Conformance mark
Encyclopedia
Much equipment and tools have conformance marks stamped, inscribed, moulded, or printed on them to indicate that the tool or equipment in question meets the standards set by the body indicated by the mark or marks in question.
They are different from maker's marks that indicate the origin of manufacture.
An early example of a conformance mark might be the use of a hallmark
on precious metals to indicate that the marked item will meet a particular assay
standard.
Examples of such marks include the Underwriters Laboratories
mark in the USA, and the CE mark
in the European Economic Area
except Switzerland, but additionally including Turkey.
Apart from the national standards bodies that are members of ISO
, there are other organisations that provide conformance standards. This can often be noted on electro-technical equipment, with marks appearing from one or several of the bodies listed below. In many cases, these originated as national standards organisations which provided commercial testing and assessment services. These commercial activities have then often been outsourced or taken over by trans-national businesses, which have retained the historical (national) conformance mark but have expanded the business internationally.
They are different from maker's marks that indicate the origin of manufacture.
An early example of a conformance mark might be the use of a hallmark
Hallmark
A hallmark is an official mark or series of marks struck on items made of precious metals — platinum, gold, silver and in some nations, palladium...
on precious metals to indicate that the marked item will meet a particular assay
Assay
An assay is a procedure in molecular biology for testing or measuring the activity of a drug or biochemical in an organism or organic sample. A quantitative assay may also measure the amount of a substance in a sample. Bioassays and immunoassays are among the many varieties of specialized...
standard.
Examples of such marks include the Underwriters Laboratories
Underwriters Laboratories
Underwriters Laboratories Inc. is an independent product safety certification organization. Established in 1894, the company has its headquarters in Northbrook, Illinois. UL develops standards and test procedures for products, materials, components, assemblies, tools and equipment, chiefly dealing...
mark in the USA, and the CE mark
CE mark
CE marking is a mandatory conformity mark for products placed on the market in the European Economic Area . With the CE marking on a product the manufacturer ensures that the product conforms with the essential requirements of the applicable EC directives...
in the European Economic Area
European Economic Area
The European Economic Area was established on 1 January 1994 following an agreement between the member states of the European Free Trade Association and the European Community, later the European Union . Specifically, it allows Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway to participate in the EU's Internal...
except Switzerland, but additionally including Turkey.
Apart from the national standards bodies that are members of ISO
International Organization for Standardization
The International Organization for Standardization , widely known as ISO, is an international standard-setting body composed of representatives from various national standards organizations. Founded on February 23, 1947, the organization promulgates worldwide proprietary, industrial and commercial...
, there are other organisations that provide conformance standards. This can often be noted on electro-technical equipment, with marks appearing from one or several of the bodies listed below. In many cases, these originated as national standards organisations which provided commercial testing and assessment services. These commercial activities have then often been outsourced or taken over by trans-national businesses, which have retained the historical (national) conformance mark but have expanded the business internationally.
- AENOR - Spain, Asociación Española de Normalización y Certificación (Spanish Association for Standardisation and Certification) http://www.aenor.es/
- ASTA-BEAB - Originally the UK, http://www.astabeab.co.uk/, now part of Intertek http://www.intertek.com/aboutintertek/intertek_history.shtml/?lang=en
- B-mark - Poland, Polskie Centrum Badan I Certyfikacji (Polish Centre for Testing and Certification) http://www.pcbc.gov.pl/ang/index1.htm
- BaseefaBaseefaBaseefa is a British certification body for equipment intended for use in potentially explosive atmospheres. It is based in Buxton, Derbyshire, England...
- formerly part of the Health and Safety ExecutiveHealth and Safety ExecutiveThe Health and Safety Executive is a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom. It is the body responsible for the encouragement, regulation and enforcement of workplace health, safety and welfare, and for research into occupational risks in England and Wales and Scotland...
in the UK. http://www.baseefa.com - BABTBritish Approvals Board for TelecommunicationsThe British Approvals Board for Telecommunications is the world's leading Telecommunications Certification Body.-State monopoly:It was established in July 1982 by the UK government to provide type approval services to the telecommunications terminal industry...
- certification services for manufacturers and suppliers of radio and telecommunication products http://www.babt.com/ - BASECBritish Approvals Service for CablesBritish Approvals Service for Cables is an independent, non-profit technical organisation which provides certification services to manufacturers of electrical cable in the United Kingdom...
- certification services for manufacturers of cable products http://www.basec.org.uk/ - BISBureau of Indian StandardsThe Bureau of Indian Standards is the national Standards Body of India working under the aegis of Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, Government of India. It is established by the Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 1986 which came into effect on 23 December 1986...
- India, Bureau of Indian Standards http://www.bis.org.in - BSIBSI GroupBSI Group, also known in its home market as the British Standards Institution , is a multinational business services provider whose principal activity is the production of standards and the supply of standards-related services.- History :...
