# Electronics Compliance

> 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

- Skill: `cleo-labs-ia/electronics-compliance` (Agent Skill)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add cleo-labs-ia/electronics-compliance`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/cleo-labs-ia/electronics-compliance/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Coding & Dev Tools
- Author: cleo-labs-ia (https://skillmd.com/u/cleo-labs-ia)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/cleo-labs-ia/electronics-compliance

---


# Electronics Compliance

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

## Decision Flow

```dot
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.