FAQ: The IECEE CB Scheme

2nd Edition: April 2013

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 FAQ: The IECEE CB Scheme

Contents

What do the initials IECEE CB stand for? .............................................................. 2

Who are the International Electrotechnical Committee (IEC)? ............................... 3
What is IECEE CB Scheme? .................................................................................. 3
What is a CB (also known as NCB)? ..................................................................... 3
What is a CBTL? .................................................................................................. 4
Surely different countries have different national Standards so how can test work
from one country be accepted by another? .......................................................... 4
How do NCBs participate to the CB Scheme?....................................................... 5
What is a CB Test Report?.................................................................................... 5
What product categories are covered by the CB Scheme? .................................... 5
Which countries participate to the CB Scheme? ................................................... 6
How long is a CB Certificate valid for? ................................................................. 7
What is the difference between CB certification and CE marking?........................ 7
How do I benefit from the CB Scheme? ............................................................... 7
So I won’t need to do any retesting for different countries with the CB Scheme? . 8
I use our certifications in our Marketing materials. Can I use my CB certificate? .... 8
Once I have my CB Certificate is that all I need for Market Access?....................... 8
Does the system work?........................................................................................ 9
How can I apply for a CB certification?................................................................. 9
Where can I have my products tested?................................................................. 9
How can I get more information on the IECEE CB scheme? .................................. 9
How can Intertek help me get CB Certification? ................................................... 9

What do the initials IECEE CB stand for?

You need to break the initials down to make sense of them:

IEC stands for the ‘International Electrotechnical Committee’

EE stands for ‘Electrotechnical Equipment’
And CB stands for ‘Certification Body’

When an organization is described as being an ‘IECEE CB’ it means they are a

tester and certifier of electrotechnical equipment within the IECEE CB scheme - an
international system for Conformity testing and Certification of Electrotechnical
Equipment and Components.

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 FAQ: The IECEE CB Scheme

Who are the International Electrotechnical Committee (IEC)?

The International Electrotechnical Committee (IEC) is a not for profit organisation

made up of technical committees in the Electrotechnical sector that appoint
delegates and experts from government, industry, academia and associations to
participate in technical and conformity assessment activities, including writing
Standards.

By bring testing and Certification Bodies together, their aim is to make

international trade easier and less expensive through the use of common processes
and benchmarks that can be accepted for compliance regulations in a wide variety
of geographical regions. These processes and benchmarks remove technical
barriers to trade by ensuring that products provide the same level of safety
regardless of where they are manufactured and tested.

What is IECEE CB Scheme?

The IECEE CB scheme is a multilateral agreement and certification system that uses
processes and benchmarks known as ‘Harmonised Standards’ prepared by the
experts at the IEC and an agreement of mutual recognition of test activities
between Certification Bodies. This means that under the CB scheme a
manufacturer can take his testing for national certification from a member
Certification Body to any other member Certification Body, in another country that
uses the same Standard to apply for the national certification of that country –
saving him time and money in not having to repeat most of his testing.

What is a CB (also known as NCB)?

A Certification Body (CB) or National Certification Body (NCB) is an accredited

certification organization who are empowered by their national authorities to
provide product assessment against particular Standards and issue certificates of
validation against these.

Not all Certification Bodies belong to the CB scheme, but many do. According to
the scheme regulations NCBs are divided into two categories:

 Recognizing NCB only: An NCB that has been assessed and accepted to
operate as a recognizing NCB is entitled to recognize CB Test Certificates
and CB Test Reports as a basis for granting their own certification mark(s) in
the areas of specified products and Standards under their scope, whilst not
necessarily having the facilities to carry out the necessary testing for
themselves,

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 FAQ: The IECEE CB Scheme

 Issuing and Recognizing NCB: An Issuing NCB is authorized to issue CB

Test Certificates for specified standards registered under its scope and has
the obligation to recognize and accept CB Test Certificates and associated
Test Reports issued by the other accepted members NCB.

An Issuing and Recognizing NCB may however recognize CB Test

Certificates for a broader scope than its issuing scope, in which case the
Recognizing scope is listed in the relevant “Scope’s” area on the [IEC] Web
Site.

