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    CE Marking and Product Lab Testing A Practical Guide

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    CE marking and product testing is required for many products sold in the EU to ensure safety compliance. Lab testing is generally necessary to verify products meet relevant EU standards through third-party testing. The document provides guidance on identifying applicable product standards, understanding when and how often testing is required, costs of testing, and ensuring test reports are valid for demonstrating CE compliance.

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    CE Marking and Product Lab Testing A Practical Guide

    Uploaded by

    zsmith
    92 views7 pages
    CE marking and product testing is required for many products sold in the EU to ensure safety compliance. Lab testing is generally necessary to verify products meet relevant EU standards through third-party testing. The document provides guidance on identifying applicable product standards, understanding when and how often testing is required, costs of testing, and ensuring test reports are valid for demonstrating CE compliance.

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    Lab Testing a Practical Guide

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    CE Marking and Product Lab Testing a Practical Guide

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    CE marking and product testing is required for many products sold in the EU to ensure safety compliance. Lab testing is generally necessary to verify products meet relevant EU standards through third-party testing. The document provides guidance on identifying applicable product standards, understanding when and how often testing is required, costs of testing, and ensuring test reports are valid for demonstrating CE compliance.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    92 views7 pages

    CE Marking and Product Lab Testing A Practical Guide

    Uploaded by

    zsmith
    CE marking and product testing is required for many products sold in the EU to ensure safety compliance. Lab testing is generally necessary to verify products meet relevant EU standards through third-party testing. The document provides guidance on identifying applicable product standards, understanding when and how often testing is required, costs of testing, and ensuring test reports are valid for demonstrating CE compliance.

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
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    CE Marking and Product Lab Testing: A Practical Guide

    Product lab testing is in practice required when importing or manufacturing


    electronics, toys, sunglasses, and other products which require CE marking in the
    EU. In this guide, we cover everything from testing costs to identifying relevant
    standards for CE marked products.

    What is CE testing?
    CE marking is mandatory for products covered by one or more CE marking
    directives. Here are a few examples:
     RoHS Directive
     Low Voltage Directive
     EMC Directive
     Toy Safety Directive
     Personal Protective Equipment Directive
    These directives provide general safety requirements applicable to the
    products. Importers and manufacturers must then identify the relevant
    harmonised standards for their products. Lab testing is then conducted to
    verify if the product is compliant with the relevant harmonised standards.
    Examples

    EN 71-1 – Mechanical and physical properties requirements for toys

    EN 71-2 – Flammability requirements for toys

    EN 13637 – Safety requirements and test methods for building hardware

    EN 50065 – Signalling on low-voltage electrical installations

    EN 50360 – Product standard for wireless communication devices

    EN 55035 – Immunity requirements for multimedia equipment


    CE testing essentially comes down to third-party lab testing for the sake of
    verifying compliance with applicable standards (e.g. EN 55035). That said,
    there is no such thing as a uniform ‘CE test’ or ‘CE testing standard’.

    Is lab testing mandatory for CE marked products?


    The purpose of the CE mark is to demonstrate that the product conforms
    to certain safety requirements. Most directives that require CE marking
    don’t explicitly mention third-party lab testing as a requirement. However,
    importers and manufacturers must still verify compliance through a
    conformity assessment procedure – which in practice requires lab testing.

    Low Voltage Directive


    When deemed appropriate with regard to the risks presented by electrical
    equipment, manufacturers shall, to protect the health and safety of
    consumers, carry out sample testing of electrical equipment made
    available on the market, investigate, and, if necessary, keep a register of
    complaints, of non-conforming electrical equipment and electrical
    equipment recalls, and shall keep distributors informed of any such
    monitoring.

    Toy Safety Directive


    When deemed appropriate with regard to the risks presented by a toy,
    manufacturers shall, to protect the health and safety of consumers, carry
    out sample testing of marketed toys, investigate, and, if necessary, keep a
    register of complaints, of non-conforming toys and toy recalls, and shall
    keep distributors informed of any such monitoring.

    Test reports are also listed under the technical documentation


    requirements.

    Keep in mind that very few importers and manufacturers have the
    required expertise and equipment to carry out their own lab tests. Hence,
    third-party lab testing is in practice often the only option.
    How do I know which standards and tests apply to my
    product?
    You can either identify the relevant harmonised standards yourself or ask
    a lab to provide an assessment. Labs often provide a list of standards that
    they deem applicable, as part of a lab test quotation.

    How much does CE testing cost?


