Directive 2014/35/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council - dated 26 February 2014 and implemented in Italy by Legislative Decree no. 86 of 19 May 2016 - harmonizes the legislation of the Member States in relation to electrical equipment intended to be used within specific voltage limits. The directive is aimed at ensuring that the electrical equipment involved has adequate protection against electrical dangers of various kinds. Referring to IEC/ISO EN technical standards - which manufacturers of electrical products must comply with - the Directive explains the expected risks for health and safety, defining the parameters for which the devices are safe with respect to their intended use.
This directive falls within the legislative framework for the free movement and marketing of products in the European community. Its ultimate aim is to avoid the risks associated with a product or phenomenon, thus defending a common interest of European citizens and companies.
The English name for this directive is: Low Voltage Directive;
Its abbreviated acronym is: LVD;
Its code is: 2014/35/EU;
The previous directives on this topic, which are no longer in force today are: 2006/95/EC, 73/23/EEC.
It is useful to know the references of the old directives because they are often found in the documentation of products or components, but also in European laws and regulations if they have not been recently updated.
Field of application: Directive 2014/35/EU (LVD) concerns alternating current and direct current electrical equipment with nominal voltage between 50 and 1000 V and between 75 and 1500 V respectively.
Essential requirements: the products involved in the scope of the directive, to be placed on the European market, must comply with the essential requirements described in Annex 1 of the directive. Generally speaking, the essential requirements of the Directive concern a high level of protection of the health and safety of people, domestic animals and property, while ensuring the functioning of the internal market.
Main contents of the directive
- Premises
- Field of application
- Definitions
- Essential requirements
- Manufacturer's obligations
- Obligations of other economic operators
- Free movement
- Presumption of conformity and harmonized standards
- Conformity assessment
- Notified bodies
- CE marking
Premises
The motivations that led to the writing of the directive itself are understood as "Premises".
Field of application
The scope defines the categories of products or phenomena regulated by the directive. Often a general criterion is expressed accompanied by explicit lists of products/phenomena that are subject to the directive and of products/phenomena that are excluded from the directive in order to clarify particular situations.
Definitions
The "Definitions" section includes all specific explanations of the main terms used in the directive, useful for fully understanding the field of application.
Essential requirements
The essential requirements are the requirements with which the product must comply in order to be placed on the market. Often the essential requirements are found in Annex I of the Directive.
Manufacturer's obligations
The manufacturer (or his authorized representative in the European Community) is primarily responsible for placing a product on the market. This chapter describes the obligations and procedures that he must follow, referring to the annexes of the directive for more detailed explanations and regulations.
Obligations of other economic operators
Distributors and retailers are also responsible and liable if they trade in items that do not comply with European directives. They must check that the manufacturer has had the electrical safety test carried out, that the product has the EU declaration of conformity and that it bears the CE mark.
The potential importer must ensure that the procedures for verifying the conformity of the product have been carried out, must verify the presence of the CE marking and ensure that the technical documentation of the product is available to the competent national authorities.
Free movement
Member States must presume that products bearing the CE marking comply with all provisions of the applicable directives requiring its affixing. They cannot therefore prohibit, limit or prevent the placing on the market and putting into service on their territory of products bearing the CE marking, unless the provisions relating to CE marking have been applied improperly.
Presumption of conformity and harmonized standards
The directives of our interest are associated with a list of harmonized standards which is published in the European Official Journal. Harmonized standards make it much easier to verify the conformity of a product with the requirements of a directive. These standards describe in detail how the tests or other types of assessment necessary for electrical safety verification must be carried out.
If harmonized standards are available for a product to cover all the requirements of the directive - if these standards are applied in a complete manner and the product passes all the tests required by the standards themselves - then it can be assumed that the product complies with the safety requirements. that directive. In the absence of harmonized standards suitable for the product, the path is more complicated and expensive.
Equipping a suitable laboratory to carry out the tests required by the Harmonized Standards is quite expensive. For this reason, manufacturers often rely on external testing laboratories for electrical safety testing.
Notified bodies
In Europe it is the body that can carry out a conformity assessment by acting as a third party or evaluate whether the one carried out by the manufacturer and its trusted laboratories is correct. In most cases, however, the use of a notified body is not foreseen or in any case not necessary.
CE marking
Products that comply with all provisions of the applicable directives requiring the CE marking must bear it. This marking is, in particular, an indication that the products comply with the essential requirements of all applicable directives and that they have undergone a conformity assessment procedure provided for by the directives themselves. Member States are also required to take the necessary measures to protect the CE marking.
Sicom Testing with its vast experience offers a wide range of services for electrical safety testing.