- United Kingdom, British Standards Institution http://www.bsi-global.com - CCC S&E - China, China Compulsory Certification Scheme http://www.cqc.com.cn
- CEBEC - Originally Belgium http://www.cebec.sgs.com/cebec_index_v2/product_certification_cebec/cebec_safety_mark_cebec.htm, now part of SGSSociété Générale de SurveillanceSGS S.A. provides inspection, verification, testing and certification services. With more than 67,000 employees, SGS operates of over 1,250 offices and laboratories around the world....
http://www.sgs.com/about_sgs/in_brief.htm - CERTIF - Portugal, Associação para a Certificação de Produtos (Association for the Certification of Products)http://www.certif.pt/
- CSACanadian Standards AssociationThe Canadian Standards Association, also known as the CSA, is a not-for-profit Standards organization with the stated aim of developing standards for use in 57 different areas of specialisation...
- Canadian Standards Association http://www.csa-international.org - DEMKO - Originally Denmark, Dansk Elektrisk Materiel Kontrol (Danish Electrical Equipment Supervision) http://www.iecee.org/ARTICLES/demko.htm, now part of Underwriters LaboratoriesUnderwriters LaboratoriesUnderwriters Laboratories Inc. is an independent product safety certification organization. Established in 1894, the company has its headquarters in Northbrook, Illinois. UL develops standards and test procedures for products, materials, components, assemblies, tools and equipment, chiefly dealing...
- DIN - Germany, Deutsches Institut für Normung (German Institute for Standardization) http://www.din.de/cmd?lang=en&level=tpl-home&contextid=din&languageid=en
- ELOT - Greece, ΕΛΟΤ - ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΟΣ ΟΡΓΑΝΙΣΜΟΣ ΤΥΠΟΠΟΙΗΣΗΣ Α.Ε. (Hellenic Organization for Standardization) http://www.elot.gr/home.htm
- ENEC - European Norms Electrical Certification http://www.eepca.org/fact_enec.shtml
- ES - Hong Kong, EMC and Safety Mark
- ETLETL SEMKOETL SEMKO is a division of Intertek Group plc specialising in electrical product safety testing, EMC testing, and benchmark performance testing. ETL SEMKO operates more than 30 offices and laboratories on six continents...
- Originally Electrical Testing Laboratories, now part of Intertek http://www.intertek.com/aboutintertek/intertek_history.shtml/?lang=en - EVPU - Slovakia, Elektrotechnický výskumný ústav a projektový (Electrotechnical Research Company)http://www.evpu.sk/
- EZU - Czech Republic, Elektrotechnický zkušební ústav (Electrotechnical Testing Institute) http://www.ezu.cz/
- FIMKO - Originally Finland http://www.fimko.fi/home.html, now part of SGSSociété Générale de SurveillanceSGS S.A. provides inspection, verification, testing and certification services. With more than 67,000 employees, SGS operates of over 1,250 offices and laboratories around the world....
http://www.sgs.com/about_sgs/in_brief.htm - GS - Geprüfte SicherheitGeprüfte SicherheitThe Geprüfte Sicherheit or GS mark is a voluntary certification mark for technical equipment. It indicates that the equipment meets German and, if available, European safety requirements for such devices...
("Tested Safety") or GS mark - IECInternational Electrotechnical CommissionThe International Electrotechnical Commission is a non-profit, non-governmental international standards organization that prepares and publishes International Standards for all electrical, electronic and related technologies – collectively known as "electrotechnology"...
- International Electrotechnical Commission - IMQ - Italy, Istituto Italiano del Marchio di Qualità (Italian Institute for the Quality Mark) http://www.imq.it/portale/index.jsp?code=513
- IRAM - Argentina/Latin America, Instituto Argentino de Racionalización de Materiales http://www.iram.com.ar/
- ISI - India, Indian Standards Institution, now Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS)
- KEMA KEUR - Originally Netherlands, now part of DEKRA http://www.dekra-certification.com/en/web/certification/keur
- LCIE - Originally France http://www.lcie.com/, now part of Bureau VeritasBureau VeritasBureau Veritas S.A. is a multinational company providing conformity assessment, certification and consulting services to industry, government and individuals. Originally formed in Antwerp in 1828 as Bureau de Renseignements pour les Assurances Maritimes , the Bureau Veritas name was adopted in 1829...
http://www.bureauveritas.com/wps/wcm/connect/bv_com/Group/Home/About-Us/Our-History/ - MEEI - Hungary, Magyar Elektrotechnikai Ellenőrző Intézet Kft. (Hungarian Institute for Testing Electrical Equipment), now part of the TÜV Rheinland Group http://www.tuv.com/meei/en/history.html?print=1
- NEMKONEMKONorges Elektriske Materiellkontroll is a Norwegian private organization that supervises safety testing for electrical equipment manufacturing....
