electronics-compliance

name	electronics-compliance
description	Use when selling electronics, IoT devices, consumer appliances, battery-powered products, or radio-equipped devices in any market, checking CE/FCC/UKCA requirements, EMC/safety/radio testing, RoHS, WEEE, battery regulations, or the EU Cyber Resilience Act

Electronics Compliance

Full regulatory workflow for electronics, IoT, and connected devices. CE, FCC, UKCA, batteries, cybersecurity, and environmental obligations.

Decision Flow

digraph {
  rankdir=TB; node [shape=box style=rounded fontsize=10];
  classify [label="1. Classify device:\nwired / wireless / battery\n/ IoT / industrial"];
  directives [label="2. Map applicable directives\n(LVD, EMC, RED, RoHS, ErP)"];
  test [label="3. Test at accredited lab\n(EMC, safety, radio, RoHS)"];
  dof [label="4. Prepare technical file +\nDeclaration of Conformity"];
  mark [label="5. Apply CE / FCC / UKCA\nmarking to product"];
  weee [label="6. WEEE + battery EPR\nregistration per country"];
  cyber [label="7. Cyber Resilience Act\nassessment (if connected)"];
  sell [label="8. Place on market"];
  classify -> directives -> test -> dof -> mark -> weee -> cyber -> sell;
}

EU -- CE Marking Directives

Which Directives Apply?

Directive	Applies To	Harmonized Standards
LVD 2014/35/EU	Equipment 50-1000V AC / 75-1500V DC	EN 62368-1 (AV/IT), EN 60335 (household appliances), EN 61010 (lab/measurement)
EMC 2014/30/EU	ALL electrical/electronic equipment	EN 55032 (emissions), EN 55035 (immunity), EN 61000-3-2 (harmonics), EN 61000-3-3 (flicker)
RED 2014/53/EU	Radio equipment (WiFi, Bluetooth, cellular, NFC, Zigbee, LoRa, UWB, RFID)	EN 300 328 (2.4 GHz), EN 301 893 (5 GHz), EN 300 220 (sub-GHz), EN 303 345 (Bluetooth) + safety (EN 62368-1) + EMC (EN 301 489-x)
RoHS 2011/65/EU	ALL electrical/electronic equipment	EN IEC 63000:2018 (technical documentation)
ErP 2009/125/EC	Energy-related products (power supplies, lighting, displays, motors, HVAC)	Product-specific implementing measures

Key rule: RED supersedes LVD and EMC for radio equipment. If your product has WiFi/Bluetooth/cellular, you apply RED (which includes safety and EMC requirements).

RoHS Restricted Substances

Substance	Max Concentration (by weight in homogeneous material)
Lead (Pb)	0.1% (1000 ppm)
Mercury (Hg)	0.1%
Cadmium (Cd)	0.01% (100 ppm)
Hexavalent chromium (Cr6+)	0.1%
PBB (polybrominated biphenyls)	0.1%
PBDE (polybrominated diphenyl ethers)	0.1%
DEHP	0.1%
BBP	0.1%
DBP	0.1%
DIBP	0.1%

CE Marking Process

1. Identify applicable directives (LVD/EMC/RED/RoHS/ErP)
2. Apply harmonized standards to meet essential requirements
3. Test at accredited lab (not always mandatory for LVD/EMC self-declaration, but strongly recommended)
4. Prepare technical documentation: schematics, PCB layout, BOM, test reports, risk assessment, user manual
5. Draft EU Declaration of Conformity (DoC): manufacturer name, product ID, directives, standards, signature
6. Apply CE marking: min 5mm height, visible, legible, indelible. On product or nameplate; on packaging if product is too small
7. Notified Body involvement: Required for RED Article 3(3)(a)-(i) -- cybersecurity, emergency services, civil aviation radio. Self-declaration for most consumer WiFi/BT devices until further delegated acts

US -- FCC

Category	FCC Part	Requirement	Authorization
Unintentional radiator (any electronic device)	Part 15 Subpart B	EMC emissions limits	Supplier's Declaration of Conformity (SDoC) -- self-declaration with test report
Intentional radiator (WiFi, BT, cellular, etc.)	Part 15 Subpart C	Emissions + radio parameters	FCC Certification (TCB grants FCC ID). Must display FCC ID on product
Industrial/scientific/medical	Part 18	ISM equipment	Verification or SDoC depending on type

