Where to Start with CE, EMC, LVD and RoHS in Electronic Products ?

**How Do We Prepare a Product for the Market?

Fundamentals of CE + EMC/EMI Certification**

Hello,

I have been working as an R&D engineer for nearly 14 years, mainly in hardware design, testing, product development, prototyping, and certification processes.

During this period, I had the chance to observe the real problems products face — not only in design but also in laboratories and in the field.

Recently, through the EMC/EMI Design Course by Dario Fresu, which I am still attending, I have been deepening my knowledge and compiling my notes regularly.

I now want to turn this accumulated knowledge into a series of articles.

The main goal of this series is to present a roadmap especially for engineers and teams who are new to product development or preparing to bring a product to market.

This first series will last for a total of 3 weeks and will be built around certification, standards, and testing. To reach as many people as possible, I will publish my articles both in Turkish and English.

So this section will focus mainly on understanding what we need to do and why.

In the next series, I will address EMC Design tips.

1. Why Does Certification Exist?

Designing an electronic product means making it work. But bringing a product to the market is a much greater responsibility.

Every product that enters the market must guarantee three things:

It must not harm the user (safety)
It must not disturb other devices and must not be affected by them (EMC)
It must meet the legal requirements of the market (compliance)

Certification exists exactly at the intersection of these three needs.

(A working product ≠ A market-ready product)

A product “working” and a product “being ready for market” are not the same thing.

A device may work perfectly in the laboratory but:

It may freeze in the field due to interference
It may cause electric shock to the user
It may cause fire
It may disrupt communication of other devices
It may shut down due to mains disturbances
It may malfunction under RF interference

None of these risks can be evaluated by checking whether the product “works.”

That is why compliance tests are performed:

Is the product safe? (LVD)
Does the product disturb the environment? (EMC – Emission)
Is the product disturbed by the environment? (EMC – Immunity)
Does the product meet the legal requirements of the relevant market? (CE, FCC, etc.)

The simplest explanation of certification: Certification is the process of proving that the product will operate safely in the real world.

2. What Does the CE Mark Actually Mean?

CE is not a quality mark.

CE is not a “European approval.”

A laboratory certificate is also not CE.

CE simply states:

“This product complies with all relevant European directives.”

These directives include:

⚡ EMC Directive

🔌 LVD – Low Voltage Directive

📡 RED – Radio Equipment Directive

♻️ RoHS

⚙️ Machinery Directive

🧸 Toy Directive

Depending on the type of product, one or more directives may apply.

And the critical point:

The CE mark is applied by the manufacturer. But to apply it, the manufacturer must keep the technical evidence in the file.

3. ♻️ What Is RoHS?

RoHS is a European Union directive that limits hazardous substances used in electronic products.

It is a mandatory part of CE marking.

3.a Purpose of RoHS

Ensuring that the product does not contain chemicals harmful to health or the environment.

3.b 🚫 Which Substances Are Restricted?

A total of 10 substances are restricted:

Lead (Pb) – 1000 ppm
Mercury (Hg) – 1000 ppm
Cadmium (Cd) – 100 ppm
Cr6+ – 1000 ppm
PBB / PBDE – 1000 ppm
DEHP, BBP, DBP, DIBP – 1000 ppm

3.c 🔬 How Is RoHS Tested?

XRF Screening (Fast preliminary check) 📌 Fast, surface analysis, pre-screening
Chemical analysis – IEC 62321 (Definitive test) 📌 Sample is dissolved and laboratory chemical analysis performed.

3.c 📁 Where Is RoHS Mandatory?

RoHS is mandatory for all electronic products sold in the EU:

· 📶 IoT devices

· 💡 Lighting

· 🔋 Power supplies

· 🏭 Industrial devices

(Some exemptions may apply for military/medical devices.)

3.d ❗ What RoHS Is NOT

❌ Not an electrical test ❌ Not an EMC or LVD test ❌ Not a performance test

✔ It only checks material chemistry.

4. EMC and EMI: Two Very Confused Concepts

EMI (Electromagnetic interference) → the problem itself
EMC (Electromagnetic compatibility) → the science of managing this problem

A device:

Disturbs the environment → emits EMI
Is disturbed by the environment → receives EMI
Neither disturbs nor is disturbed → compliant with EMC

Therefore, EMC has two parts:

✔ Emission (Radiated / Conducted Emissions) Noise emitted by the device.

✔ Immunity (Resistance / Endurance) The device’s resistance to external interference.

Failing EMC tests is one of the most expensive mistakes in the market.

