New guide to conformity marking

A new technical briefing has been launched to keep door hardware professionals at the forefront of changes to conformity marking.

The ‘Guidance on conformity marking, third party testing, assessment and certification technical briefing’, written by the Guild of Architectural Ironmongers (GAI) and the Door and Hardware Federation (DHF), gives a comprehensive overview of the changes door hardware professionals must prepare for in advance of January 1, 2022.

When the UK left the EU, the UKCA mark was introduced in Great Britain to replace the CE mark. Wherever CE marking might have applied, UKCA marking is currently optional for products placed on the market in Great Britain until the end of 2021 but will be mandatory from the start of next year.

The technical briefing, originally launched in 2020, has been updated to include both UKCA and CE+UKNI marking. It is broken down into five sections covering: conformity marking; harmonised and designated standards; methodologies of testing and assessment; fire resistance assessment reports; and third-party product certification.

The guide also includes a helpful graphic showing the product marking sales territories and which form of product marking can be used in Great Britain, Northern Ireland and the EU.

Douglas Masterson, technical manager of the GAI, said: “We have written this briefing to ensure that both GAI and DHF members were clear on the differences between conformity marking, third-party testing, assessment and certification, as well as what their responsibilities are going forward. We will continue to make members aware of any developments and provide as much technical support as possible to help them navigate these changes.”