What is the Low Voltage Directive?
The Low Voltage Directive is one of the oldest EU internal market directives on CE marking. The Low Voltage Directive (LVD) 2006/95/EG led designers to produce safe products, relying mainly on IEC (International Electro-technical Standards) and other technical standards.
The revised version of the Low Voltage Directive is 2014/35/EU dated 26 February 2014 and will apply from 20 April 2016. EU legislation requires that the applicable health and safety standards for electrical products placed on the EU internal market be uniform.
Products that meet the requirements of the Low Voltage Directive are provided with a CE marking to indicate conformity and approval in the European Community.
Which products fall within the scope of the Low Voltage Directive and need a CE mark?
Products must bear the CE marking according to the Low Voltage Directive if they are operated with low voltage and are placed on the European market
Unlike industrial, military and scientific applications where high voltage is often used, LVD is applied to electrical equipment that operates with an input or output voltage that is in the following range
- Between 50 and 1000 V for AC
- Between 75 and 1500 V for direct current
Low voltage is defined as the range between high voltage and low voltage. High voltage is over 1000 V for AC and at least 1500 V for DC, see below:
| Voltage range |
AC voltage(V) |
DC voltage (V) |
Defining risk |
| High voltage |
> 1 000 |
> 1 500 |
Risk of electric arc |
| Low voltage |
50 to 1 000 |
120 to 1 500 |
Risk of electric shock |
| Extra-low voltage |
< 50 |
< 120 |
Small risk |
For example, what types of products must bear a CE mark under the Low Voltage Directive?
The CE marking according to the Low Voltage Directive covers a wide range of electrical equipment for both private and professional use, such as
- AC adapters; such as adapters for laptops, mobile phones, printers, home appliances and travel adapters, etc.
- Electrical cables and wires; such as shielded, twisted, fiber optic, coaxial and ribbon cables, etc.
- Lighting products; such as LED, ceiling, stage, building exterior and vehicle lighting, etc.
- Household appliances; such as refrigerators, coffee makers, toasters, blenders, microwaves, electric cookers, vacuum cleaners and hair dryers, etc.
- Also, any replaceable part of household appliances and electrical components such as switchgear, ballasts, electric motors and generators must be compliant so that the final product still complies with the LVD for safety reasons.
- Audio and video equipment; such as amplifiers, projectors, light reflectors, microphones, DVD players and tape recorders, etc.
Which products are NOT covered by the Low Voltage Directive?
Devices developed by a manufacturer for their own home use do not have to bear the CE mark according to the Low Voltage Directive, but should meet the safety requirements of the Directive.
Excluded from the scope of the LVD are certain classes of electronic devices listed in Annex II to the Directive.
These product classes do not fall within the scope of the Low Voltage Directive, but are covered by other technical standards or regulations. These products include:
- Medical devices (medical products are also subject to CE marking, but not according to the Low Voltage Directive)
- Electricity meters,
- Railway or marine equipment,
- TV remotes and RC toys as well as electrical plugs and sockets for home use.
These products fall under either 50V ac or above 1000v ac and are therefore excluded from the LVD.
How are low voltage and high voltage generally defined?
Low voltage is defined as the range between high voltage and low voltage. High voltage is over 1000 V for AC and at least 1500 V for DC, see below:
| Voltage range |
AC voltage(V) |
DC voltage (V) |
Defining risk |
| High voltage |
> 1 000 |
> 1 500 |
Risk of electric arc |
| Low voltage |
50 to 1 000 |
120 to 1 500 |
Risk of electric shock |
| Low voltage |
< 50 |
< 120 |
Small risk |
The Low Voltage Directive adopts the definitions of IEC standards for their applicability. The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and its national counterparts (IET, IEEE, VDE, etc.)
To fully understand the scope of the Low Voltage Directive, some understanding of low and high voltage electrical products is required.
Low voltage or high voltage is a relative term in electrical engineering. It varies in relation to the risk arising from and connected to an electrical equipment. The risk associated with electrical equipment can be divided into three stages, namely:
- small risk
- electric shock
- electric arc
High voltage refers to an electrical potential large enough to cause injury or damage from electric arcs. The devices carrying high voltage ensure special safety requirements.
"Low voltage" circuits are defined by electrical safety regulations and are exempt from the safety precautions required for high voltage. However, these electrical safety regulations vary by country, regulation and other regulations.
