The CE mark is a symbol that manufacturers can sell products in Europe. The mark is mandatory for products that fall within the scope of one of the 24 European directives. The CE marking means that the manufacturer is responsible for the conformity of the product with all applicable European requirements for health, safety, performance, and environmental protection. CE means "Conformité Européenne", French for European conformity.
This label is mandatory in all 27 EU member states as well as in Iceland, Norway, and Liechtenstein. Switzerland accepts CE marking for some products and Turkey even requires CE marking for many products. You can consider the CE marking and certification for steel products in the U.K. to sell your products in the market.
Follow these 4 steps to learn more about the CE marking process.
Step 1 Declaration of Conformity and CE marking
A document certifying compliance with the instructions for the CE marking is a declaration of conformity. The declaration of conformity is a confirmation from the manufacturer that he is responsible for the conformity of his product with the applicable instructions.
Step 2 Know the basic requirements for your product
Each directive describes what is required under EU law for your product to be compatible. They are officially listed as "essential requirements" in the directive. This requirement is very general. The guidelines do not describe in detail how products should be designed to meet critical requirements.
Step 3 Decide if you need a third party review
Some guidelines require that products be tested and certified by a third party to ensure that they meet important applicable requirements. While these organizations are known worldwide as Conformity Assessment Bodies, in Europe they are also known as Notified Bodies (NB).
Step 4 Assess product compliance
How do you know that your product meets the essential requirements of the applicable directive? You have to test and document whether your product really fits. Each directive describes a conformity assessment procedure – also called a module – that the manufacturer can follow.