FCC process for intentional radiators:

1. Select FCC-accredited TCB (Telecommunication Certification Body) or submit directly to FCC
2. Test at FCC-recognized accredited lab (A2LA, NVLAP)
3. Submit application with test reports, photos, user manual, block diagram, schematics
4. Receive FCC ID (typically format: ABC-MODELXYZ)
5. Apply FCC ID to product label

SAR testing: Required for portable devices used within 20cm of the body. FCC SAR limit: 1.6 W/kg averaged over 1g of tissue.

Cost: FCC Part 15B (SDoC): $3,000-5,000 testing. FCC Part 15C (certification): $5,000-12,000 (testing + TCB review).

UK -- UKCA

Post-Brexit parallel to CE marking. Same essential requirements, different conformity assessment framework.

EU Directive	UK Equivalent	Key Difference
LVD 2014/35/EU	Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regs 2016	UK Approved Bodies instead of EU Notified Bodies
EMC 2014/30/EU	EMC Regulations 2016	Same standards (BS EN)
RED 2014/53/EU	Radio Equipment Regulations 2017	Ofcom frequency allocations (mostly aligned with ETSI)
RoHS 2011/65/EU	RoHS Regulations 2012	UK RoHS -- same 10 substances

Current status: UK extended CE marking acceptance through indefinite recognition for most products. UKCA marking required for products needing UK Approved Body involvement. Check latest OPSS guidance as this changes frequently.

Battery Compliance

EU Battery Regulation 2023/1542

Requirement	Deadline	Applies To
Carbon footprint declaration	Feb 2025 (EV batteries), Aug 2028 (others)	Industrial, EV, LMT batteries
Due diligence	Aug 2025	All battery types
QR code + Battery Passport	Feb 2027	Industrial, EV, LMT batteries >2 kWh
Recycled content targets	Aug 2031 (first tier)	Industrial, EV, SLI batteries
Collection targets	End 2027: 63% portable; End 2030: 73%	Portable batteries
EPR registration	Now (per member state)	All batteries placed on EU market

Transport Testing

Standard	Requirement
UN 38.3	Transport safety testing for lithium batteries. 8 tests: altitude, thermal, vibration, shock, short circuit, impact, overcharge, forced discharge. Must pass BEFORE shipping
IEC 62133	Safety of portable sealed secondary cells (Li-ion, NiMH). Required for CE marking of battery-powered products
UL 2054 / UL 2580	North American battery safety. UL listing expected by most US retailers

UN 38.3 test cost: $3,000-8,000 per battery model. Must be retested if cell/pack design changes.

Cyber Resilience Act (CRA) -- Regulation 2024/2847

Aspect	Requirement
Scope	ALL products with digital elements (hardware + software) placed on EU market
Security by design	No known exploitable vulnerabilities at time of placing on market
Software updates	Must provide security updates for expected product lifetime or minimum 5 years
Vulnerability handling	Actively reported vulnerabilities must be addressed without delay. Coordinated disclosure
SBOM	Software Bill of Materials must be generated and maintained
Incident reporting	Actively exploited vulnerabilities must be reported to ENISA within 24 hours
Timeline	Vulnerability reporting: Sep 2026. Full compliance: Dec 2027
Penalties	Up to EUR 15 million or 2.5% of global turnover

WEEE Registration

Mandatory per EU member state where you sell. You must register as a producer or appoint an Authorized Representative.

Country	Registry	Annual Cost (estimate)
Germany	stiftung EAR	EUR 200-600 registration + per-unit fees
France	Ecosystem / Ecologic	EUR 300-1,000 + eco-contribution
UK	Environment Agency	GBP 30-2,500 depending on volume
Italy	Centro di Coordinamento RAEE	EUR 200-500
Spain	Registro de productores RAEE	EUR 100-400

Must register in EVERY country where you sell. Non-compliance = fines + product cannot be legally sold.