5. What Is the LVD (Low Voltage Directive) For?

LVD tests evaluate all key points related to user safety, such as:

⚡ Electric shock

🔒 Insulation fault

🔌 Leakage current

🌡️ Overheating

🔥 Fire risk

🛠️ Abnormal operating conditions

The purpose of these tests:

To protect the user, the product, and the environment.

LVD tests do not measure a device’s performance. They are purely safety tests.

EMC and LVD are not performance tests and do not measure device performance.

Meaning:

· 🎯 Sensitivity

· ⚡ Speed

· ✔️ Accuracy

· 📊 Measurement quality

· 🔋 Efficiency

· 💻 Software functions

None of these are the subject of LVD/EMC.

EMC and LVD ask only:

“Is this product operating safely?”
“Is this product compatible with other devices?”

Performance testing → a completely different domain.

6. Where Should I Get Certification and Why Does It Differ by Country?

When designing a product, one of the first questions is: “Where should I get the certification?”

The answer is simpler than it seems: You must obtain the certification required by the country in which you will sell the product.

And yes, certifications differ from country to country.

Why?

1️⃣ Each country has its own safety law. Standards are the technical counterpart of national safety laws. Law differs → standard differs.

2️⃣ EMC and RF environments are not the same. Countries have different:

· 🔌 Grid structures · 📡 RF band regulations · 🏭 Industrial density

So emission and immunity limits vary.

3️⃣ Trade policies play a role. Countries set their own standards to protect their laboratories and industries.

Therefore we have systems such as:

· 🇪🇺 CE (EN/IEC) · 🇺🇸 FCC + UL · 🇨🇳 CCC · 🇯🇵 PSE / VCCI · 🇰🇷 KC

6.1 What Determines Which Certification We Must Obtain?

The most confusing question:

“Which certification does my product need?”

The answer is determined by three simple criteria. If you answer these correctly, the certification path becomes clear.

1️⃣ In Which Country Will You Sell the Product?

(The primary determinant of certification)

Each country uses its own certification system. The same device may require entirely different tests depending on the market.

Frequently Used Global Systems

🇪🇺 European Union + Türkiye 🔖 Certificate: CE 📘 Standards: EN / IEC

🇺🇸 USA 🔖 Certificate: FCC (EMC/EMI) + UL (Safety) 📘 Standards: CFR 47, UL Standards

🇨🇦 Canada 🔖 Certificate: ISED + cUL 📘 Standards: ICES, RSS

🇬🇧 United Kingdom 🔖 Certificate: UKCA 📘 Standards: BS EN

🇨🇳 China 🔖 Certificate: CCC 📘 Standards: GB / GB-T

🇯🇵 Japan 🔖 Certificate: PSE (Safety) + VCCI (EMC) 📘 Standards: JIS

🇰🇷 South Korea 🔖 Certificate: KC 📘 Standards: KN / KS

🇦🇺🇳🇿 Australia & New Zealand 🔖 Certificate: RCM 📘 Standards: AS/NZS

🇮🇳 India 🔖 Certificate: BIS 📘 Standards: IS

Same device → Different rules depending on country

➡ You cannot enter Europe without CE ➡ You cannot enter the USA without FCC ➡ You cannot enter China without CCC

2️⃣ What Type of Device Is It?

(The product family → determines the EN/IEC standard)

This step determines 80% of the required tests.

Common device categories & standards

🖥 IT / Multimedia / IoT Devices Standard: EN 55032 (EMC), EN 55035 (Immunity), EN 62368-1 (Safety)

🔧 Measurement / Control Devices Standard: EN 61326-1 (EMC), CISPR 11 (Emission), EN 61010-1 (Safety)

🏠 Household Electrical Appliances Standard: EN 55014-1/-2 (EMC), EN 60335-1 (Safety)

💡 Lighting Equipment Standard: EN 55015 (EMC), EN 60598 (Safety)

⚙️ Industrial Electronics Standard: EN 61000-6-2 (Immunity), EN 61000-6-4 (Emission)

📡 RF / Wireless Communication Devices Standard: EN 300 328, EN 301 489 series, EN 300 220

6.2 Where Do We Check Standards?

Selecting the correct standard is not enough — You must check the latest version from an official source.