- Norges Elektriske Materiellkontroll (a Norwegian private organization that supervises safety testing for electrical equipment manufacturing) http://www.nemko.no/ - NOM ANCE or NOM NYCE - Mexico, Norma Oficial Mexicana http://www.intertek-etlsemko.com/portal/page/cust_portal/ITK_PGR/ABOUT_INTERTEK_ETL_PG/GLOBAL_CERTS_MARKS_PG/NOM_Mark_PG
- NSAINational Standards Authority of IrelandThe National Standards Authority of Ireland, or NSAI, is the International Organization for Standardization member body for the Republic of Ireland...
- Ireland, National Standards Authority of Ireland - PCT - Russia; actually "GOST-RRussian National StandardsRussian national technical standards are developed under the auspices of the Russia's Federal Agency for Technical Regulation and Metrology ....
" Государственные стандарты Российской Федерации (ГОСТ-Р) (Gosudarstvennyi standarty Rossiiskoi Federatsii, Federal Agency on Technical Regulating and Metrology) http://www.gost.ru/wps/portal/pages.en.Main - PSE - Japan http://www.meti.go.jp/english/policy/denan/procedure/index.htm
- SEMKO - Originally Sweden, Svenska Elektriska Materielkontrollanstalten AB,now part of Intertek http://www.intertek.com/aboutintertek/intertek_history.shtml/?lang=en
- SAA - Standards Association of Australia http://www.standards.org.au/
- SABS - South African Bureau of Standards http://www.sabs.co.za/
- Safety Mark - Singapore http://www.safety.org.sg/documents/Guidelines%20on%20the%20use%20of%20safety%20mark.pdf
- SEE - Luxembourg, Service de l'Energie de l'Etat (State Energy Service) http://www.see.etat.lu/
- SEV - Schweizerischen Elektrotechnischen Verein (Swiss Electrotechnical Association) http://www.electrosuisse.ch/
- SII - Israel, Standards Institution of Israel http://www.sii.org.il/siisite.nsf/EngHomePage?OpenForm
- SIQ - Slovenia, Slovenian Institute of Quality and Metrology http://www.siq.si/
- Sira - formerly part of the British Scientific Instrument Research Association now independent Sira
- SNZ - Standards New Zealand http://www.standards.co.nz/default.htm
- TSE - Turkey, Türk Standardları Enstitüsü (Turkish Standards Institution) http://www.tse.org.tr/
- TÜVTuvTuv may refer to the following geographical locations:*Töv Province in Mongolia*Tuv in Hemsedal municipality, Buskerud, Norway*Tuv in Bodø municipality, Nordland, NorwayTUV may also refer to the following:*Tuvalu, a Pacific Island nation...
- Technischer Überwachungsverein (Technical Monitoring Association) - ÖVE - Österreichischer Verband für Elektrotechnik (Austrian Electrotechnical Association) http://www.ove.at/
- VDEVerband der Elektrotechnik, Elektronik und InformationstechnikThe VDE Association for Electrical, Electronic and Information Technologies e.V. is one of Europe’s largest technical-scientific associations with 35,000 members, including 1,300 corporate and institutional members and 8,000 students.- Organization :...
- Verband der Elektrotechnik, Elektronik und Informationstechnik (German Association for Electrical, Electronic and Information Technologies) - ULUnderwriters LaboratoriesUnderwriters Laboratories Inc. is an independent product safety certification organization. Established in 1894, the company has its headquarters in Northbrook, Illinois. UL develops standards and test procedures for products, materials, components, assemblies, tools and equipment, chiefly dealing...
- Underwriters Laboratories - UkrTESThttp://www.iecee.org/CBSCHEME/NCB/UA-UKRTEST.htm/UkrSEPRO - Ukraine, Ukrainian Testing and Certification Centre of Electric Equipment (Previously DERJSTANDARThttp://www.krivbasscenter.dp.ua/)
- WRAS - (Water Regulations Advisory SchemeWater Regulations Advisory SchemeThe Water Regulations Advisory Scheme is a conformance mark that demonstrates that an item complies with high standards set out by water regulations promulgated in 1999 in the United Kingdom. It is enforced by the UK water supply companies. It covers all plumbing systems, water fittings, and...
) UK http://www.wras.co.uk
External links
- http://www.int-app.tuv.com/downloads.asp - An extensive collection of images of the various marks and the countries/organisations they are from, click on the mark to know what it is used for.
- http://www.cbscheme.org/cbscheme/html/cbadherence.htm - A similar, slightly more comprehensive list.
- http://www.swecheck.com.au/pages/product_approvals.htm - Another list, with symbols not in the above two.