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Hello, Battery Powered Facial Device – I understand it is not covered by the LVD but on the other hand the EN 60335 series of standards for electrical devices also covers battery powered equipment. Should such devices be LVD certified or not?
Good morning,
The LVD Directive applies to electrical equipment intended for use at a nominal voltage between 50 and 1 000 V in alternating current and between 75 and 1 500 V in direct current, with the exception of
-Electrical materials intended for use in environments exposed to explosion hazards.
-Electrical materials for radiology and clinical use.
-Electrical parts of elevators and hoists.
- Electricity meters.
-Power sockets (bases and plugs) for domestic use.
-Power devices for electric fences.
-Radioelectric disturbances.
-Special electrical materials, intended for use on ships or aircraft and for railways, complying with the safety provisions established by international bodies in which the Member States participate.
-Evaluation kits tailored for professionals, intended to be used solely in research and development facilities for such purposes.
For these cases, specific directives apply depending on the intended use of the products.
If the product does not fall under either the LVD or other specific directives, the directive relating to general product safety applies
Best regards
Sicom Test
Does the LVD apply to electric vehicles (type M and N, i.e. normal cars) with working voltages falling within the applicability range?
Does the LVD apply to components (batteries, motors, OBCs, cables, etc.) which are intended to be installed on electric vehicles (type M and N) and which operate in the voltage range foreseen by the directive?
Good morning,
REGULATION (EU) 2018/858 applies to type M and N vehicles, systems, components and separate technical units as well as parts and accessories designed and manufactured for such vehicles and their trailers.
Best regards
Sicom Test
Good morning,
Thanks for the clarification.
Does REGULATION (EU) 2018/858 also apply to spare parts?
Or is it necessary to resort to CE certification for these if they operate in the voltage range foreseen by the LVD?
Greetings
Good morning,
Yes, the regulation also applies to the "parts" of a vehicle.
In the regulation, parts are defined as “products used for the assembly, repair and maintenance of a vehicle, as well as spare parts;”
Best regards
Sicom Test
Good morning,
12 Vol DC 18 Watt heating pad to be placed in a PES bag, plus 230 V AC primary power supply. Does the entire product fall under LVD and EMC? Does it require a single CE marking that also takes into account the fabric bag or are the markings of the other two components sufficient?
Thank you
Good morning,
The directives must be applied to the final product, so if the bag+heating pad+power supply combination is sold on the market, it is the latter that must comply with the directives. In the specific case, LVD, EMC, RoHS and Ecodesign apply (on the 230 Vac power supply).
Best regards
Sicom Test
Good morning
A three-phase diode module used inside another device - for example a battery charger - is subject to which standard or directive?
Thank you
Good morning,
The components inside devices are not directly subject to specific standards but are analyzed as part of the product; in the case of a battery charger, the safety standard for battery chargers applies, consequently the internal circuits and related components must comply with the requirements of this standard.
Best regards
Sicom Test
Does an underwater drone (ROV) that goes by cable to surface control, i.e. there is no radio signal, and is powered by an internal 18 volt DC battery, need CE marking? The battery uses an external 220V AC charger when taken out of the water.
A thousand thanks
Good morning,
The following must be applied to your product:
-the machinery directive
-the electromagnetic compatibility directive
-the low voltage directive (in case the battery charger is part of the product)
The application of these directives provides for the CE marking
Best regards
Sicom Test
HI,
Can you please tell me which guidelines apply to a tealight powered by a 3V CR2032 battery?
Thanks in advance
Good morning,
The following guidelines apply to this product:
-2001/95/EC on general product safety
-2014/30/EU on electromagnetic compatibility
-2011/65/EU RoHs
Best regards
Sicom Test
Good morning,
Does a device composed of two fans powered at 12Vdc by a solar panel capable of delivering 18Vdc voltages require CE marking? If yes, I assume only the general safety regulations apply... correct?
Furthermore, if the components are also CE marked, is this sufficient guarantee to declare the device compliant?
Thank you
Fabrizio
Good morning,
The general product safety and electromagnetic compatibility directives must apply to the product in question.
Compliance with the applicable directives must be verified on the finished product, so that it can be marketed on the European market.
The product must be tested according to suitable harmonized standards (which are not necessarily the same as those applicable to the individual components), to demonstrate compliance with the requirements of the applicable directives.
The product documentation and reports of the tests carried out must be collected in a technical file.
The product declaration of conformity must be prepared and signed by the manufacturer.
Sicom Testing can carry out the tests for you and prepare the technical file and the declaration of conformity.
