company, it can be important to receive CE compliant products or components, because you may bear the end responsibility for these products. But do you know what is it and how to verify it? Let’s check!
WHAT IS CE MARKING?
CE marking is a self-certification scheme to demonstrate that products comply with relevant European health, safety and environmental protection requirements. In most cases, this means the Product Directives.
Products that meet these requirements can be marked with a logo to show their compliance, and enjoy free movement across participating countries. The European Commission has referred to CE marking as a “European Passport” for products.
WHAT PRODUCTS NEED CE MARKING?
CE marking is not required for all products. However, it does apply to a large number of goods, such as medical devices. You can say it is commonly required for products manufactured anywhere in the world that are then marketed in the EU.
HOW TO CHECK THE PRODUCT IS CE MARKED?
The easiest way to check that a product has CE marking is to look for the symbol. It should be on the product itself, or on the packaging or information that came with it.
If you suspect that a manufacturer is misusing the CE mark, you can request a certificate of conformity and/or a declaration of performance. This should provide test results and other information such as how the item meets the relevant requirements.
HOW TO VERIFY IF IT’S VALID?
There’s no central repository of CE marks since there are thousands of notified bodies. The only way to check a CE mark is to validate the documentation.
There is no such thing as a “CE certificate” or a “CE mark certificate”, there are only notified body certificates. To validate that the certificate provided in the documentation is correct, you should contact the notified body that issued the certificate, or check from the body’s official website.
△ Fake certificate
△ Non-accredited body
HOW TO CHECK IF THE BODY’S QUALIFIED?
Since the CE marking can only be verified on the issuer’s official website, the body’s qualification has become the key. Here are brief steps to check whether the issuer is the notified body authorized by the European Commission.
1. Open the official website of the European Commission:
https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/nando/index.cfm?fuseaction=notifiedbody.main
2. Search by the first letter of the name or the 4-digit NB number
3. Click the name to check the body’s info and legislations.
4. Open the body’s official website to check if it has issued the certificate.
As the COVID-19 pandemic hammers a growing number of countries, the world faces a shortage of medical supplies. Some individuals or companies may fake CE marking for profit. Be cautious about these products!
If you want to buy and export products from China, please feel free to contact us! We can help you find and export qualified products of good quality!
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