Placing manufactured products on the market in Great Britain
What you need to do to comply with regulations on manufactured products you place on the market in Great Britain.
Applies to England, Scotland and Wales
This guidance is for placing manufactured products on the market in Great Britain (GB). Great Britain is England, Wales and Scotland.
Different guidance is available if you are:
The government has laid legislation to continue recognition of current EU requirements, including the CE marking (Conformité Européene, or European Conformity marking). The legislation will apply indefinitely for a range of product regulations. This means businesses will have the flexibility to use either the UKCA (UK Conformity Assessed) or CE marking to sell products in Great Britain (GB). Draft legislation can be found in The Product Safety and Metrology etc. (Amendment) Regulations 2024.
As part of this legislation, the government is also introducing a new fast-track provision that will allow manufacturers to place products on the GB market where they meet the EU essential requirements and, where required, have been conformity assessed by an EU-recognised conformity assessment body.
To benefit from this provision, manufacturers will need to affix the UKCA marking (in a way that is allowed) and draw up the UK declaration of conformity, listing compliance with the relevant EU legislation. This also means that where products fall within multiple regulations, a mixture of both UKCA and CE conformity assessment procedures can be used.
This is designed to provide longer-term certainty and flexibility for businesses in case the UK mandates UKCA for certain regulations in the future. Find out more about .
Continued recognition of current EU requirements, including the CE and reversed epsilon markings, will apply to 21 product regulations. This will include the 18 product regulations owned by the Department for Business and Trade (DBT), previously announced on 1 August 2023. Following feedback from industry, we are also continuing recognition for a further 3 regulations, covering ecodesign, civil explosives and, in most circumstances, restriction of hazardous substances (in electrical equipment).
This announcement does not apply to regulations for medical devices, construction products, marine equipment, rail products, cableways, transportable pressure equipment and unmanned aircraft systems regulations. There are specific arrangements in place for these sectors.
Separately, following feedback from businesses, the government also intends to bring forward an additional statutory instrument to legislate for further measures later in 2024.
This will provide permanent labelling flexibility, allowing:
- the UKCA marking to be placed on a sticky label or accompanying document
- importers of goods from any country outside the UK to provide their details either on the product itself, on an accompanying document, the packaging, or on an adhesive label; this means all businesses placing products on the GB market will benefit from this measure and have the option to provide their details either indelibly on the product itself, on an accompanying document, the packaging or on an adhesive label
- the voluntary option to use digital labelling; businesses will be able to apply the UKCA marking, manufacturer details and importer details digitally
Additional details for these measures will be provided in due course, including which regulations the measures will apply to.
The DBT regulations in scope of this announcement are:
- Equipment for Use in Potentially Explosive Atmospheres Regulations 2016/1107
- Electromagnetic Compatibility Regulations 2016/1091
- Lifts Regulations 2016/1093
- Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016/1101
- Pressure Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016/1105
- Pyrotechnic Articles (Safety) Regulations 2015/1553
- Recreational Craft Regulations 2017/737
- Radio Equipment Regulations 2017/1206
- Simple Pressure Vessels (Safety) Regulations 2016/1092
- Toys (Safety) Regulations 2011/1881
- Aerosol Dispensers Regulations 2009/2824
- Gas Appliances (EU Regulation) 2016/426
- Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations 2008/1597
- Noise Emission in the Environment by Equipment for use Outdoors Regulations 2001/1701
- Personal Protective Equipment (EU Regulation) 2016/425
- Measuring Instruments Regulations 2016/1153
- Non-automatic Weighing Instruments Regulations 2016/1152
- Measuring Container Bottles (European Economic Community (EEC) Requirements) Regulations 1977
For the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra):
- Restriction of the Use of Certain Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations 2012 (‘The RoHS Regulations’)
For the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ):
- Ecodesign for Energy-Related Products Regulations 2010
For the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) (Health and Safety Executive (HSE)):
- Explosives Regulations 2014
We are in the process of updating this webpage to reflect these changes.
Overview
UK conformity assessment (UKCA) marking is used on products placed on the market in Great Britain (GB). It shows that products comply with requirements in legislation applying in GB.
This page applies to the following areas:
- toys
- pyrotechnics
- recreational craft and personal watercraft
- simple pressure vessels
- electromagnetic compatibility
- non-automatic weighing instruments
- measuring instruments
- measuring container bottles
- lifts
- equipment for potentially explosive atmospheres (UKEX)
- radio equipment
- pressure equipment
- personal protective equipment (PPE)
- gas appliances
- machinery
- equipment for use outdoors
- aerosol dispensers
- low voltage electrical equipment
You can find information on these regulations on our using the UKCA marking guidance page.
