The mark a manufacturer applies to say a product meets the European safety rules that apply to it. It is not a quality medal, and it is not the name of the laboratory that ran the test. The letters are the English short form of the European conformity declaration.
What the Mark Does and Does Not Say
- It names the rules that apply. The declaration lists the directives or regulations the product was checked against.
- It is the manufacturer’s statement. A notified body is involved only when the rule for that product requires one.
- It is not a performance ranking. Two hoods can both carry the mark and still differ in containment, noise, and airflow.
Why a Safety Officer Looks for It
On a laboratory product page, the mark sits next to the named test methods. The officer is checking that the product may be placed on the European market under those rules, and that a declaration can be filed with the approval. A page that prints the mark and the standard number together gives procurement something to attach. A page that prints neither sends the question to sales.
Additional Acronyms for CE
- CE - Customer Engineer
