Glossary · Machinery law and conformity
Declaration of Conformity
Also known as: EU Declaration of Conformity, EC Declaration of Conformity, DoC
German: Konformitätserklärung
In EU product law, the Declaration of Conformity is the manufacturer’s formal declaration that a product fulfills the applicable EU requirements. By signing it, the manufacturer takes responsibility for the product’s compliance.
- Compliance
- EU
In one sentence
The Declaration of Conformity is the signed statement in which a manufacturer takes responsibility for a product meeting applicable EU law.
Example
The EU Declaration of Conformity for a robot cell names the manufacturer, identifies the cell by model and serial number, lists the Machinery Regulation and EMC legislation and the harmonized standards applied, and is signed by the managing director.
Explained in context
Context cards connect this term with others to answer one question. Also in British English and German.
How it applies
- Content: Manufacturer, product identification, the EU legal acts complied with, the harmonized standards or other specifications applied, the notified body where involved, place and date, and the signatory. The legal act prescribes the exact content.
- Terminology: Under Directive 2006/42/EC it is the “EC declaration of conformity”; under the Machinery Regulation it is the “EU declaration of conformity”. Partly completed machinery receives a declaration of incorporation instead.
- Technical documentation: The declaration must match the product as shipped and the technical file behind it. Keep versioned templates and check that listed standards and editions are the ones actually applied.
- One declaration: Where several EU acts apply, a single declaration can cover all of them.
Declaration of Conformity vs. CE marking
The declaration is the document in which the manufacturer states and signs for conformity. The CE marking is the visible sign on the product that refers to it. Neither is proof from a third party; both depend on a completed conformity assessment. High-risk AI systems have their own EU declaration of conformity under the AI Act.