Standards finder for CE marking
Finding the right standards is one of the first and at the same time most error-prone tasks in the CE process. This guide explains the role standards research plays in CE marking and how the standards finder in CE-Copilot helps you identify the applicable harmonised standards from a machine description quickly and traceably.
What is standards research in the CE marking process?
Before a manufacturer may affix the CE marking, it must identify which EU directives apply to its product and which harmonised standards it applies. For machinery this is primarily the Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC (from 2027: the EU Machinery Regulation 2023/1230), often together with further directives such as the Low Voltage or EMC Directive. Standards research therefore stands at the beginning of the CE process and determines the technical basis for all further steps.
Harmonised standards are particularly valuable here because they trigger the presumption of conformity: anyone who applies a harmonised standard cited in the EU Official Journal is presumed to meet the associated essential health and safety requirements. Applying them is voluntary, but it is the simplest and safest route to conformity.
The system of standards has three tiers: A standards (basic standards with general principles for design, such as EN ISO 12100), B standards (group standards on individual safety aspects or safeguards) and C standards (product-specific standards for particular types of machinery). The order of application is clearly defined: C standard before B standard before A standard. If a C standard exists for a machine, it takes precedence over more general provisions.
Why standards research is so error-prone
What sounds orderly in theory is laborious in practice. The EU Official Journal (OJEU) lists thousands of harmonised standards, and this body is anything but static: editions are updated, standards are withdrawn and replaced by successors, and transition periods often apply. Anyone working with an outdated or withdrawn standard loses the presumption of conformity without noticing: a mistake that only surfaces during an inspection by market surveillance or an expert.
Then there is the conformity assessment procedure. Annex IV of the Machinery Directive lists particularly hazardous machinery, including presses, circular saws, woodworking machinery and vehicle servicing lifts. If a machine falls under Annex IV, internal conformity checks alone are generally not sufficient: a stricter procedure is required, often involving a notified body. A wrong classification at this point is among the most consequential mistakes in the entire CE process.
The standards finder in CE-Copilot
The standards finder takes the laborious research in the Official Journal off your hands and delivers a reasoned, verified list of standards. Below you will find the central features, each with its concrete advantage and the benefit for your daily work.
AI analysis from your machine description (Claude)
From a free-text description (up to 8,000 characters) the AI classifies the machine type and the applicable EU directives, searches the OJEU standards database of 2,300+ harmonised standards and delivers a structured list of the relevant A, B and C standards, each with reasoning and priority (MANDATORY or RECOMMENDED). Demo examples are available to get you started.
You get from a machine description to a well-founded list of standards in minutes, without working through the EU Official Journal and without overlooking important product-specific C standards.
Automatic Annex IV detection
The AI checks whether your machine falls under Annex IV of the Machinery Directive (e.g. presses, circular saws, woodworking machinery or lifting equipment) and therefore requires a stricter conformity assessment procedure or a notified body, including category and traceable reasoning.
You recognise early whether you need to involve a notified body and avoid the most expensive CE mistake: a wrongly chosen conformity assessment procedure.
Plausibility check against the OJEU register
Every suggested standard is checked against the EU Official Journal and given a status badge: Verified, Old edition, Withdrawn, Check context or Not in catalogue.
You do not accidentally work with a withdrawn standard or an outdated edition, and you know immediately where the presumption of conformity really applies and where you should double-check.
End-to-end workflow into the CE process
Results can be adopted into the project standards checklist with one click, individual standards can be subscribed to in the standards tracker, or a risk assessment or the declaration of conformity can be started directly from the standards found.
Standards research does not remain an isolated step: your results flow seamlessly into the subsequent steps and stay consistent across the whole project.
Export and history per project
The list of standards can be exported as CSV, PDF and DOCX. A history of the latest analyses per project shows risk class and the number of standards identified at a glance.
You always have an audit-ready, shareable overview of standards and can trace how the research evolved over the course of the project.
Manual control has the final say
AI suggestions can be deselected individually, and you can add your own standards at any time. The AI makes no decision on your behalf; it provides a reasoned working basis.
The expert judgement stays with you. The AI does not replace it but speeds up the research, so you can focus on the assessment instead of the search.
Who benefits from the standards finder?
SMEs & machine builders
Saves you the hours of research: a complete list of standards without external consultants.
Series machinery & product lines
Analysed once per product line: adopt mandatory standards into the checklist and monitoring with one click. For the next variant, the list travels along via the project template.
Special-purpose machinery
For one-off or special-purpose machinery often the most time-consuming task. The finder also recognises atypical designs.
External CE consultants
One analysis per client, documented in a comparable way. Ideal as an initial consultation or for a plausibility check.
In detail per audience: CE software by audience
Identify the applicable standards with AI now
Describe your machine and receive a structured list of the applicable A/B/C standards within minutes, with Annex IV detection, plausibility check against the OJEU and direct adoption into your project. Cancel monthly, no annual subscription.