New guide to conformity marking and third-party testing published by GAI and DHF

18 Mar 2021

A new technical briefing, from the GAI and the DHF, has been launched to keep door hardware professionals at the forefront of changes to conformity marking.

The Guidance on conformity marking, third party testing, assessment and certification technical briefing, written by the Guild of Architectural Ironmongers (GAI) and the Door & Hardware Federation (DHF), gives a comprehensive overview of the changes door hardware professionals must prepare for in advance of 1 January 2022.

When the UK left the EU, the UKCA mark was introduced in Great Britain, replacing the CE mark. Wherever CE marking might have applied, UKCA marking is currently optional for products placed on the market in Great Britain until the end of 2021, but will be mandatory from the start of next year.

GAI

The technical briefing, originally launched in 2020, has been updated to include both UKCA and CE+UKNI marking. It is broken down into five sections covering: conformity marking; harmonised and designated standards; methodologies of testing and assessment; fire resistance assessment reports; and third–party product certification.

The guide also includes a helpful graphic showing the product marking sales territories and which form of product marking can be used in Great Britain, Northern Ireland and the EU.

‘Important to clarify the situation’

Douglas Masterson, technical manager of the GAI, commented: “We have written this briefing to ensure that both GAI and DHF members were clear on the differences between conformity marking, third party testing, assessment and certification, as well as what their responsibilities are going forward.

“We will continue to make members aware of any developments and provide as much technical support as possible to help them navigate these changes.”

Michael Skelding, General Manager at the DHF, said: “With the current changes to conformity marking, we felt that it was important to clarify the situation to minimise any confusion.

“We hope that the new guide will achieve this aim, while preserving the user-friendly format of the previous edition. For those who need more detail, further advice is available from our website.”

Visit the GAI website