What is a CBTL?

CBTL stands for Certification Body Test Laboratory. These are the audited and
mainly accredited facilities, associated to a particular Certification Body that can
undertake test and assessment work for one or more products for use in the
scheme.

Testing can be conducted by the CB at their associated test laboratory or at an

approved facility run by the manufacturer. CBs can also offer supervised testing
(where your staff are trained to perform the testing) or Witnessed testing (where
CB staff witness the testing undertaken by the manufacturer) depending on their
expertise and the facilities available.

Surely different countries have different national Standards so

how can test work from one country be accepted by another?

Most countries do indeed have a unique set of national requirements for a

particular product type. Many though, recognize the use of IEC Harmonized
Standards in application for National Certification. These Standards are base level
Standards for a product that cover the common requirements found in many
countries local product regulations.

When conducting test work for a national certification, the test house will develop
a program that will typically use the harmonized Standards for that product where
available accompanied by various sets of ‘National Deviations’ – depending on
how many countries their client is trying to access. This means that product testing
can accommodate aspects such as different geographical power grid voltages,
performance requirements, energy consumption and labelling requirements –
without having to re-assess everything from scratch for every country.

When new or changed standards are accepted for use in the IECEE CB Scheme,
each member country may or may not agree to use this standard. It is not
mandatory for a member country to accept a new standard and, in extreme

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 FAQ: The IECEE CB Scheme

circumstances, testing to more than one version of a standard may be necessary to

meet the needs of the countries involved.

Then a CB Report & Test Certificate can be issued that shows representative
samples of the product have successfully passed testing to demonstrate
compliance with the requirements of relevant IEC standard.

How do NCBs participate to the CB Scheme?

The IECEE is represented worldwide and covers the NCB in each country who will
be responsible for approving and issuing certificates and test reports. IECEE CB
Scheme Membership is open to any Certification Body in the world. You can find a
complete list of members of IECEE, the NCB and the related testing laboratories at
the following address:

www.cbscheme.org/cbscheme/html/cbcntris.htm

What is a CB Test Report?

A Test report is the basis for the issuing of a CB Test certificate. It shows the results
of the product testing in detail against the Harmonized Standard. It is usually
required as supporting documentation alongside your CB Test Certificate when
you are applying for a National Certification. Many customs authorities now look
for CB certificates and test reports as evidence of compliance when products are at
port.

What product categories are covered by the CB Scheme?

There are 17 categories of electrical product covered by the scheme:

 Batteries
 Cables and Cords
 Capacitors as components
 Switches for appliances and automatic controls for electrical household
appliances
 Household and similar equipment
 Hazardous Substances Testing Service
 Installation accessories and connection devices
 Luminaires
 Measurement, Control and Laboratory equipment
 Electrical equipment for medical use

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 FAQ: The IECEE CB Scheme

 IT and office equipment

 Low voltage, high power switching equipment
 Installation protective equipment
 Photovoltaics
 Safety transformers and similar equipment,
 Portable tools
 Electric Toys & Electronic Equipment

There is also a category called “Miscellaneous” which includes products including:

railway equipment, instrumentation for nuclear power plants, heating cables,
lasers, radiation protection, insulated tools and fixed inductors for electromagnetic
interference suppression

You can find a full list of categories, products and IEC standards that concern
them the following web page: www.iecee.org/cbscheme/html/cbstand.htm

Which countries participate to the CB Scheme?

The countries participating in the CB Scheme are:

 Argentina  India  Russian Federation

 Australia  Indonesia  Saudi Arabia
 Austria  Ireland  Serbia
 Bahrain  Israel  Singapore
 Belarus  Italy  Slovakia
 Belgium  Japan  Slovenia
 Brazil (suspended)  Kazakhstan  South Africa
 Bulgaria  Kenya  Spain
 Canada  Korea, Republic Of  Sweden
 China  Libya  Switzerland
 Colombia  Malaysia  Thailand
 Croatia  Mexico  Turkey
 Czech Republic  Netherlands  Ukraine
 Denmark  New Zealand  United Arab
 Finland  Norway Emirates
 France  Pakistan  United Kingdom
 Germany  Poland  USA
 Greece  Portugal  Vietnam
 Hungary  Romania

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 FAQ: The IECEE CB Scheme

How long is a CB Certificate valid for?

