By C. Chai, director, UIC International B.V. Published 2026-08-20, last updated 2026-08-21. How we write these.
The CE mark is a declaration by the manufacturer that a product meets the EU legislation that applies to it. It is evidence about the empty device. It is not evidence about the finished product you fill, brand and sell.
CE marking is a manufacturer's declaration that a product satisfies the EU harmonisation legislation that applies to it, and that the assessment and documentation behind that claim exist. For most electronic consumer products the manufacturer carries out the assessment itself and signs the declaration under its own responsibility. There is often no approval by a public body at all, which is why a glossy certificate with a logo on it proves very little on its own.
The mark is applied by the party that takes responsibility for the product on the EU market, which is not always the factory. Establish in writing who signs for your model before you order. Practically, ask who signed the declaration and whether the document names the model you are actually buying. A CE logo printed on a housing with no declaration behind it is a printing decision, not evidence.
The mark is not a quality rating, not a durability claim and not a statement that the device suits a particular use. It is also not a licence to sell. Producer registrations under the WEEE and battery schemes sit outside it entirely, and so does the general product safety documentation described in the GPSR guide.
Most importantly for this trade, CE on an empty device says nothing about the finished filled product. The assessment was carried out on hardware as supplied, empty. Once you fill a 510 cartridge and sell it, the article on the shelf is not the article that was assessed. The substance you put in it is governed by other rules, and those rules are national. The mark on the hardware does not transfer to the finished product and cannot be quoted as though it does.
The correct list is the one the manufacturer identifies for the specific device. The table below is a starting point for a conversation with your supplier, not a determination for your product. Ask the manufacturer to state which legislation it applied and why, and confirm the list with your own adviser.
| Legislation | What it addresses | Usual relevance to a vape device |
|---|---|---|
| RoHS 2011/65/EU | Restricted hazardous substances in electronics | Normally applies to the device and its components |
| EMC 2014/30/EU | Electromagnetic compatibility | Commonly applied to devices with electronic control |
| Low Voltage 2014/35/EU | Equipment rated between 50 and 1000 V AC, or 75 and 1500 V DC | A device running at 3 to 8 V DC is below the DC floor and sits outside it; a 230 V mains charger in the box does not |
| Radio Equipment 2014/53/EU | Products with a radio function | Relevant only where the device has wireless connectivity |
| Battery Regulation 2023/1542 | The cell and producer responsibility | Applies to the battery, separately from CE |
| REACH 1907/2006 | Substances in materials | Relevant to materials in the vapour path. Not a CE-marking act: it confers no CE mark and no declaration of conformity, and it runs in parallel |
An EU declaration of conformity is a short document with a fixed shape. The model form in Annex III of Decision 768/2008/EC sets out eight numbered points, followed by an unnumbered signature block. Expect to see a unique identification of the product, typically the model and a batch or serial reference. Expect the name and address of the manufacturer, and of an authorised representative where one is appointed. Expect a statement that the declaration is issued under the sole responsibility of the manufacturer. Expect the object of the declaration described so it can be traced, sometimes with an image. Expect a list of the relevant Union legislation the product conforms with, and the harmonised standards or other specifications applied. Where a notified body was involved, expect its name, number and what it did. Expect a field for any additional information. Then, below the numbered points, expect the place and date of issue, a signature, and the name and function of the signatory.
Check the model reference against your purchase order first. A declaration for a neighbouring model is the most common weak document in this trade, and it is worth nothing if a market surveillance authority asks about the item you actually sold.
Keep the declaration, the test reports it refers to and the correspondence in one product file, per model and per production run, and re-request it when the factory changes a component. Empty Vapes supplies documented empty hardware and provides what it holds on request. The party that brands and places the finished product on the market carries the registrations and answers for that product. The full list of documents to ask for is in the supplier document pack guide, and the frameworks around it are mapped on the compliance pillar.
Trade guidance for B2B buyers, not legal advice. We sell empty hardware only; you are responsible for the fill and for finished-product compliance in your market. The buyer that brands the device and places the finished product on the market carries the national registrations and should take its own legal advice.
Browse the range in the shop, full specs, trade pricing after a free account, and CE and compliance docs on request.
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Empty hardware only. No cannabinoids and no e-liquid. We sell to companies only.