Luminaire conformity: UKCA, CE and EN 60598-1

At a glance

Great Britain only. SI 2016/1101 as revised on legislation.gov.uk; guidance dates are the dates gov.uk showed on 5 Nov 2026. The luminaire standards were not read.

What the law asks of a luminaire in Great Britain

The Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016 (SI 2016/1101) apply to electrical equipment placed on the market that is designed for use with a voltage rating of between 50 and 1,000 V for alternating current, or between 75 and 1,500 V for direct current (regulation 3(1)). A luminaire fed from the mains is in that range. Regulation 3(2) lists what the Regulations do not apply to: equipment for explosive atmospheres, radiology and medical equipment, lift parts, electricity meters, domestic plugs and sockets, electric fence controllers, specialised equipment for ships, aircraft or railways, and custom-built evaluation kits for research and development. We found no exemption for a one-off, made-to-order or decorative luminaire, and the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) guidance we read does not mention custom-made products. So a bespoke fitting is treated like any other.

A fitting whose own rating is below those limits, for example a 12 V or 24 V fitting fed by a separate mains driver, is outside the Regulations for that part, and the mains driver itself is within them. Which rules cover the low-voltage part, and how the supplier classes the whole assembly, are questions for the supplier: we have not read the other product-safety rules.

What the manufacturer must do

• Design and make to the safety objectives in Schedule 1 (regulation 4): persons and animals protected against injury from contact, no dangerous temperatures, arcs or radiation, suitable insulation, and the mechanical strength to avoid danger.
• Draw up the technical documentation and carry out the conformity assessment in Schedule 2, or have it carried out (regulation 5).
• Draw up the declaration of conformity and affix the marking (regulation 6). Where equipment falls under more than one enactment that needs a declaration, one declaration names each by its title.
• Make sure the equipment bears a type, batch or serial number or other identification, the manufacturer's name or trade mark and one postal address (regulation 8), and that it comes with instructions and safety information in easily understandable English (regulation 9).

Failing to comply with those requirements is an offence (regulation 50(1)). We did not read the penalties or the due-diligence defence.

Other regimes can apply too

The gov.uk table of product regulations lists, alongside electrical equipment, the Electromagnetic Compatibility Regulations 2016 (SI 2016/1091), the RoHS Regulations 2012 (SI 2012/3032) and the Ecodesign for Energy-Related Products Regulations 2010 (SI 2010/2617), each with UKCA or CE in Great Britain. A luminaire or its driver may fall under more than one, so ask the supplier which apply and have the declaration name them. The Lighting Products Regulations 2021 (SI 2021/1095) add a replaceability rule for light sources and control gear in containing products, covered on the data sheet page. We have not read those texts beyond what is cited.

Manufacturer, importer, distributor: who is who

The Regulations name four economic operators: manufacturer, importer, distributor and authorised representative (regulation 2(1)). The definitions matter for bespoke work, because the supply chain is rarely a single company.

• Manufacturer: any person who manufactures electrical equipment, or has it designed or manufactured, and markets it under that person's name or trade mark.
• Importer: a person established in the UK who places electrical equipment from a country outside the UK on the market. OPSS guidance says this includes equipment brought in from EU member states, the EEA or Switzerland.
• Distributor: any person in the supply chain, other than the manufacturer or the importer, who makes the equipment available on the market.
• The installer is not one of the four. The installer's duty is to install and certify the installation.

Where a bespoke chain blurs the roles

Three places the chain blurs for bespoke work

1. A workshop makes it and another business sells it under its own name. The second limb of the definition, “has electrical equipment designed or manufactured” and markets it under its own name or trade mark, means the seller can be the manufacturer in law, with the manufacturer's duties. Regulation 31(1)(a) says the same of an importer or distributor that places equipment on the market under its own name or trade mark.
2. A UK business buys finished fittings from a workshop abroad. A UK-established business that places equipment from outside the UK on the market is an importer. It must check that the manufacturer did the conformity assessment, drew up the technical documentation and affixed the marking, add its own name and address, and keep a copy of the declaration and the technical documentation for 10 years (OPSS guidance).
3. Someone changes the fitting. Regulation 31(1)(b) treats an importer or distributor as a manufacturer if it modifies equipment already placed on the market so that its conformity may be affected. Whether a given change counts, such as a different driver or a changed lamp holder, is a judgement for a product-compliance adviser.

Which party is the manufacturer or importer for a given fitting follows from the definitions, the contract and whose name is on the product. So ask every supplier in the chain, ourselves included, to state its role in writing, and to make sure the declaration and the rating plate carry the name and address of the party that has taken it on.

