Creating a CE Nameplate for Machinery: Required Markings under the Machinery Directive and Regulation

Required particulars at a glance

Machinery legislation does not prescribe a “nameplate”. It requires particulars on the machinery that are marked visibly, legibly and indelibly (Annex I section 1.7.3 of the Directive, Annex III section 1.7.3 of the Regulation); the nameplate is the usual way to do this. The table applies to complete machinery.

Manufacturers outside the EU: under Article 4(4) of Regulation (EU) 2019/1020, the name, registered trade name or registered trade mark and contact details including the postal address of the responsible economic operator established in the Union go on the product, its packaging, the parcel or an accompanying document. This applies to machinery under the Directive and, through Article 51(2) of the Regulation, also under the Regulation.

What changes with the Machinery Regulation

• Digital contact

  In addition to the postal address, a website, e-mail address or other digital contact of the manufacturer. The address indicates a single point of contact, and the contact details are in a language easily understood by users and market surveillance authorities (Article 10(6) of the Regulation).

• Authorised representative and importer

  The Regulation no longer requires the authorised representative as a marking on the machinery. New are the contact details of the importer for imported machinery: name, registered trade name or trade mark, postal address and digital contact (Article 13(3)).

• Packaging or accompanying documents as a fallback

  Where the size or nature of the machinery does not allow the particulars on the machinery, they go on the packaging or in the accompanying documents (Article 10(5) and (6)). The Directive has no such fallback for the particulars under section 1.7.3.

• Identification number of the notified body

  It follows the CE marking with every procedure involving a notified body, that is after EU type-examination with module C, with full quality assurance and with unit verification (Article 24(3)). The Directive requires it only with full quality assurance.

• CE marking

  Graphic form and minimum height come from Article 30 and Annex II of Regulation (EC) No 765/2008 (Article 23 of the Regulation). The exception for small-scale machinery and the rule “in the immediate vicinity of the manufacturer's name, using the same technique” from Annex III of the Directive are not repeated in the Regulation.

• Digital instructions

  Where the instructions are provided in digital form, the machinery indicates how to access them, otherwise the packaging or an accompanying document (Article 10(7), second subparagraph, point (a)). A QR code on the nameplate is a common way to do this.

• Unchanged

  Designation, series or type, serial number and year of construction, the marking for potentially explosive atmospheres, the information essential for safe use, the mass of parts handled with lifting equipment and the additional markings for certain kinds of machinery (Annex III section 1.7.3).

Which act applies depends on the day on which the individual machine is placed on the market: until 19 January 2027 the Directive, from 20 January 2027 the Regulation (Article 54). Machinery placed on the market under the Directive before that date may continue to be made available (Article 52(1)). If you build across the cut-off date, you can design one plate that serves both versions: digital contact under the Regulation and, if appointed, the authorised representative under the Directive; the notified body number depends on the procedure. More on the transition in the guide EU Machinery Regulation 2027.

The CE marking on the nameplate

• Graphic form: the initials “CE” follow the grid drawing in Annex III of the Directive or Annex II of Regulation (EC) No 765/2008; when reduced or enlarged, the proportions are respected. The marking in the generator is built on that grid, 20 grid units high and 28 wide.
• Minimum height 5 mm. The Directive allows less for small-scale machinery (Annex III); under the Regulation, Annex II point 3 of Regulation (EC) No 765/2008 applies without that exception. No maximum size is laid down.
• Visibly, legibly and indelibly on the machinery (Article 16(2) of the Directive, Article 24(1) of the Regulation). Where the nature of the machinery does not allow or warrant this, under the Regulation it goes on the packaging and the accompanying documents.
• Under the Directive, in the immediate vicinity of the manufacturer's name and using the same technique (Annex III). The generator therefore places the marking next to the manufacturer's name.
• Only the manufacturer or its authorised representative may affix it (Article 5(1) of the Directive, Article 30(1) of Regulation (EC) No 765/2008), after a successful conformity assessment (Article 10(2) of the Regulation) and, under the Regulation, before placing on the market or putting into service (Article 24(2)).
• Markings likely to mislead as to the meaning or form of the CE marking are prohibited; other markings are allowed if they do not impair its visibility, legibility and meaning (Article 16(3) of the Directive, Article 30(5) of Regulation (EC) No 765/2008). Under the Regulation, the CE marking and the notified body number may be followed by a pictogram indicating a special risk or use (Article 24(4)).

Affixing and legibility

Legally required are particulars marked visibly, legibly and indelibly (Annex I section 1.7.3 of the Directive, Annex III section 1.7.3 of the Regulation). Written information on the machinery is, under the Directive, in the official language of the Member State in which the machinery is placed on the market or put into service and, under the Regulation, in a language easily understood by users as determined by the Member State (section 1.7.1 in each case); the contact details under the Regulation are also in a language easily understood by market surveillance authorities (Article 10(6)). For the labels on the plate, such as “Year of construction”, the generator offers German, English or both.

From practice, not prescribed:

• Choose material and process to suit the environment, for example engraved, etched or anodised metal or a resistant foil label, designed for oil, cutting fluid, cleaning agents, heat and sunlight.
• Fix it firmly to the machinery, for example riveted, screwed or with a bond suited to the surface, on a part that is not replaced during maintenance.
• Place it where it is visible and accessible, not behind guards and not where dirt builds up.
• Give the printout from the generator, at 100 % scale, to the plate maker as a template; paper itself is not a durable plate.

Special cases

• Partly completed machinery gets no CE marking under machinery legislation; the manufacturer draws up a declaration of incorporation (Article 13 of the Directive, Article 11 of the Regulation). The Regulation requires on the partly completed machinery its designation, year of construction, model, series or type, any batch or serial number and the manufacturer’s contact details (Article 11(5) and (6)). The Directive provides for no marking; the declaration of incorporation identifies the partly completed machinery (Annex II, Part 1, Section B, point 3). In the generator, choose “Partly completed machinery”.
• Potentially explosive atmospheres: machinery designed and constructed for use there must be marked accordingly (section 1.7.3 of both acts). If it also falls under Directive 2014/34/EU (ATEX), that marking is added where applicable; its content follows from the conformity assessment under that Directive, and the generator takes it as free text.
• Machinery with hazards due to mobility carries the nominal power in kW and the mass in kg in the most usual configuration and, where appropriate, the maximum drawbar pull and the maximum vertical load on the coupling hook in N (section 3.6.2 of both acts). The free lines in the generator are meant for this.
• Substantial modification: whoever substantially modifies a machine is considered a manufacturer under Article 18 of the Regulation and is subject to the manufacturer obligations of Article 10, including the marking with its own particulars. Details in the guide on substantial modification.

Nameplate particulars in CE-Copilot

In CE-Copilot the nameplate particulars sit in the project’s declaration of conformity: manufacturer with address (prefilled from the company profile), product designation (taken from the risk assessment or the project), type or model, serial number or range, year of construction, notified body with identification number and authorised representative. The technical file checklist has the nameplate as a separate item with the minimum particulars for each act, and the test report asks whether the plate is complete and correct, for partly completed machinery without CE marking. CE-Copilot does not produce a plate layout itself; that is what this generator is for.

CE-Copilot is software for CE marking of machinery by SH Engineering, from €119 per month with the 3-month licence or from €99 per month on the annual plan (final prices). The declaration of conformity and the technical file are included from the Starter plan, test reports from Professional. AI suggestions are drafts; responsibility for conformity stays with the manufacturer. Plans are listed on the pricing page.

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