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Selling electrical and electronic products in the UK

In Great Britain, electrical products fall under several sets of regulations at once: electrical safety, electromagnetic compatibility, radio equipment, and restriction of hazardous substances, each with UKCA or CE marking. Connectable products must meet product security rules, and producers register for WEEE and follow battery rules. Northern Ireland follows EU rules.

Updated · Each section links to the official source it comes from

Safety
Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016
Radio and EMC
Radio Equipment Regulations 2017; EMC Regulations 2016
Marking in GB
UKCA or CE, with a declaration of conformity
Smart devices
PSTI regime, in force since 29 April 2024
Take-back
WEEE producer registration; batteries rules
Who enforces
Trading standards; Ofcom for radio spectrum; OPSS for PSTI

Before a product goes on sale

The questions to answer, in the order they usually come up.

  1. 1Which regulations cover it: electrical safety, EMC, radio, or more than one? Read more
  2. 2Is there technical documentation, a declaration of conformity and the UKCA or CE marking? Read more
  3. 3Does it stay under the RoHS limits for the ten restricted substances? Read more
  4. 4Can it connect to the internet or a network, and does it meet the PSTI security requirements? Read more
  5. 5Is the business a WEEE producer, and is the product marked with the crossed-out wheeled bin? Read more
  6. 6Does it contain or come with batteries? Read more

The rules, by area

What each area covers, the texts that set it, and what the official pages say.

Electrical safety, EMC and radio equipment

The product regulations that set essential requirements and conformity marking for electrical goods.

  • The Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016 apply to equipment designed or adapted for use between 50 and 1,000 volts AC or 75 and 1,500 volts DC, for domestic and workplace use.
  • The Electromagnetic Compatibility Regulations 2016 apply to equipment liable to generate electromagnetic disturbance: its emissions must not stop other equipment working as intended, and it must have adequate immunity.
  • The Radio Equipment Regulations 2017 apply to radio equipment, which must also be constructed so it can be operated without infringing the rules on use of the radio spectrum.
  • Before placing on the GB market, the manufacturer draws up technical documentation, carries out conformity assessment, draws up a UK or EU declaration of conformity and affixes the UKCA or CE marking. The CE marking is recognised indefinitely in GB.
  • The equipment carries the manufacturer's name and postal address and a type, batch or serial number, and comes with instructions and safety information in easily understandable English.
  • The Plugs and Sockets (Safety) etc. Regulations 1994 also apply to electrical products.

How we help: Compliant Always keeps the declaration of conformity, test reports and technical file with each product, and shows which regulation each document answers. Ask about this

Restriction of hazardous substances (RoHS)

Limits on hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment.

  • The RoHS Regulations 2012 cover electrical and electronic equipment, cables and spare parts in GB and NI, with some exemptions.
  • Maximum levels: cadmium 0.01%; lead, mercury, hexavalent chromium, PBB, PBDE, DEHP, BBP, DBP and DIBP 0.1% each.
  • Technical documentation, including the declaration of conformity, is kept for 10 years after the last product is first placed on the market and made available to OPSS on request.
  • GB runs its own RoHS exemptions system; NI follows the EU exemptions system.
  • Economic operators must be able to identify who supplied them and who they supplied for 10 years.

How we help: Upload a material declaration or lab report and Compliant Always reads it against the ten RoHS limits. Ask about this

Connectable product security (PSTI)

Baseline security for consumer products that connect to the internet or a network.

  • The UK's consumer connectable product security regime came into effect on 29 April 2024, under the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Act 2022 and Regulations 2023.
  • The security requirements ban universal default and easily guessable passwords, and require published information on how to report security issues and on minimum security update periods.
  • A statement of compliance must accompany the product; it may be digital.
  • The duties apply to manufacturers, importers and distributors. Excluded products include EV charge points, medical devices, smart meters, and computers and tablets without cellular capability unless designed exclusively for children under 14.
  • OPSS enforces the regime.

How we help: Compliant Always keeps the statement of compliance and the published security update period with each connectable product. Ask about this

WEEE producer responsibility

Duties for businesses that put electrical and electronic equipment on the UK market.

  • A producer includes a business that makes and sells EEE under its own brand, rebrands others' equipment, imports EEE into the UK, sells into the UK by distance selling from abroad, or runs an online marketplace selling EEE from non-UK suppliers.
  • Producers register annually. Below 5 tonnes a year a producer can register directly as a small producer; above 5 tonnes it joins a producer compliance scheme.
  • Producers mark products with the crossed-out wheeled bin symbol and a date mark, and keep records of EEE placed on the market by category for at least 4 years.
  • A producer not established in the UK that supplies end users directly appoints a UK authorised representative or joins a UK approved compliance scheme.

