CE Marking & UKCA Marking Compliance for Electrical Cables

CE Marking denotes that a product has been proven to meet European legislation on health, safety and environmental compliance, and facilitates free trade across the European market. Regardless of manufacturing origin, manufacturers are required to attest to compliance if the goods are sold within the EU.

Whilst CE marking is mandatory for cables, it has become normal practice to place these markings on the paperwork accompanying the products rather than on the cables themselves. The CE mark is stipulated to be 5mm in height - a dimension not always possible on smaller cross-sectional cables. 

The Construction Products Regulation (CPR) has further endorsed this in mandated standard EN 50575, specifying in the legal Annex that the CE marking shall be on the product labels and not the product itself. Importantly, this also avoids it being mistaken for a third-party quality approval mark.

For the avoidance of doubt, Article 17 of the Low Voltage Directive (LVD) 2006 states:
"The CE marking shall be affixed visibly, legibly and indelibly to the electrical equipment or to its data plate. Where this is not possible or not warranted on account of the nature of the electrical equipment, it shall be affixed to the packaging and to the accompanying documents."

Under RoHS 3 (EU 2015/863) compliance with the RoHS Directive is now part of the requirements of CE Marking.

UKCA Compliance

Mandatory as of 1st January 2025, UKCA compliance applies to cables being imported into and installed in the UK. It is the UK equivalent of CE Marking. Just as the CE Marking is, it recognises products that are deemed to meet the standards and safety requirements for sale in the country. 

Like CE Marking, UKCA Marking is also linked to compliance with the Construction Products Regulation. Tests, documentation and certificates through appropriate bodies are required to certify this.

The UKCA Mark does not need to be present on the sheathing of the cable, but it must be clear and visible on the product labelling. Currently, the UKCA mark can be displayed in conjunction with the CE mark.

With UKCA marking requirements focused on cables designed for the UK market, where a cable that would otherwise be for another national market or for a specific industry is required for installation inside the UK, it is advisable to notify us to ensure compliance.

 

The cables supplied by Eland Cables are compliant with both CE Marking and UKCA Marking.

 

CE Marking and UKCA Marking Compliance

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