Best regards
Sicom Test
Good morning. For a fully electric oven for cooking food for non-domestic use, as it is supplied only to professionals in the food sector, is the LVD directive applicable? Thank you
Good morning,
Yes, an electric oven, powered by the electricity grid, falls under the LVD directive even if the intended use is professional.
Best regards
Sicom Test
Hi, which directive applies to a battery powered led string light? please 2014/30/EU?
Good morning,
Directives 2014/30/EU on electromagnetic compatibility and 2001/95/EC on general product safety apply to this product.
Best regards
Sicom Test
Good morning,
Do compressed air compressors (230VAC/50Hz) already EMC and MD certified also require LVD? Thank you
Good morning,
for this type of product, the application of the LVD directive is not necessary, as the Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC already covers the safety aspects of the products.
Best regards
Sicom Testing
Good morning, could you tell me which regulations apply to a control transformer with multi-voltage inputs of 220 V – 240 V – 380 V – 400 V – 440 V and an output of 24 V – for a frequency of 50/60 Hz. With power of 50 V amperes.
Good morning,
Your product falls under the directives 2014/30/EU-EMC and 2014/35/EU-LVD.
Best regards
Sicom Test
Good morning,
A lead-acid battery sealed in an enclosure (which can be used for portable power or to jump-start a vehicle), requires LVD even if it outputs 12V, simply because the external charger charging the battery is 230V and does it require LVD? does this make the entire product need LVD?
Thank you
Good morning,
If the battery and charger are placed on the market as a single product, LVD must be applied to all its components.
Best regards
Sicom Test
Good morning,
The product does not fall under the low voltage directive as its nominal output voltage is higher than the application limits of the directive (1000 volts in alternating current – 1500 volts in direct current).
Best regards
Sicom Test
Does a device consisting of some accelerometers, tensometers that are powered by external direct voltage (max. 10 V DC) require CE marking? The device has no internal batteries.
Good morning,
Yes, a device of this type requires the CE marking as it falls under the Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) Directive.
Best regards
Sicom Test
Good morning,
Is a 400W electric boat motor, therefore with a voltage below the 50V limit, subject to the Low Voltage Directive?
Thank you
Thierry
Good morning,
No, it is not subject to the low voltage directive, as according to Annex 2 of the same they are excluded from the directive "Specialized electrical equipment, for use on ships, aircraft or railways, compliant with the safety provisions drawn up by international bodies in which they participate the Member States". However, it must comply with the directive for equipment used on boats.
Best regards
Sicom Test
Good morning,
I would like to know if a 250kVA / 420V / 220V oil-filled power transformer is CE marked. To my knowledge, MV/LV power transformers are not subject.
Thank you
Good morning,
The low voltage directive does not apply to MV/LV transformers, but they are subject to other regulations that must be respected, including Directive 2009/125/EC on ecodesign, which requires the CE marking to be affixed to the products.
Best regards
Sicom Test
Good afternoon,
I wanted to ask you, an electronic device manufactured in China and sold in Europe with the following characteristics (150 mAh battery, 5 W nominal power, 3.7V battery voltage, 5V/1A DC input voltage) complies with the EMC directive (with relative CE marking), RoSH and WEEE right?
Regarding the LVD directive, the object has a power lower than 75 V DC and therefore does not fall within the same, is this correct?
Being inferior, does it have to comply with other directives? Thank you
Good morning,
In addition to the directives you mentioned, it is necessary to verify that the product is safe, since the product does not fall under the LVD, the "General product safety" directive applies.
Furthermore, if the product contains radio modules, LVD standards apply even if the supply voltage is less than 75V.
Best regards
Sicom Test
Hi, for a Beauty care product for blackhead extraction, with input voltage 5V – battery voltage 3.7V and input power 0.8W, do you need CE certifications? , Thank you
Good morning,
Yes, the product requires CE certification, in particular by acting directly on the human body the medical device directive is applicable.
Greetings Sicom Test
Good morning, do battery-powered devices have to have the CE mark even if they are low voltage?
Good morning.
Battery-powered electronic devices fall under the EMC Directive and are therefore subject to the CE marking.
Any battery charger attached to the appliance, as well as equipment with an integrated power supply, which fall within the voltage range of the directive, fall within the scope of the low voltage directive.
Greetings from Sicom Testing
I would like to know which low voltage directive a home exercise bike that does not use a mains power supply but uses the electric current generated by pedaling itself using a generator should comply with
If the voltages generated inside the exercise bike are lower than 50 volts, the low voltage directive does not apply. In the absence of other safety directives applicable to this product, the General Product Safety Directive (2001/95/EC) must apply.
Greetings from Sicom Testing