Pumps, valves and fluid handling equipment

• Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 — Machinery
• Directive 2014/68/EU — Pressure Equipment
• Directive 2014/30/EU — EMC
• Regulation (EU) 547/2012 — ecodesign for water pumps
• Directive 2014/34/EU where used in explosive atmospheres

Who has to appoint one

Manufacturers outside the Union placing pumps, valves and fluid handling equipment on the EU market, including components sold to OEMs. Components supplied for incorporation still need conformity documentation, because the integrator relies on it for its own declaration.

Thresholds and exemptions

Pressure equipment above 0.5 bar maximum allowable pressure falls under the Pressure Equipment Directive, with categories based on pressure, volume and fluid group. Below that, machinery and general product rules apply.

What must appear on the label

CE marking with the notified body number where the pressure category requires it, manufacturer and EU representative details, type and serial number, year of construction, and the nameplate data including maximum allowable pressure, temperature range and fluid group.

Marketplace fields

Sold through industrial distributors that require the declaration of conformity and material certificates before purchase, because their own liability and their customers' insurance depend on them.

Documentation you must hold

EU declaration of conformity covering every applicable directive, technical file with drawings and calculations, material certificates traceable to the heat number, welding procedure and welder qualifications where welded, pressure test records, and the ecodesign efficiency documentation for water pumps.

Standards and testing

Design verification and hydrostatic proof testing for pressure equipment, non-destructive testing of welds per the category, performance and efficiency measurement for pumps in scope of ecodesign, and EMC testing for equipment with electronics.

Language requirements

Instructions in the language of the member state where the equipment is put into service, including installation, maintenance and the residual risks.

When it applies

Before placing on the market. Ecodesign efficiency thresholds for water pumps have tightened over successive tiers.

How long records are kept

Ten years for technical documentation, with material and welding records for the same period.

What happens if you do not comply

Prohibition of use, withdrawal, and criminal liability where a pressure failure causes injury. Industrial buyers also reject consignments without documentation, which is the faster commercial consequence.

Who enforces it

Market surveillance authorities, notified bodies for pressure categories, labour inspectorates and customs.

Where the boundary lies

Category I pressure equipment can be self-declared but everything above needs a notified body, and the category depends on the fluid group as well as the pressure and volume. Equipment for explosive atmospheres adds ATEX certification on top, which cannot be self-declared for most categories.

Questions we are asked

Is a component sold to an OEM exempt?

No. It needs its own documentation, and the OEM will demand it because its own declaration depends on the component's conformity.

Does a valve need CE marking?

Above the pressure thresholds and outside the article 4.3 sound engineering practice route, yes, with the applicable category route.