Marking: UKCA, CE or both

• Great Britain. gov.uk guidance (updated 21 August 2026) says the UK continues to recognise the CE marking, alongside or in place of the UKCA marking, for the Great Britain market. The gov.uk table of product regulations (31 March 2026) shows electrical equipment as “UKCA or CE” in Great Britain. A product may carry both if it meets the requirements of both markets (OPSS guidance).
• Where it goes. The CE marking goes on the product or its data plate, or on the packaging and documents if that is not possible. The UKCA marking may go on the product, and until 11pm on 31 December 2027 on a label fixed to it or on an accompanying document. Markings must be visible, legible and indelible, and at least 5 mm high unless the legislation says otherwise.
• Northern Ireland. Equipment placed on the Northern Ireland market cannot carry UKCA alone and needs CE, or CE with UKNI. The declaration, the standards (harmonised, not designated) and some wording differ. This sheet covers Great Britain only.
• What the marking is. It is the manufacturer's own claim. For electrical equipment the Regulations allow it to assess conformity internally and declare it on its sole responsibility (Schedule 2, Module A internal production control), so a mark is not an independent certificate. A contract or a client can ask for a test house's report or certificate on top.

BS EN IEC 60598-1 and its editions

BS EN IEC 60598-1 is the general safety standard for luminaires. IEC describes its scope as general safety requirements for luminaires incorporating electric light sources for operation from supply voltages up to 1,000 V, and BSI says it is used with the Part 2 standards, which tailor it to particular luminaire types. The supplier should name which Part 2 applies to the fitting. We have not read the standard, so this sheet quotes no clause or test value.

The standard's legal weight comes from regulation 36: electrical equipment that conforms with a designated standard, or part of one, is presumed to conform with the principal elements of the safety objectives that standard covers, and the presumption can be rebutted. The Secretary of State designates standards by publishing their references (regulation 2A). Notice 0120/25 of 5 September 2025 lists, at entry 265, EN IEC 60598-1:2021 and EN IEC 60598-1:2021/A11:2022, and lists Part 2 standards for particular luminaire types in the entries that follow. The page that carries the notice was last updated on 1 May 2026 and still showed that notice as the newest when we read it.

The edition problem

A newer edition now exists. The IEC webstore lists IEC 60598-1:2024, the tenth edition, published 6 November 2024, which cancels and replaces the ninth edition of 2020. BSI lists BS EN IEC 60598-1:2024+A11:2024, published 31 March 2025, and says its Annex O lists clauses that may warrant retesting products tested to the previous edition. BSI also still lists a 2021 edition as current, so a quick search can confuse the two.

So a declaration or test report today may cite the 2021 edition with its amendment, which was the designated edition we read, or the 2024 edition, which we did not find designated. Citing another edition does not make a fitting unsafe. It means the presumption in regulation 36 may not apply, and the manufacturer relies on its own assessment against the safety objectives. Ask the supplier which edition it used and why, and have the electrical engineer or a product-compliance adviser say whether that is acceptable for the project.

The documents to ask for

Ask for these documents, from the party named as manufacturer, and keep them in the project file. They are different things: a declaration is a statement, a test report is evidence, and the technical file is the manufacturer's own record.

Bespoke and one-off luminaires: the questions to ask

The Regulations do not set a lighter route for one-offs, and the guidance we read does not say what evidence is proportionate for a single hand-made fitting. What they do say helps you frame the questions: the manufacturer must carry out the conformity assessment and keep technical documentation that includes, where applicable, test reports, design calculations and a risk analysis, for the fitting it supplies. A report on a similar fitting may or may not cover this one. Questions to put to the supplier before the order:

1. Which party is the manufacturer of this fitting, and what name and postal address are on its rating plate and its declaration of conformity?
2. If the fitting is brought into Great Britain, which party is the importer?
3. How was conformity assessed, by whom, and was a test house involved?
4. Is there a test report for this fitting, or for another model? What differs?
5. Which luminaire standard, which Part 2 and which edition does the report cite?
6. Is the technical documentation, including the risk assessment, held, and by whom?
7. Which marking does the fitting carry: UKCA, CE or both?
8. Can you send a sample declaration of conformity and test report before the order, with the test house named?
9. Are light sources and control gear replaceable with commonly available tools, or is there a technical justification?

