The EU Low Voltage Directive 2014/35/EU establishes the principal electrical safety framework for a very broad range of electrical equipment placed on the European market.
Despite its name, the Directive does not concern only industrial “low-voltage” installations. It covers electrical equipment designed for use with voltage ratings between 50 and 1,000 V AC and between 75 and 1,500 V DC, subject to specific exclusions.
For manufacturers, the key challenge is to demonstrate that the product has been designed and manufactured in accordance with the Directive’s safety objectives, supported by appropriate risk assessment, technical documentation, testing and production control.
Unlike several other CE marking regimes, the LVD conformity assessment route is based on internal production control. The manufacturer therefore carries direct responsibility for establishing conformity, issuing the EU Declaration of Conformity and affixing the CE marking.
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Explore LVD scope, exclusions, electrical safety objectives, harmonised standards, testing, risk assessment, technical documentation and the complete CE marking route.
Understanding the Low Voltage Directive
Directive 2014/35/EU is intended to ensure that electrical equipment placed or made available on the European market provides a high level of protection for persons, domestic animals and property.
It does this by establishing safety objectives rather than prescribing one universal technical design for every electrical product.
Equipment may be made available on the Union market only where it has been constructed according to good engineering practice in safety matters and does not endanger persons, domestic animals or property when properly installed, maintained and used for its intended application.
Which Products Fall Under the LVD?
The Directive applies to electrical equipment designed for use with voltage ratings between:
Alternating Current
Equipment designed for operation between 50 V and 1,000 V AC.
Direct Current
Equipment designed for operation between 75 V and 1,500 V DC.
This captures a very large population of electrical products used in domestic, commercial and industrial environments.
Household Appliances
Many mains-powered domestic appliances, kitchen appliances, heating products and similar equipment.
IT & Audio-Visual Equipment
Power supplies, displays, computing equipment and other products operating within the applicable voltage range.
Lighting Equipment
Luminaires, control gear and associated electrical products where the equipment falls within the LVD voltage scope.
Industrial Electrical Equipment
Power supplies, control equipment, electrical assemblies and other industrial electrical products within the defined scope.
Products & Phenomena Outside the LVD Scope
Directive 2014/35/EU contains specific exclusions. These exclusions are important because an electrical product may instead be governed by another sector-specific European regulatory framework.
| Excluded Area | Practical Significance |
|---|---|
| Electrical equipment for explosive atmospheres | Such equipment may fall under dedicated ATEX requirements rather than the LVD conformity route for the relevant safety aspects. |
| Electrical equipment for radiology and medical purposes | Medical products are addressed through specialised medical-device frameworks. |
| Electrical parts for goods and passenger lifts | Lift safety is subject to dedicated European legislation. |
| Electricity meters | Certain measuring equipment is addressed by separate metrology legislation. |
| Domestic plugs and socket outlets | These are specifically excluded from the LVD scope. |
| Electric fence controllers | Specifically identified in Annex II as outside the Directive. |
| Radio-electrical interference | Electromagnetic interference is addressed through separate EMC requirements. |
| Specialised equipment for ships, aircraft or railways | Specific exclusion applies where the equipment complies with qualifying international safety provisions. |
| Certain professional R&D evaluation kits | Custom-built evaluation kits used solely by professionals at research and development facilities may fall outside the Directive. |
The Principal LVD Safety Objectives
Annex I establishes the principal safety objectives that the electrical equipment must satisfy.
Safe Assembly & Connection
The product and its components should be constructed so that they can be assembled and connected safely and correctly.
Protection from Electric Shock
Persons and domestic animals should be adequately protected against hazards arising from direct or indirect electrical contact.
Temperature & Thermal Hazards
Dangerous temperatures, arcs or radiation should not create unacceptable risks.
Non-Electrical Hazards
Electrical equipment should not create foreseeable mechanical or other hazards to persons, domestic animals or property.
Insulation
Insulation should be suitable for foreseeable operating and environmental conditions.
Mechanical Resistance
The equipment should withstand expected mechanical stresses without creating danger.
Environmental Influences
Expected environmental conditions should not cause the product to become unsafe.
Foreseeable Overload
The design should not create danger under foreseeable overload conditions.
Harmonised Standards Under the LVD
Harmonised European standards are one of the most practical ways of translating the broad LVD safety objectives into detailed engineering and test requirements.
Where equipment complies with applicable harmonised standards, or relevant parts of those standards, whose references have been published in the Official Journal of the European Union, the equipment benefits from presumption of conformity with the LVD safety objectives covered by those standards.
Household Equipment
EN 60335 family standards are commonly relevant to household and similar electrical appliances.
IT & AV Equipment
EN IEC 62368-1 is commonly relevant to many audio/video, information and communication technology products.
Laboratory & Measurement Equipment
EN 61010 family standards are commonly relevant to measurement, control and laboratory equipment.
Luminaires
EN 60598 family standards are commonly relevant to luminaires and associated lighting applications.