How we help: Compliant Always keeps your WEEE registration and the weights behind your returns with each product line. Ask about this

Batteries

Substance limits and labelling for batteries, including those built into appliances.

  • In GB, the Batteries and Accumulators (Placing on the Market) Regulations 2008 cover batteries of any type and appliances into which a battery is or may be incorporated.
  • Batteries cannot contain more than 0.0005% mercury by weight, cadmium is limited to 0.002% with listed exceptions, and a battery with more than 0.004% lead must be marked Pb.
  • Batteries carry the crossed-out wheeled bin symbol, and portable rechargeable batteries show their capacity in mAh or Ah.
  • OPSS guidance asks producers of products with button or coin batteries to use a securely fastened battery compartment and clear warnings, and to follow PAS 7055:2025.

How we help: Compliant Always checks battery labels and declarations against the GB limits and keeps them with the appliance they ship in. Ask about this

Who answers for what

WhoWhat they answer forHow we help
ManufacturerDesign to the essential requirements, conformity assessment, marking, technical documentation and the PSTI security requirements.The technical file and declarations kept with each model.
UK importerChecking the manufacturer's conformity work, its own name and address on the product, and keeping documents for 10 years.Overseas suppliers' declarations and test reports read and dated before the goods arrive.
Distributor and retailerVerifying markings and instructions, and PSTI and RoHS duties as an economic operator.The documents each product needs, shown when a marketplace or retailer asks.
WEEE producerRegistration, the wheeled bin marking, and financing collection through a compliance scheme above 5 tonnes.Weights by category kept with each product line for reporting.

Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Products placed on the NI market need the CE marking. Since 28 December 2024, radio devices such as phones, tablets and headphones placed on the NI market must have a USB-C charging port and be offered without a charger; laptops followed on 28 April 2026.

Since 1 August 2025, internet-connected radio equipment in NI must meet the cybersecurity requirements of Regulation (EU) 2022/30. In NI, the EU's 2023 Batteries Regulation applies, and PSTI does not cover products made available in NI to which EU product law listed in Annex 2 of the Windsor Framework applies.

Questions businesses ask

Do electrical products need UKCA marking in Great Britain?
They need UKCA or CE marking. The CE marking is recognised indefinitely in GB, so either can be used, with the matching UK or EU declaration of conformity.
Which voltage range do the Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations cover?
Equipment designed or adapted for use between 50 and 1,000 volts AC or 75 and 1,500 volts DC, for domestic or workplace use, with some listed exceptions.
Do smart devices need to meet security rules in the UK?
Yes. Since 29 April 2024, consumer connectable products must not use universal default passwords, and the maker publishes how to report security issues and the minimum security update period.
What is a PSTI statement of compliance?
A document that must accompany a connectable product under the PSTI Act 2022. The Act does not require it to be physical, so it can be digital.
What are the RoHS limits in the UK?
Cadmium 0.01%, and 0.1% each for lead, mercury, hexavalent chromium, PBB, PBDE and four phthalates: DEHP, BBP, DBP and DIBP.
Do I have to register as a WEEE producer?
Yes, if you make, rebrand, import or distance sell EEE into the UK. Under 5 tonnes a year you can register as a small producer; above that you join a compliance scheme.
What symbol do electrical products and batteries need?
The crossed-out wheeled bin symbol. EEE also carries a date mark, and batteries carry chemical symbols where required and capacity on portable rechargeables.
Who enforces radio equipment rules in Great Britain?
Ofcom for protection and management of the radio spectrum, and local trading standards for other aspects, including safety.
How long are technical documents kept for electrical products?
The manufacturer keeps the technical documentation and declaration of conformity for 10 years after the equipment is placed on the GB market. The importer keeps a copy for 10 years.
Is USB-C charging required in the UK?
In Northern Ireland, yes, for listed radio devices placed on the market since 28 December 2024 and laptops since 28 April 2026, under rules implementing the EU Common Charger Directive there.
Which battery rules apply in Northern Ireland?
The EU's 2023 Batteries Regulation, together with the Batteries (Placing on the Market) (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2026. GB keeps the 2008 Regulations.
How does Compliant Always help with selling in the UK?
Our team reads the rules for the markets you sell in, including the split between Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Compliant Always shows which apply to your product and keeps the documents behind each one ready. It shows what the requirements say and what your documents show; you decide.

Sources

Compliant Always is a product of Lettuce Labs LLC. It shows what requirements say and what your documents show. It is not legal advice, and you decide.

Tell us what you make, and we will show you the rules for it.

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