Power tools, drills and cordless equipment

• Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 — Machinery
• Directive 2014/30/EU — EMC
• Directive 2000/14/EC — outdoor noise where applicable
• Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 — Batteries
• Directive 2012/19/EU — WEEE

Who has to appoint one

Manufacturers and sellers outside the Union placing power tools on the EU market. These are machinery with a drive system, so the machinery regime applies with a risk assessment, CE marking and vibration and noise declarations.

Thresholds and exemptions

None. Cordless tools add battery producer responsibility in each member state of sale.

What must appear on the label

CE marking, manufacturer and EU representative details, type and serial number, year of construction, rated voltage and power, the WEEE symbol and battery markings, plus the declared noise and vibration values in the instructions.

Marketplace fields

Marketplaces check the responsible person and remove tools without CE marking in the images. Counterfeit branded tools and non-compliant chargers are persistent problems in this category.

Documentation you must hold

EU declaration of conformity, technical file with the risk assessment covering entrapment, kickback, ejection and electrical hazards, noise and vibration test reports, battery documentation, and EPR registrations.

Standards and testing

EN 62841 series for electric motor-operated hand-held tools by tool type, EMC testing, noise measurement under the outdoor noise Directive for tools used outdoors, vibration measurement for the declared values, and IEC 62133 for the battery pack.

Language requirements

Instructions, safety warnings and the noise and vibration declarations in the language of each member state of sale, which employers rely on for workplace risk assessments.

When it applies

Before placing on the market. Machinery Regulation 2023/1230 applies from 20 January 2027.

How long records are kept

Ten years.

What happens if you do not comply

Withdrawal, customs refusal, Safety Gate alerts, and labour inspectorate action where declared vibration values prove unreliable, since employers depend on them for exposure calculations.

Who enforces it

Market surveillance authorities, labour inspectorates, WEEE and battery registers and customs.

Where the boundary lies

Declared vibration values are used by employers to calculate exposure limits under workplace law, so understated figures create liability well beyond product law. Chargers supplied with cordless tools are separate electrical products with their own conformity.

Questions we are asked

Do power tools need noise declarations?

Vibration and noise values must be declared in the instructions under the machinery rules, and outdoor tools also fall under the noise Directive marking.

Is the charger covered by the tool's declaration?

It must be covered, but it is a separate product with its own safety requirements, and many failures originate there.