You will still need to take action to ensure you comply with importer responsibilities if you are placing a product on the GB market from outside the UK.
Check which rules apply
What you need to do depends on the type of goods you are placing on the GB market. You must make sure that your products meet GB rules. You will need to do this even if they were previously sold in an EU country.
Most of this page covers goods subject to the UKCA or CE marking.
There are different rules for products regulated under other regulatory frameworks, such as:
There are also specific rules for other products, such as:
- medical devices
- construction products
- marine equipment
- rail products
- cableways
- transportable pressure equipment
- unmanned aircraft systems
- hazardous substances (RoHS)
- ecodesign
- civil explosives
- cosmetics
- tobacco products
- fertilisers
Read more about which regulations apply to your products and how to comply with them. For some products, you must comply with more than one set of regulations.
You can speak to your solicitor or trade association if you are unsure which regulations apply to your products.
Placing products on the market
A product is placed on the market when it is first made available for distribution, consumption or use on the GB market as part of a commercial activity. This can be in return for payment or free of charge.
This happens after a product has been fully manufactured. A product is placed on the market when an offer or agreement is made for the transfer of ownership, possession or any other property right. Placing on the market can take place before the physical transfer of a product. It does not necessarily require the physical handover of a product.
Proof that a product has been placed on the market includes documents typically used in business transactions, for example:
- contracts of sale for goods
- invoices
- shipping documents for goods
‘Placing a product on the market’ refers to individual products and not a type of product.
Example of a GB-based manufacturer placing a product on the market
A GB-based toy manufacturer contracts to supply fully manufactured toys to a shop in GB on 1 January 2023. This agreement constitutes placing the toys on the GB market on 1 January 2023, even if the toys are physically delivered after that.
Example of an overseas manufacturer placing a product on the market
An overseas electronics manufacturer contracts to sell individually identifiable and fully manufactured products to an end user (a consumer, for example) who is resident in GB. This constitutes placing on the GB market.
Circulation of products on the GB market
If you placed products on either the GB or EU market using the CE marking before 11pm on 31 December 2020, these products can continue to circulate on either market until they reach their end user.
The relevant economic operator (whether manufacturer, authorised representative, importer or distributor) must provide proof, if requested, to show that the product was placed on the market before 11pm on 31 December 2020.
Find out more about economic operators and their responsibilities.
Products sold online
Fully manufactured products are considered placed on the GB market if all of the following are true:
- an offer is made for the transfer of ownership, possession or any other property right in the product online
- the offer is targeted at GB end users
The location of the products is not decisive; placing on the market can take place before you physically transfer them to the GB market.
Transactions between economic operators established outside of the UK do not constitute placing on the GB market where the product is not destined for the GB market.
Products imported for further manufacture and components
When products are imported into GB for further manufacture or processing, they are not considered placed on the market. Only fully manufactured products can be considered placed on the market. Under these circumstances, the GB manufacturer of the finished product has the sole and ultimate responsibility for ensuring it is compliant before placing it on the GB market.
A finished product must be compliant with all applicable legislation when placed on the GB market. Components may be placed on the market separately and can constitute a fully manufactured product in their own right. This may include a requirement for the components of the product to be individually conformity assessed and marked.
Manufacturers should check product-specific legislation for further details. See the guidance on spare parts.
However, for many products, a single marking covering the overall product is sufficient. Ultimately, it is the responsibility of the manufacturer to check the conformity assessment requirements for their product and the components within them.
If you sell components separately that were once part of an assembly or installation, you must make sure they continue to meet the requirements in place when they were first placed on the GB market as part of an assembly or installation.
If the components required CE marking at the time they were first placed on the GB market, then the person selling the components must check they are currently CE marked. They must also check they are properly labelled and accompanied by the required documents.
If the person selling the components has reason to believe they do not meet the requirements (including any essential safety requirements), they must not make them available.
Partly completed machinery
There are specific provisions on ‘partly completed machinery’. Partly completed machinery is covered by the Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations 2008.
Please see the Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations 2008 for more information.
Spare parts
Products which are repaired, refurbished or exchanged without changing their original performance, purpose or type, are not considered ‘new’ and therefore do not need to be recertified and remarked.
This includes if the product is temporarily exported for repair (as the product is not being placed on the GB market for the first time when re-imported).
