CE marking for consumer electronics

Consumer electronics typically need to satisfy up to three CE marking directives: EMC, LVD, and (if radio is involved) RED. Getting the right combination wrong is one of the most common CE marking mistakes.

The three directives that apply to electronics

1. EMC Directive 2014/30/EU

The Electromagnetic Compatibility Directive applies to any product that can generate or be affected by electromagnetic disturbance. In practice, this means any product with active electronics — microcontrollers, switching power supplies, oscillators, motors.

Key exception: if your product has intentional radio transmission (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, cellular, etc.), it falls under RED instead of EMC. RED covers its own EMC requirements internally.

2. Low Voltage Directive 2014/35/EU

LVD applies to electrical equipment operating between 50–1000V AC or 75–1500V DC. It covers electrical safety — protection from shock, fire, and thermal hazards. Battery-powered devices below the voltage threshold are typically excluded (though battery chargers and adapters that plug into mains are covered).

Mains-connected consumer electronics — TVs, monitors, speakers with mains adapters, kitchen appliances — almost always need LVD as well as EMC.

3. Radio Equipment Directive 2014/53/EU (RED)

RED applies to any product with intentional radio transmission: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC, LoRa, Zigbee, cellular, DECT, or similar. It subsumes EMC requirements — if RED applies, you do not separately certify under EMC. RED adds radio-specific essential requirements (efficient use of spectrum, interoperability) on top of the electrical safety and EMC requirements.

Which directives apply to my product?

Conformity assessment — can I self-declare?

For most consumer electronics, yes — self-declaration is the standard route for all three directives. You do not need a Notified Body for EMC, LVD, or standard RED products.

The self-declaration process involves:

1. Testing against relevant harmonised standards (in-house or at an accredited lab)
2. Compiling a Technical Construction File
3. Signing a Declaration of Conformity
4. Affixing the CE mark

For RED products where you cannot apply all harmonised standards (e.g. novel radio technology), you must involve a Notified Body.

Key harmonised standards

What the test house needs

When you brief an accredited test house, have ready:

• Detailed product description and block diagram
• Mains voltage and frequency range
• List of radio frequencies and modulations (for RED)
• Worst-case operating mode for emissions testing
• Physical samples (typically 1–3 units)
• User manual draft (required for final report)
• Any existing test data (speeds retest significantly)

Common mistakes with consumer electronics

• Applying EMC and RED together — they are mutually exclusive for the EMC essential requirements. RED products do not separately certify to EMC.
• Assuming USB-only products skip EMC — USB-powered devices with active electronics still need EMC assessment.
• Out-of-date standards — harmonised standards are updated regularly. Using a superseded standard (e.g. EN 55022 instead of EN 55032) may not provide presumption of conformity.
• Missing the Declaration of Conformity — RED requires the DoC to be publicly accessible, typically via a URL in the manual or on the product page.