From the 1st of January 2021, the UKCA mark will be the conformity assessment marking for Great Britain for most goods currently subject to CE marking.
The CE marking will be accepted in the UK until the 1st of January 2022 for certain products. In general, where mandatory third-party conformity assessment was required for CE marked goods, it will also be required for UKCA marked goods.
You can only place CE marked goods that meet EU requirements in Great Britain while UK and EU requirements are the same. This will be the case on the 1st of January 2021 and there are no UK plans to diverge at this time. However, although there is a year’s grace, you must be ready to use the UKCA marking from the 1st of January 2022 at the latest. Realistically you should look to use the UKCA marking as soon as possible.
If the EU changes their rules and you CE mark your goods based on new EU rules which are different from the requirements in the UK, you will no longer be able to use the CE marking in the UK. This will be the case even if the change happens before the 1st of January 2022.
The UKCA marking will not be recognised on the EU or Northern Ireland markets. Products currently requiring a CE marking for sale in the EU will continue to need a CE mark (and meet the other EU rules).
Both the CE and UKCA mark can be placed on a product so long as neither impedes the visibility of the other and requirements of both the GB and EU legislation are met. For most online merchants, who sell in both the UK and the EU, this will have to be the default option.
In any case, the change will only apply if you act as an importer after the 1st of January 2021. If someone has already placed the goods on the UK or EU market before you sell it in Great Britain, you will remain a distributor and will not have any additional responsibilities. However if you commission the manufacture of your own products, or if you import from an overseas manufacturer, you will need to ensure products are tested where necessary and carry either the UKCA mark when selling in the UK, the CE mark when selling in the EU, and both where you plan to sell across in the UK and EU territories.
2 Responses
At the present our marking on Capacity Serving measure is:
CE M 20 0126, where CE is 5mm high and M 20 in a rectangle with height also 5mm and 0126 is 4mm high.
What should all engraving look like when we put UKCA on next year (2021)?
what are certain products can complete UKCA until the 1st of January 2022? Thanks