🌍 1) Europe (CE – EN Standards)

✔ CENELEChttps://standards.cencenelec.eu

✔ ETSI – Wireless / RED Standardshttps://www.etsi.org/standards

✔ TSE – Turkish Standardshttps://www.tse.org.tr/belgelendirme-hizmetleri/

🇺🇸 2) USA (FCC + UL)

✔ FCC EMC / RF Standardshttps://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-47

✔ UL Safety Standardshttps://www.shopulstandards.com

General Rules

· RoHS → Mandatory for all electronics sold in the EU · Conducted + Radiated → Mandatory for most products under EMC · Flicker + Harmonics → Only for 220V mains products · LVD → Applied to 50–1000VAC / 75–1500VDC · RED → Required for WiFi / Bluetooth / LoRa / GSM devices

🔵 1) WiFi IoT Sensor (5V)

📑 Directives: EMC • RED • RoHS ❓ Why? — WiFi → RED required — 5V → LVD not applicable

🧪 Tests: 📡 CE / RE ⚡ ESD 🌩️ EFT 🔌 Surge 📶 RF Immunity 📡 RF Power & Spurious ♻️ RoHS

🟣 2) Industrial Modbus Gateway (24V)

📑 Directives: EMC • RoHS ❓ Why? — Industrial environment → high EMC immunity — 24V → No LVD

🧪 Tests: 📡 CE / RE ⚡ ESD 🌩️ EFT 🔌 Surge 📶 RF Immunity 🧲 Magnetic Field Immunity ♻️ RoHS

🟡 3) 220V LED Street Luminaire

📑 Directives: EMC • LVD • RoHS ❓ Why? — 220V → LVD safety — Mains connection → Harmonics & Flicker

🧪 Tests: 📡 CE / RE ⚙️ Harmonic (EN 61000-3-2) 💡 Flicker (EN 61000-3-3) ⚡ ESD 🌩️ EFT 🔌 Surge 🔋 Hi-Pot 🔥 Glow-wire ♻️ RoHS

🔴 4) Bluetooth Headset (Battery Powered)

📑 Directives: EMC • RED • RoHS ❓ Why? — Bluetooth → RED — Battery powered → No LVD

🧪 Tests: 📡 CE / RE ⚡ ESD 🌩️ EFT 📶 RF Immunity 📡 RF Power & Spurious ♻️ RoHS

**6.3 🏁 Where Do We Apply for Certification?

Where Are Tests Performed?**

Let’s clarify this first:

🎯 There is no such thing as an institution that “issues a CE certificate.”

CE is not a certificate given by an organization. CE is declared by the manufacturer. (DoC = Declaration of Conformity)

The process is:

Perform tests at an accredited laboratory
Obtain the test reports
Prepare your technical file
Issue your own CE Declaration (DoC)

Done.

⛔ There is no CE-issuing institution. Only for RF products (RED), a Notified Body may be required.

6.4 🧪 Where Are Tests Performed?

For EMC, LVD, and RED tests to be officially valid, they must be performed in:

⭐ An accredited laboratory

6.5 🏛 What Is an Accredited Laboratory?

Accreditation means that the laboratory is officially approved by an internationally recognized body to perform these tests.

The globally accepted system:

👉 ISO/IEC 17025 Accreditation

In Türkiye, this accreditation is issued by:

🇹🇷 TÜRKAK (Turkish Accreditation Agency)https://www.turkak.org.tr/

In Europe:

🇪🇺 EA – European Accreditationhttps://european-accreditation.org

Globally:

🌍 ILAC – International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperationhttps://ilac.org

Rule: If a lab has ILAC/EA/TÜRKAK accreditation → its results are accepted worldwide.

6.6 🌍 Are Tests Performed in Türkiye Valid in Europe?

✔ Yes, 100% valid.

Condition: The laboratory must be TÜRKAK-accredited and TÜRKAK must be a member of ILAC-MRA (it is).

An accredited test report issued in Türkiye is accepted in: Germany, France, Netherlands, Italy — all EU countries.

No need for additional European testing.

6.7 🔍 How Do We Find Accredited Laboratories?

🇹🇷 TÜRKİYE — TÜRKAK Accredited Lab List (Official list of labs performing EMC, LVD, RF) https://www.turkak.org.tr/kapsam/deney-laboratuvarlari/

Search with keywords such as: · “EMC” · “Electrical Safety” · “LVD” · “RADIO” · “ISO 17025”

🇪🇺 EUROPE — EA Accredited Lab Listhttps://european-accreditation.org/accredited-bodies/

🌍 WORLD — ILAC Searchhttps://ilac.org/signatory-search/

6.8 CE Certification Process – Summary

You are not receiving a CE certificate from an authority. You declare CE yourself.

But in order to make this declaration, you must have the required tests and documentation completed.

The following five steps apply to every product:

Conclusion

This week we clarified why an electronic product must undergo certification before entering the market, what CE–EMC–EMI–LVD–RoHS mean, and why certification systems differ between countries.

Next week, we will examine EMC and LVD tests more closely — the core topics of compliance.

See you soon.