Declaration by the manufacturer that a product meets the applicable EU requirements. Part of the documentation of every machine and every pressure device.
The declaration of conformity is the manufacturer's statement that a product meets the applicable EU requirements. Under the Machinery Regulation (EU) 2023/1230, which applies from January 20, 2027, it is called the EU declaration of conformity. It must follow the model in Annex V, Part A, be kept continuously up to date and be translated into the languages of the Member State where the machinery is placed on the market or put into service (Art. 21). With it, the manufacturer takes responsibility for the product meeting the requirements. Until January 20, 2027, Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC still applies, with its EC declaration of conformity. Elevators and pressure equipment have their own directives and their own declarations.
The declaration has to be told apart from the CE mark and from the declaration of incorporation. The CE mark sits on the product, and the declaration of conformity is the document that goes with it. For partly completed machinery that is built into other machinery, a declaration of incorporation replaces the declaration of conformity. The manufacturer must supply the declaration with the machine or give, in the instructions for use, an internet address or machine-readable code where it can be accessed (Art. 10(8)).
For the operator, it is an inspection document. Before first commissioning and after modifications that require an inspection, the inspecting body checks whether the technical documents needed, such as the declaration of conformity, are present and plausible (§ 15(1) BetrSichV). For elevators, it is among the documents for the main inspection. If it is missing or does not match the product, that gets flagged. Anyone who substantially modifies a machine needs a new declaration. The manufacturer must keep the declaration and technical documentation for at least ten years (Art. 10(3)). For you, the simpler rule is to keep the declaration as long as the asset is in operation.
What matters
- Request the declaration of conformity and the instructions for use with every delivery and every conversion.
- Check that the product details in the declaration match the asset and its nameplate.
- Check the date and that the legislation listed fits the product.
- File the declaration in the asset file and keep it until the asset is taken out of service.
Suppose an operator has a compressor replaced. At the inspection before recommissioning, the inspecting body asks for the declaration of conformity. It exists only as a photo on the installer's phone, and the type it names does not match the nameplate. The operator asks the supplier for the correct declaration and files it in the asset file before the next appointment.
In the original wording
“By drawing up the EU declaration of conformity, the manufacturer shall assume responsibility for the compliance of the machinery or related product with the requirements laid down in this Regulation.”
“During the inspection, it must be determined […] whether the technical documents needed for the inspection, such as an EC declaration of conformity, are available and their content is plausible […].”
Unofficial translation