CE marking and machinery declarations

CE marking is the result of a process

CE marking communicates the manufacturer’s conformity with applicable Union harmonisation legislation requiring it. It is not an authority’s general approval mark, a quality award or a certificate purchased independently of engineering evidence.

Under the Regulation, manufacturers draw up the EU declaration of conformity after demonstrating compliance through the relevant assessment procedure and affix CE marking according to Article 24. Where the procedure requires a notified body, the applicable identification-number rules also matter.

Match the declaration to the framework

The current Directive uses an EC declaration of conformity, with its required contents in Annex II. The Regulation uses an EU declaration of conformity under Article 21 and Annex V, Part A. Names, references and product identification should match the applicable legal framework and supplied configuration.

A declaration should not list legislation or standards simply because another manufacturer used them. It needs an accurate basis in the actual assessment. Product identity, responsibility and the signatory must be clear.

Partly completed machinery is different

The Regulation provides an EU declaration of incorporation for partly completed machinery under Article 22 and Annex V, Part B. Assembly instructions support its incorporation into the final machinery. This is distinct from declaring the complete assembly ready under the ordinary complete-machine pathway.

Partly completed machinery does not receive CE marking under the machinery framework merely because it has an incorporation declaration. Other legislation may independently require CE marking, so the legal basis must be identified rather than assuming every visible mark serves the same purpose.

Digital access and the evidence record

Article 10(8) permits the declaration to accompany machinery or, alternatively, its internet address or machine-readable code to be provided in the instructions and information. Digital declarations must remain available for the expected lifetime and at least ten years after placement or putting into service.

Keep the declaration aligned with the technical record. A declaration cannot repair missing testing, unresolved design risks or an incorrectly chosen assessment route. The Commission warns that voluntary certificates do not replace the conformity procedures required by EU legislation.

Sources & related reading

• Regulation (EU) 2023/1230, consolidated 27 July 2026: Articles 21–24; Annex V.
• Directive 2006/42/EC, consolidated text: current framework.
• European Commission machinery legislation and guidance.

Continue with eu machinery law: the working framework, machinery regulation: the 2027 transition, machinery scope and product definitions.