Repair, replacement and maintenance operations are often carried out using other products which are spare parts. Spare parts are considered to have been placed on the market at the time at which the original product or system they are ultimately intended to repair, replace or maintain was placed on the market.
This means that spare parts can comply with the same conformity assessment requirements that were in place at the time the original product or system they are ultimately intended to repair, replace or maintain was placed on the market.
The definition of a spare part will vary depending on the commercial context, but it is broadly determined by a product’s ultimate intended usage. Whether a product is ultimately intended to be used as a spare part should be evidenced by any document demonstrating this intended use, which should be produced when requested by market surveillance authorities.
If the product has been subject to important changes, substantially changing its original performance, purpose, or type, it will be considered as a ‘new’ product. Therefore, the modified product must comply with GB regulatory requirements at the time the product is first placed on the market or put into service.
This guidance is intended to sit alongside existing provisions for spare parts in the regulations and continues established practice in GB.
Prototypes and testing
Prototypes which are not yet made available for distribution, consumption or use on the GB market do not require UKCA marking. However, the prototype must only be displayed or demonstrated under controlled conditions at trade fairs or exhibitions in GB.
This means the product needs to be operated by experts, there must be restricted public contact with the product, the product must not interact inappropriately with other neighbouring products, and it must be clearly indicated on a sign that the product does not meet the GB requirements and will not be made available until it does.
Products undergoing testing or validating pre-production of units do not require UKCA marking. They are still considered to be in the stage of manufacture and therefore have not been placed on the GB market.
However, fully manufactured products intended for consumer testing need to meet the UK requirements as they apply in GB at the time the consumer testing takes place.
Leasing and hiring
Transfer of ownership, possession, or any property right of an individual product is considered to have taken place in the circumstances of a sale, a loan, hiring and leasing.
The repeated leasing, loaning and hiring of a product constitutes further ‘making available’ and therefore does not require re-marking. However, before every leasing, loaning or hiring, the person leasing out, loaning out or hiring out the product will need to check that the requirements are still met.
The date a product is placed on the market can be demonstrated by any document ordinarily used in business transactions, for example a contract of sale or invoice which details the serial number of the product.
Second-hand products
In most cases, second-hand goods are treated in the same way as new goods when placed on the market in Great Britain. If second-hand products are further made available, they must meet the requirements that were in place when they were first placed on the market, unless there is specific provision to the contrary. If second-hand goods have been substantially modified, there may be a need for re-assessment and remarking.
UKCA in other territories
The UKCA marking does not apply in the Crown Dependencies: the Isle of Man, Guernsey and Jersey.
The UKCA marking does not apply in the British Overseas Territories.
You should check requirements with the relevant governing authorities.
Updates to this page
Last updated 17 May 2024 + show all updates
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CE recognition end date of 31 December 2024 removed. References to new legislation included which the government has laid to continue recognition of current EU requirements for a range of product regulations, including the CE marking, meaning businesses will have the flexibility to use either the UKCA or CE marking to sell a range of products in Great Britain. Relevant products and affected sectors have been included, as well as general updates to the guidance.
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Banner added advising that government intends to legislate to continue recognition of EU requirements, including the CE marking, indefinitely for a range of product regulations.
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Removed duplicate information on goods that meet EU requirements.
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'Check which rules apply' and 'UKCA in other territories' sections moved. Information removed about EEA states. 'Products brought into GB for temporary use' and 'Webinars' sections removed.
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Updated the 'call to action' banner before the main body of text, to list the sectors the CE marking will continue to apply to. This is because the UK government intends to continue to recognise the CE marking across England, Wales and Scotland, indefinitely, beyond December 2024.
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The deadline for when businesses need to use the UKCA mark has been extended. You can continue to use the CE marking and reversed epsilon marking on the GB market until 31 December 2024.
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Guidance restructured for clarity.
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The government will introduce legislation so that the UKCA marking can be placed on a label affixed to the product or on a document accompanying the product until 31 December 2025. The government is also introducing legislation to reduce re-certification/re-testing costs for UKCA marking.
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You can continue to use the CE marking for goods placed on the market in Great Britain until 1 January 2023. The UKCA marking must be used for placing goods on the market in Great Britain from 1 January 2023. The UKCA marking can be used now and we encourage businesses to start using the UKCA marking as soon as possible.
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We have updated the ‘Relevant UK and EU legislation’ section to remove inaccurate legislation.
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First published.