Fasteners, chains, lifting slings and rigging

• Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 — Machinery, for lifting accessories
• Regulation (EU) 2024/3110 — Construction Products for structural fasteners
• Regulation (EU) 2023/988 — GPSR
• Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 — REACH for coatings

Who has to appoint one

Manufacturers outside the Union placing lifting accessories, structural fasteners or rigging hardware on the EU market. Lifting accessories are covered by the Machinery rules with CE marking and a declaration of conformity; structural anchors covered by a harmonised standard need a declaration of performance instead.

Thresholds and exemptions

None. Working load limits and safety factors are set by the applicable standard rather than by a threshold for the obligation itself.

What must appear on the label

CE marking, manufacturer and EU representative details, the working load limit, the identification allowing the accessory to be traced to its certificate, the material grade, and the year of manufacture. Structural fasteners carry the declaration of performance reference and the declared characteristics.

Marketplace fields

Industrial buyers require the certificate for every batch of lifting gear, and marketplaces have been a source of counterfeit rated hardware, which is checked because failures are catastrophic.

Documentation you must hold

EU declaration of conformity, technical file with the calculations and material specifications, test certificates per batch for lifting accessories, and for construction fasteners the declaration of performance and the European Technical Assessment where no harmonised standard exists.

Standards and testing

Proof load and breaking load testing per the applicable standard, EN 818 for chains, EN 1492 for textile slings, EN 13411 for wire rope terminations, and the assessment methods in the relevant European Technical Assessment for anchors.

Language requirements

Instructions for use, inspection intervals and the working load information in the language of the member state where the accessory is placed on the market.

When it applies

Before placing on the market, with batch certificates issued at manufacture rather than reconstructed later.

How long records are kept

Ten years for technical documentation and batch certificates.

What happens if you do not comply

Withdrawal and prohibition, and severe liability exposure where a lifting accessory fails. Labour inspectorates take unmarked or uncertified lifting gear out of service on sight.

Who enforces it

Market surveillance authorities, labour inspectorates, notified bodies for construction products and customs.

Where the boundary lies

Lifting accessories follow the Machinery route with CE marking; structural anchors follow the Construction Products route with a declaration of performance. They look similar and are frequently documented under the wrong regime, which invalidates the paperwork.

Questions we are asked

Do slings need a certificate per batch?

Yes in practice. Buyers and inspectors expect a certificate traceable to the marked identification on each accessory.

Are ordinary bolts CE marked?

Not generally. Structural fasteners covered by a harmonised standard need a declaration of performance, which is a different document from a declaration of conformity.