What is the CE marking requirement?
CE marking is required for around 24 EU-regulated product groups, including construction products, gas appliances, toys, measuring instruments, machines, electrical equipment and lifts, etc.
The CE marking of products covered by the Low Voltage Directive is in some cases with additional markings such as WEEE-Marking or the Wheelmark symbol. On the European Commission’s website, you can find a list of product types that require CE marking.
What other directives and regulations must be considered in the CE marking and conformity assessment of electrical products?
Although the new low-voltage directive (2014/35/EU) is a "fully harmonized safety directive" as it covers all electrical risks and safety aspects there are nevertheless several directives that must be considered when CE marking electrical products. These include
There are several EU directives that require CE marking and each of these directives has its own specific requirements for the corresponding devices and therefore needs to be reviewed and applied accordingly. The CE marking indicates compliance with as many directives as applied at the time of the declaration of conformity. To determine which Directive(s) could be applicable(s), it is necessary to understand the requirements of an applicable harmonized standard for the product concerned. Harmonized standards can be identified by searching the "Official Journal" on the European Commission’s website.
How is the CE marking process defined in the Low Voltage Directive?
The Low Voltage Directive stipulates that electrical products must be provided with the CE marking. The Low Voltage Directive provides for a single way of conformity assessment. The conformity assessment must be carried out by the manufacturer or. placing the product on the market in order to be able to label the product with the CE mark:
- Manufacturer or distributor checks the product-specific requirements resulting from the directive
- The manufacturer or distributor then identifies further applicable directives and, above all, harmonized standards.
- The next step is to analyze whether a conformity assessment by a notified body is required.
- The product is tested for conformity.
- The required technical documentation is prepared and made available for documentation
- The CE marking is affixed and the EU declaration of conformity is issued.
Does the conformity assessment under the Low Voltage Directive have to be carried out by a notified body?
No, the new Low Voltage Directive does not require notified bodies to perform died conformity assessment for the CE marking. It is a process known as self-certification, in which the manufacturer is solely responsible for determining the conformity requirements and can carry them out.
What are the necessary legal consequences for the incorrect use of the CE marking?
CE marking can be incorrectly applied in two ways:
- First, CE marking is sometimes applied to products that do not meet legal requirements.
- Secondly, it is applied to products for which it is not necessary. For example, the E-mark is an EU mark for registered vehicles and vehicle parts sold in the EU and may not be otherwise identified. Similarly, the Maritime Equipment Directive (MED) requires the Wheelmark symbol and not the CE marking.
The competent authorities of the Member States, in cooperation with the European Commission, take control measures for the incorrect presentation of the CE marking. These measures range from fines to forced withdrawal of the product to imprisonment, depending on severity and local national legislation.
For example, in the United Kingdom, the misuse of the CE mark under Section 1 of the Trade Descriptions Act (1968 Trade Descriptions Act) is considered to be "Selling a product bearing a CE mark that is not so approved or outside the scope of the approval is a specific criminal offence."
What is the scope of the directive in relation to military products?
Due to national safety concerns, there are certain exceptions to the military-specific conformity requirements for CE marking, but the low voltage directive is no exception under EU law.
In the EU, military equipment is defined in a "list of 1958" and includes all military electronic devices, but offers no exception in itself. Only Article 346 of the TFEU provides a legal but limited exemption from EU market rules. An EC document states that this exemption under Article 346 must be carefully examined on a case-by-case basis and can only be carried out by the national authorities.
In addition, the Low Voltage Directive is one of the specific directives which are not exempt, as the European Commission declared on 23 April 2012 in relation to military equipment and ordered that equipment which falls within the scope of the radio and telecommunication terminal equipment that are subject to electromagnetic compatibility and the low-voltage directive, must be compliant and bear the CE marking.
How does the risk assessment for products covered by the Low Voltage Directive work?
There is no defined process for conducting a risk assessment for electrical equipment. However, it is a trend to apply a risk assessment in some of the recently updated, commonly applied but voluntary harmonized electrical safety standards, such as:
- EN60204-1 for the safety of electrical machines.
- EN 61010-1 for safety requirements for electrical measuring, control and laboratory equipment
The risk assessment as defined in the Machinery Directive is a good example of a process that can also be applied to electrical equipment.