Electrical Safety Testing
Product testing provides objective evidence that the design satisfies applicable safety requirements. The specific tests depend on the product standard, construction, intended use and identified risks.
Dielectric Strength
Evaluation of insulation withstand capability between relevant conductive parts.
Insulation Resistance
Verification of insulation integrity where required by the applicable standard.
Protective Earth Continuity
Verification of protective bonding paths for equipment relying on protective earthing.
Leakage / Touch Current
Measurement of accessible currents under applicable normal and fault conditions.
Temperature Rise
Assessment of temperatures at components, surfaces and insulation during operation.
Abnormal Operation
Evaluation of foreseeable fault, overload or abnormal operating conditions.
Mechanical Safety
Tests may address stability, impact, accessibility, enclosure integrity and mechanical strength where applicable.
Environmental Protection
Product-specific testing may consider moisture, ingress, heat or other environmental influences where relevant.
Risk Assessment Under the LVD
Annex III requires the technical documentation to include an adequate analysis and assessment of the risks.
This means that compliance should not be treated simply as completing a standard test report. The manufacturer should understand the hazards of the actual product and demonstrate how those hazards have been controlled.
Identify Hazards
Electrical, thermal, mechanical and other product-specific hazards.
Identify Exposure
Consider users, installers, maintainers and foreseeable misuse.
Reduce Risk
Apply inherently safe design and appropriate protective measures.
Provide Information
Address residual risks through warnings and instructions where appropriate.
Harmonised standards can provide detailed technical solutions for many known hazards, but the manufacturer should still consider whether the product contains risks or configurations not fully addressed by the selected standard.
↑ Back to Article GuideThe LVD Conformity Assessment Route
The conformity assessment procedure specified by the LVD is Module A — Internal Production Control.
Under this procedure, the manufacturer establishes the technical documentation and ensures and declares under its own responsibility that the equipment satisfies the applicable requirements.
Manufacturer Responsibility
The manufacturer remains responsible for demonstrating compliance with the Directive.
No Mandatory Notified Body
Directive 2014/35/EU does not establish a mandatory Notified Body conformity assessment route for LVD compliance.
Technical Documentation
The manufacturer must establish documentation capable of demonstrating conformity.
Production Control
Manufacturing and its monitoring must ensure that production continues to conform to the assessed product design.
What Should the LVD Technical Documentation Contain?
The technical documentation must make it possible to assess the electrical equipment’s conformity with the relevant LVD requirements.
EU Declaration of Conformity & CE Marking
Once conformity has been demonstrated, the manufacturer draws up the EU Declaration of Conformity and affixes the CE marking.
Confirm Scope
Verify that Directive 2014/35/EU and any other applicable EU legislation have been identified.
Verify Safety
Complete risk assessment, technical evaluation and applicable testing.
Compile File
Establish the required technical documentation and supporting evidence.
Issue DoC
Prepare and sign the EU Declaration of Conformity.
Product Identity
Ensure appropriate type, batch, serial or other traceability information.
Manufacturer Details
Provide required manufacturer identification and contact information.
User Information
Provide appropriate instructions and safety information for the destination market.
Affix CE
Apply the CE marking visibly, legibly and indelibly as required.
The EU Declaration of Conformity should identify the product, manufacturer, applicable Union legislation and relevant standards or technical specifications.
Where the electrical equipment is also governed by other EU legislation requiring an EU Declaration of Conformity, one declaration may address the applicable Union acts together.
Common LVD Compliance Failures
| Common Issue | Why It Creates Risk |
|---|---|
| Incorrect product standard selected | The resulting test programme may not address the product’s actual safety requirements. |
| Old standard edition used without checking OJEU status | The manufacturer may incorrectly assume presumption of conformity. |
| Testing treated as the complete compliance process | Risk assessment, technical documentation and production obligations may remain incomplete. |
| Components assumed to prove final-product compliance | A compliant component does not automatically establish safety of the complete assembled product. |
| Uncontrolled component substitutions | Changes to power supplies, insulation, plastics or critical components can affect previous test evidence. |
| Inadequate instructions and warnings | Safe installation, operation and maintenance may depend on information supplied to the user. |
| Incomplete risk assessment | Product-specific hazards outside routine standard tests may remain unaddressed. |
| Incorrect EU Declaration of Conformity | Product identity, standards or applicable legislation may not correspond with the marketed product. |
From Electrical Safety Testing to Defensible CE Compliance
The Low Voltage Directive provides manufacturers with a comparatively straightforward conformity assessment model, but that should not be mistaken for a low level of technical responsibility.
The manufacturer is expected to understand the product’s hazards, select appropriate technical solutions, establish adequate evidence, control production and maintain documentation capable of demonstrating conformity.
Testing Question
Does the product satisfy the applicable technical safety tests?
Compliance Question
Does the complete body of design, risk, testing, documentation and production evidence demonstrate conformity with the LVD?