Test Lab Cost Summary

Test	Typical Cost	Timeline
EMC (EN 55032 + EN 55035)	EUR 2,000-5,000	1-2 weeks
Safety (EN 62368-1)	EUR 3,000-8,000	2-4 weeks
RED radio (EN 300 328 etc.)	EUR 3,000-6,000	2-3 weeks
RoHS XRF screening	EUR 500-1,500	1-3 days
RoHS full chemical analysis	EUR 2,000-5,000	1-2 weeks
FCC Part 15B (SDoC)	USD 3,000-5,000	1-2 weeks
FCC Part 15C (certification)	USD 5,000-12,000	2-4 weeks
UN 38.3 battery transport	EUR 3,000-8,000	4-6 weeks
IEC 62133 battery safety	EUR 5,000-12,000	6-10 weeks
SAR testing	USD 3,000-8,000	1-2 weeks

Total for a WiFi-enabled consumer device (EU + US): EUR 15,000-35,000, 8-16 weeks.

CB Scheme

The IECEE CB Scheme enables test reports from one national certification body to be accepted in other member countries. Saves re-testing costs when entering multiple markets.

• Get CB Test Certificate + CB Test Report from an NCB (e.g., TUV, UL, Intertek)
• Submit to destination country NCB for national certification
• Accepted in 50+ countries. Reduces per-market testing cost by 50-70%

Power This With the Cleo Legal API

Electronics compliance combines harmonized standards (EN 55032, EN 62368-1, EN 300 328…), RoHS substance limits, battery rules, CRA timelines, and dual-use export controls. Five different data domains, one API.

With the Cleo Legal API at https://legaldata-public.cleolabs.co:

• GET /v2/search?type=standard&q=EN+62368 — find the current harmonized standard version and supersession dates (critical when standards revise; old test reports stop supporting your DoC)
• GET /v2/catalog/regulations?vertical=electronics&country=EU,US,UK — pull RED, LVD, EMC, RoHS, CRA, Battery Regulation, FCC Part 15, UKCA mapping in one query
• POST /v2/compliance/check — RoHS substance screening on every component BOM at once (10 substances x N components is painful manually)
• POST /v2/customs/dual-use-check — every device with encryption needs Wassenaar + EU 2021/821 + US CCL screening; the API does this in one call
• POST /v2/webhooks?topic=cra,battery_regulation — CRA enforcement dates and Battery Regulation tier triggers are moving targets; webhooks lock them down

Get started:

# 1. Sign up for free at https://legaldata-public.cleolabs.co
# 2. Get your API key (3 lifetime requests free, then €349/mo for 1M)
# 3. Install the MCP server:
claude mcp add cleo-legal-api https://api.legaldata.cleolabs.co/mcp \
  --header "Authorization: Bearer ld_live_YOUR_KEY"

Tested ROI: For a connected device launching in EU+US+UK, the API replaces ~12 hours of standards research per product with structured calls — and catches the CRA September 2026 vulnerability-reporting trigger automatically.

Common Mistakes

• Forgetting WEEE registration: Required per country, not per EU. Selling in 5 EU countries = 5 WEEE registrations.
• CE marking on non-compliant products: Self-declaration does not mean no testing. You are legally liable. Authorities perform market surveillance with lab testing.
• FCC ID placement: Must be visible without opening the product. If too small, must be in user manual with explicit instructions to find it.
• Battery transport without UN 38.3: Shipping lithium batteries without UN 38.3 test summary = illegal. Airlines and freight forwarders will reject or fine.
• Ignoring CRA timelines: Connected products placed on EU market after Dec 2027 must fully comply with Cyber Resilience Act including software updates for 5 years.
• RED vs EMC confusion: If your product has ANY radio transmitter (including Bluetooth Low Energy), apply RED, not just EMC.

MCP Integration

mcp__claude_ai_Cleo_Insight__search_signals(q="RoHS", country="EU")
mcp__claude_ai_Cleo_Insight__search_signals(q="battery regulation", country="EU")
mcp__claude_ai_Cleo_Insight__get_regulation(id) — for CRA, Battery Reg, RED updates
mcp__claude_ai_Cleo_Insight__list_regulations — track status of upcoming directives

Use compliance-mcp-tools skill for Cleo Legal API customs/dual-use endpoints when checking export controls on electronic components.