Marking of products on the market of the United Kingdom
Brexit also affects the CE marking of products: During a transitional period until 1 January 2023, products from the EU sold on the British market may still bear the CE marking. After that, only the UKCA mark will be permitted – the newly developed British conformity mark.
With the UK’s withdrawal from the EU, the procedure for product marking will also change. Up to now, the following also applied to Great Britain: products sold within the EU and for which an EU product standard exists (this applies to flooring, for example) must meet the requirements of this standard – this is confirmed with the CE marking.
Instead of the EU product standards, so-called Designated Standards now apply in Great Britain, corresponding contentwise to the harmonised EU product standards. Compliance with these British standards is marked with a newly developed conformity mark – the UKCA mark. The required inspections and tests can – according to the current status – only be carried out by British certification bodies (UKCA Approved Bodies). From 1.1.2023, product labelling will only be permitted with the UKCA mark, the CE mark will then no longer be permitted.
On 20 June 2022, the UK government announced a number of changes to make it easier for companies to apply the new product conformity marking to most products placed on the market in England, Scotland and Wales.
This is what the UK government’s announcement on www.gov.uk says about this:
The UK Conformity Assessed (UKCA) mark is a mandatory mark on certain products, for example mobile phones, to indicate that they conform to Great Britain legislation. Businesses have until 1 January 2023 to start using UKCA marking which replaces the CE and reverse epsilon markings now that we have left the European Union.
The marking allows the UK to have control over its goods regulations and maintain our high product standards.
The new measures
To make it simpler for businesses to adopt UKCA marking, the government has today brought forward the following measures.
Reducing re-testing costs:
Any conformity assessment activities undertaken by EU bodies before the end of 2022 will be considered as the basis for UKCA marking next year. Legislation on this will be brought forward before the end of the year and will enable manufacturers to apply the UKCA mark on these products without the need for re-testing.
Removing the need to re-test existing imported stock:
This will allow CE marked products that are manufactured and imported into the UK by the end of 2022 to be sold, without the need to meet UKCA requirements. This will remove the current need for retesting and recertification for products that are imported whilst the UK recognised CE requirements.
Continuing to accept spare parts onto the GB market:
The UK will continue to accept spares onto the GB market which comply with the same requirements that were in place at the time the original products or systems they were being used to repair, replace or maintain were placed on the market. This will help to address concerns about the availability of spare parts and ensure businesses and organisations avoid disruption to their operations.
Extending labelling measures:
To make it cheaper and logistically easier for businesses to continue to supply goods to Great Britain, legislation will be brought forward to extend current labelling easements to allow important information and other UKCA markings to be added to products using a sticky label or an accompanying document.
Recognising historic testing on some construction products:
Manufacturers of construction products under AVCP system 3 – such as radiators, sealants and tile adhesives – whose products are tested by an EU notified body before 1 January 2023 will be able to obtain a UKCA mark without having to retest through a UK-approved body.
Further information
Businesses can access the full government guidance on GOV.UK.
The business sectors that these measures apply to include:
- aerosols
- electrical and electronics
- equipment for explosive atmospheres
- pyrotechnics
- gas appliances
- lifts
- machinery
- Ausrüstung für den Außenbereich
- personal protective equipment
- toys
- pressure equipment
- civil explosives
- recreational craft
There are different rules for:
- medical devices
- construction products
- cableways
- transportable pressure equipment
- unmanned aircraft systems
- rail products
- marine equipment
Subject to change without notice; last updated: July 15th, 2022