A certificate is valid as long as:

 The Standard the product is certified to is still in effect

 The certification is not cancelled
 The product is unchanged during its production life, and does not differ
from the sample tested

It is quite common though for some countries to specify that CB test certificates
being used in an application for their National Certification to be 3 years old or
less.

What is the difference between CB certification and CE

marking?

Whereas CE Marking is applied by a manufacturer to a product and is based on a

self declaration of conformity with the relevant Directives that govern the product,
CB Certification is based on the successful completion of third party testing against
relevant Harmonized Standards and technical assessment by an accredited
Certification Body. CB does not directly provide a product Mark, but can be used
to obtain National Certification Marks such as BEAB Mark for the UK, the S Mark
for Sweden, the GS Mark for Germany, the SAFETY Mark for Singapore and the
ETL Mark for the USA.

CB Test Reports and Certificates can be used in manufacturers Technical Files as

supporting evidence on which to base a declaration of conformity for CE Marking.

Also, whereas CE Marking is only recognized in the 27 countries of the European

Union, CB certification is recognized internationally in over 50 countries.

How do I benefit from the CB Scheme?

The CB Scheme can help you save time and money on your compliance activities
for multiple countries.

 It reduces the number of samples needed for testing

 Testing can be performed locally rather than abroad

 Many countries can be covered in one test program to optimize your

market access.

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 FAQ: The IECEE CB Scheme

 Testing does not need to be completed anew for each target country,
which saves time and money

 Some countries have very similar product requirements; these can be

identified easily through the scheme, highlighting potential markets you
may not have considered before.

So I won’t need to do any retesting for different countries with

the CB Scheme?

Whilst most transitions between countries are a simple paperwork exercise if the
appropriate national deviations have been considered, sometimes a country may
ask for a portion of the testing to be redone if a product is complex or is a ‘state of
the art’ and stretches the boundaries of the Standard

What do I need to include for my application to another Country to get their

National Certification?

 A completed application form for the CB you’re approaching

 CB Test Report
 CB Test Certificate

The NCB is also entitled to request a sample of the product for review. Also many
certification schemes for National marks also require an annual factory inspection.
The time and cost of this should be born in mind when making an application for
a National mark.

I use our certifications in our Marketing materials. Can I use my

CB certificate?

No. You can make reference to the fact you have a CB Certificate, but you can’t
use specific details or an image of it.

Once I have my CB Certificate is that all I need for Market

Access?

No. A CB Certificate enables you to apply for the Certification of a particular

country; it is not a product passport in itself. You’ll also need to check with the
embassy for your target country as to what licenses, permits or local
representation you require or what documentation you may have to file with the
authorities.

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 FAQ: The IECEE CB Scheme

Does the system work?

Absolutely. This is confirmed by the increasing number of manufacturers that

require certification through the program and find that the NCB participants
honour their commitment to the program rules. In addition, the producers have
found a considerable simplification and acceleration of the certification process
which helps them get to market faster and realize commercial returns.

How can I apply for a CB certification?

A manufacturer may apply to any National Certification Body to obtain CB Test

Certificates for the Standard in question. The NCB will provide details on costs,
samples required and documentation needed for certification in your target
countries.

Where can I have my products tested?

If you want a CB certification, you can contact any of the National Certification
Bodies around the world:
http://members.iecee.org/iecee/ieceemembers.nsf/CBTLs?OpenView

How can I get more information on the IECEE CB scheme?

http://www.iecee.org/

How can Intertek help me get CB Certification?

Intertek is a an issuing and accepting body under the CB scheme, so we can

provide testing and reporting services for you that can be used to apply for the
national mark of scheme member countries. Similarly, we will also accept CB
Reports and Certificates in support of an application for the BEAB Approved Mark
and the ETL Mark.

Our experts can also provide advice and guidance on general market access
requirements.

Please visit our website at www.intertek.it,

contact info.etls-italy@intertek.com or call the Italian lab at +39 0432653411

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 FAQ: The IECEE CB Scheme

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