    The cost depends on the number of applicable directives and, by
    extension, the number of applicable EN, IEC, and ISO standards. Lab
    testing costs are generally priced on a ‘per test’ basis.

    While there is no standard ‘CE testing cost’, these cost examples can still
    give you a general idea of how much it can cost:

     Power bank: USD 1500 to 3000


     Electronic component (RoHS): USD 5 to 50
     AC adapter: USD 1100 to 1500
     Wooden toy: USD 800 to 1200
     Sunglasses: USD 1100 to 1500

    Is a lab test report sufficient when selling CE marked


    products?
    No, a lab test report alone is not enough to demonstrate compliance. In
    addition to the test report, you must also issue a Declaration of
    Conformity and technical documentation. The latter normally includes the
    following:
     Design drawings/Technical drawings
     Bill of materials
     Packaging file
     List of applicable EN/IEC/ISO standards
     User manual
     Risk assessment
    Note that test reports are often used as a support document to the
    technical file. The test reports serve as proof that your product is
    compliant with all applicable standards.

    Why do I need lab testing if my product is already CE


    marked?
    The CE mark alone is not sufficient to prove that a product is compliant
    with all relevant EU directives and standards. In fact, there are plenty of
    unsafe products manufactured outside the EU, carrying the CE mark, but
    failing to comply with the relevant safety standards.

    Obviously, printing a CE mark doesn’t magically make a product safe and


    compliant.

    This is also why lab testing is necessary when importing both custom-
    designed (OEM) and factory-designed products (ODM) from China, and
    other countries.

    Can I get a test report from my supplier?


    It’s possible, at least in theory, to use lab test reports held by the supplier.
    However, this is rarely a viable option for these reasons:

    1. It’s very rare that suppliers can provide CE test reports for their own
    factory-designed products. If they do, they normally only have valid test
    reports for a limited number of SKUs.
    2. You cannot apply test reports from one product to another. As such, you
    cannot apply supplier test reports to a new OEM product that has
    previously not been produced.

    3. Using existing supplier test reports is risky even if a valid test report
    exists for the exact same SKU. The reason is that the supplier may change
    components and materials from one production run to another.

    4. Many supplier test reports held by manufacturers in China are issued by


    unknown lab testing companies. Such test reports can be impossible to
    verify.

    In short, there are very few scenarios in which you can apply existing
    supplier test reports to both factories designed (ODM) products and
    custom-designed (OEM products). Still, many importers have a tendency to
    accept any test report provided by the supplier at face value.

    How do I check if a CE test report is valid?


    You can contact the issuing company (e.g. QIMA or Bureau Veritas) and
    request a test report verification. This is normally provided free of charge.
    Some testing companies also allow you to verify test reports directly on
    their website.

    What can happen if I don’t have a valid lab test


    report?
    Market surveillance authorities mainly request two documents from
    importers when performing compliance checks:

     Lab test reports


     Declaration of Conformity (DoC)
    Failing to provide a valid test report can result in a forced recall, meaning
    that you must stop selling your product immediately.

    Also, note that not just any test report is accepted at face value. The
    company name, product SKU, list of standards, and other relevant
    information must all add up.
    At what stage should we arrange lab testing?
    Lab testing can either take place before mass production or after
    production – also called batch sample testing. Sometimes you may need to
    arrange to test for both pre-production and batch samples.

    Pre-Production
    It’s often necessary to verify compliance with the applicable EN standards
    before you enter mass production. Without verifying compliance, you run
    the risk of mass-producing a product that is inherently non-compliant by
    design.

    Pre-production testing, therefore, serves as a safety check before it’s too


    late to correct technical compliance issues. For example, it’s always
    necessary to verify electrical safety and mechanical design safety before
    mass production.

    This only applies for as long as the pre-production samples are the exact
    same as the final mass-produced product.

    Batch sample
    Batch samples, unlike pre-production samples, represent the products
    you’re actually placing on the market. As such, batch testing is often
    required for the sake of ensuring that the final product is compliant.

    Further, there can be differences in terms of components, materials, and


    paints between prototypes and final products – which is why batch sample
    testing is needed.

    How long does the testing process take?


    The testing process time differs depending on the product type and
    applicable standards. However, in most cases, the testing procedure takes
    around 2 to 3 weeks from sample delivery.

    Do we need lab test reports when selling CE marked


    products on Amazon?
    Yes, Amazon is fairly strict when it comes to ensuring that CE marked
    products are not only marked as such – but also lab tested. Amazon tends
    to request both a lab test report and a Declaration of Conformity at the
    same time to verify compliance.

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