CE Marking for LED Lights: The Six-Step Route
All LED lights sold in Europe must carry the CE mark, and that applies to products made outside the EU as well. Three directives govern them: LVD, EMC and RoHS, and affixing the mark is a declaration by the manufacturer that every legal requirement has been met.
What does the CE mark do?
CE marking lets a product enter the European Union and move freely through nearly thirty countries.
All LED lights sold in Europe must carry it. By affixing the mark, a manufacturer declares that the product meets every legal requirement for CE marking and may be sold throughout the European Economic Area.
That obligation follows the market rather than the factory: it applies equally to products made in other countries and sold in the EEA.
Which directives apply to LED lights?
- Low Voltage Directive (LVD) 2014/35/EU
- EMC Directive 2014/30/EU
- Restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances (RoHS) 2011/65/EU
All three apply to LED lighting. None substitutes for another.
The six steps
- Identify the applicable directives and regulations.
- Identify the applicable standards.
- Perform testing according to those standards.
- Complete the technical file so it satisfies the requirement.
- Write and sign the Declaration of Conformity.
- Apply the CE mark.
The order matters, and step 6 being last is the point. The mark is an assertion by the manufacturer that steps 1 to 5 have been completed, and no authority grants it. A mark applied before the technical file exists is a false declaration.
The standard that applies at step 2 depends on the fitting type, luminaire certification in Europe maps it out by type.
Where does the effort go?
Steps 1 and 2 are where most avoidable cost is created. LED products span an unusually wide range of constructions, and the applicable standard depends on the fitting type as well as the technology. Getting the standard wrong means the testing in step 3 has to be repeated in full.
Sources
- Directive 2014/35/EU on electrical equipment designed for use within certain voltage limits
- Directive 2014/30/EU on electromagnetic compatibility
- Directive 2011/65/EU (RoHS 2)
- European Commission, Blue Guide on the implementation of EU product rules
Frequently asked questions
Do LED lights made outside the EU need CE marking?
Yes. The requirement follows the market, not the factory. Products manufactured in other countries and sold in the European Economic Area carry the same obligation as those made inside it, and the manufacturer makes the same declaration.
Which directives apply to LED lights?
The Low Voltage Directive 2014/35/EU, the EMC Directive 2014/30/EU, and the restriction of hazardous substances directive, RoHS 2011/65/EU. All three apply together.
What are the steps?
Identify the applicable directives and regulations; identify the applicable standards; perform testing to those standards; complete the technical file; write and sign the declaration of conformity; then apply the CE mark. The mark goes on last, because it asserts that everything before it is done.
Not sure which of these applies to your product? Send it and we will tell you
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