Weak answers and what to ask next

After delivery: the installation certificate and origin

The product documents above come from the manufacturer. The installation certificate comes from the electrical contractor after the fitting has been fixed, wired and tested, and it is a different document with a different author: BS 7671 governs it, and we have not read that standard. Make sure the specification asks for both, and that the electrical engineer sees the declaration and the data sheet before the contractor wires the fitting.

The origin of the glass is also a separate question from electrical conformity. A Murano origin label shows where glass was made, not that the finished fitting meets the electrical rules; see Is it genuinely Murano? for the origin evidence and Specifying Murano glass lighting for the wider checklist.

Luminaires to comply with the Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016 and BS EN IEC 60598-1 with the applicable Part 2, edition [edition and amendment]. The supplier states the marking used [UKCA / CE / both] and any other regulations that apply [EMC, RoHS, ecodesign].

The supplier states in writing, before order, which party is the manufacturer of each luminaire type and, if it is brought into Great Britain, the importer, with name and postal address [ ]. That party's name and address appear on the rating plate and the declaration of conformity.

With each luminaire type: a signed declaration of conformity (manufacturer's name and full address, product identification, statement of responsibility, legislation and standards applied with dates, signatory and date) and the test report (test house, number, date, standard and edition, and whether it covers this fitting or another model). Drafts with the shop drawing; signed copies with delivery.

For a made-to-order or one-off fitting the supplier states how conformity was assessed and by whom, confirms who holds technical documentation, including a risk assessment, for this fitting, and supplies test evidence for it or identifies and assesses the differences from the fitting tested.

Instructions and safety information in English, covering installation, re-lamping and cleaning, with each fitting. The electrical contractor certifies the installation to BS 7671 [edition in force], separately from the declaration of conformity.

Standards and sources

• SI 2016/1101, Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016: revised text, read 5 Nov 2026.
• gov.uk: Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016, Great Britain (OPSS): updated 27 Oct 2026. Also Placing UKCA or CE marked products (21 Aug 2026) and the product regulations table (31 Mar 2026).
• gov.uk: Designated standards, low voltage; Notice of publication 0120/25 (5 Sep 2025): entry 265: EN IEC 60598-1:2021 and A11:2022; page updated 1 May 2026.
• IEC 60598-1:2024 (edition 10, 6 Nov 2024) and BSI: BS EN IEC 60598-1:2024+A11:2024 (31 Mar 2025): listings only; text not read. BSI; BSI 2021.
• SI 2021/1095, Lighting Products Regulations 2021: regulations 2(10) and 6: read 5 Nov 2026.

Questions we are asked

Do imported chandeliers need certification in the UK?

A mains-voltage luminaire placed on the Great Britain market is covered by the Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016 whether it is made here or abroad. The manufacturer must assess it, hold technical documentation, draw up a declaration of conformity and mark it, and a UK business bringing it in from outside the UK is an importer with its own duties. The Regulations allow the manufacturer to declare conformity itself, so a third-party certificate is not required by law, though a contract or client may ask for one.

Is CE marking enough for a luminaire in the UK?

In Great Britain, yes on gov.uk's current guidance (updated 21 August 2026): CE is recognised alongside or in place of UKCA for electrical equipment, as long as the fitting meets the requirements. In Northern Ireland, CE (or CE with UKNI) is needed and UKCA alone is not enough. Confirm the current position before relying on this.

What is a declaration of conformity and what should it contain?

It is the manufacturer's signed statement that conformity with the safety objectives has been demonstrated. gov.uk says it may include the manufacturer's name and full address, the product identification, a statement of responsibility, any approved body, the legislation, the standards with dates, the signatory and the date.

Is a declaration of conformity the same as a test certificate?

No. The declaration is the manufacturer's own statement. A test report or certificate from a test house is evidence behind it. Ask for both, and ask whether the report covers the actual fitting.

Does a one-off or bespoke luminaire need testing?

The Regulations require the manufacturer to carry out a conformity assessment and keep technical documentation, which includes test reports where applicable, design calculations and a risk analysis. We found no lighter route for one-offs, and no exemption in regulation 3(2). How much testing is proportionate for a single hand-made fitting is a question for the supplier and a product-compliance adviser.

Who is the manufacturer when a workshop makes a fitting for another business?

The definition covers a person who manufactures equipment or has it designed or manufactured and markets it under that person's name or trade mark. So the business whose name is on the product can be the manufacturer, with the manufacturer's duties, even if a workshop made it. Ask each party to state its role in writing.

Does a Murano origin label prove a chandelier is electrically safe?

No. An origin label concerns where the glass was made. Electrical conformity is the manufacturer's declaration, backed by test evidence, under the Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations. Ask for both sets of documents.