--- title: "Are components covered by the Low Voltage Directive?" canonical_url: "https://www.sorena.io/artifacts/eu/low-voltage-directive/faq/components" source_url: "https://www.sorena.io/artifacts/eu/low-voltage-directive/faq/components" author: "Sorena AI" description: "How the LVD treats basic components, electrical components intended for incorporation, CE marking, and evidence for finished electrical equipment." published_at: "2026-05-09" updated_at: "2026-05-09" keywords: - "EU Low Voltage Directive" - "LVD components" - "CE marking components" - "LVD technical documentation" - "LVD" - "Components" - "CE marking" - "Technical documentation" --- **[SORENA](https://www.sorena.io/)** - AI-Powered GRC Platform [Home](https://www.sorena.io/) | [Solutions](https://www.sorena.io/solutions) | [Artifacts](https://www.sorena.io/artifacts) | [About Us](https://www.sorena.io/about-us) | [Contact](https://www.sorena.io/contact) | [Portal](https://app.sorena.io) --- # Are components covered by the Low Voltage Directive? How the LVD treats basic components, electrical components intended for incorporation, CE marking, and evidence for finished electrical equipment. *FAQ* *EU* ## LVD FAQ Components Components are not all treated the same under the Low Voltage Directive. Some basic components are outside the LVD as such because their safety depends on integration into the final product, while other electrical components can be covered in their own right. Use this page to separate basic components from assessable electrical equipment, set CE marking boundaries, and identify the evidence a finished-product manufacturer should keep. The LVD can cover electrical equipment intended for incorporation into other equipment, but the Commission guidance draws a line for basic components whose safety can only be assessed in the finished product. A manufacturer should therefore classify the component by how independently its safety can be assessed, not by the word component alone. ## Are components covered by the LVD? Sometimes. The Commission LVD Guide says the directive's scope generally includes electrical equipment intended for incorporation into other equipment as well as equipment used directly. That means an item does not leave LVD scope merely because it will be built into a larger product. The important exception is for basic components whose safety depends, to a very large extent, on how they are integrated into the final product and for which a risk assessment cannot be undertaken on the component alone. The guide gives examples such as active electronic components, passive components, and some electromechanical components. Those basic components are not covered as such by the LVD and should not carry CE marking for the LVD unless another applicable Union law requires CE marking. By contrast, other electrical components intended for incorporation can be covered as LVD equipment when their own risk assessment can be made. The guide names transformers and electrical motors as examples, while noting that safety aspects of incorporation into the final product normally still need further assessment. - Treat bare electronic parts such as resistors, capacitors, integrated circuits, connectors, relays for printed circuit boards, and micro switches as potential basic components, then check whether their safety can be assessed without the host product. - Treat assessable electrical items such as transformers, motors, appliance couplers, cables, cord sets, and certain adapters as candidates for LVD coverage when they are designed for the LVD voltage ranges and are not excluded. - Do not use a supplier's CE mark or absence of a CE mark as the whole answer; first determine whether the item is LVD equipment in its own right or only a basic component for integration. Sources for this answer: - [European Commission LVD Guide, section 7](https://ec.europa.eu/docsroom/documents/31221?ref=sorena.io) - Explains when components are basic components outside LVD scope as such and when incorporated electrical components such as transformers or motors are covered. - [Directive 2014/35/EU on electrical equipment within certain voltage limits](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2014/35/oj?ref=sorena.io) - Sets the legal scope for electrical equipment designed for use within the LVD voltage limits and the manufacturer's conformity obligations. ## How should finished-product manufacturers use component evidence? A finished-product manufacturer cannot outsource the final LVD assessment to component certificates. Component evidence is useful input, but the final technical documentation must still show how the complete electrical equipment meets the LVD safety objectives in its design, manufacture, and operation. For covered electrical components, keep supplier declarations, standards information, test reports, ratings, installation limits, and traceability data with the product technical file. For basic components, keep the data sheets, ratings, safety limits, mounting or spacing assumptions, and integration checks that show why the finished design remains safe. The LVD technical documentation should include a general equipment description, drawings and schemes of components, sub-assemblies and circuits, explanations needed to understand those drawings and operation, standards or other technical specifications used, design calculations or examinations, and test reports. The risk assessment should match the actual finished product, including risks that a harmonised standard may not cover. - Record the supplier's part number, version, electrical ratings, safety-relevant limits, and any conditions of use that the final design relies on. - Map each component input to the finished-product hazard it supports, such as insulation, temperature, mechanical protection, fire, overvoltage, leakage current, or safe assembly and connection. - Recheck the evidence when a component, supplier, layout, enclosure, firmware-controlled protection, standard, or intended use changes. Sources for this answer: - [European Commission LVD Guide, technical documentation sections](https://ec.europa.eu/docsroom/documents/31221?ref=sorena.io) - Lists the technical documentation elements and explains that product risk analysis remains necessary even when harmonised standards are used. - [Directive 2014/35/EU, Annex III Module A](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2014/35/oj?ref=sorena.io) - Requires technical documentation that makes it possible to assess conformity and includes risk analysis, design and manufacturing information, standards, calculations, examinations, and test reports. ## Where are the CE marking and documentation boundaries? For LVD-covered electrical equipment, the manufacturer uses internal production control, draws up technical documentation, issues the EU declaration of conformity, and affixes CE marking to each individual item that satisfies the applicable requirements. The LVD Guide also states that the LVD CE marking is not followed by a notified body's identification number because Module A does not require notified body involvement in the production phase. For basic components outside LVD scope as such, do not create a false LVD CE-marked component record. Instead, keep the integration evidence inside the finished-product technical documentation and make the final product's declaration and CE marking cover the final equipment when the LVD applies. Importers and distributors should check the correct boundary too. For electrical equipment placed on the EU market, importers must ensure the manufacturer has drawn up technical documentation, the equipment bears CE marking, and the required documents accompany it. Distributors must verify CE marking, required documents, instructions, and safety information before making equipment available. - If the component is LVD equipment in its own right, expect a component-level EU declaration, CE marking, instructions or safety information where required, and technical documentation retained by the responsible manufacturer. - If the component is a basic component, expect integration data rather than an LVD declaration for that component, and carry the assessment into the final-product technical file. - If the component is modified, rebranded, or sold as a standalone electrical product, reassess the economic-operator role and whether manufacturer obligations have shifted. Sources for this answer: - [Directive 2014/35/EU, Articles 6 to 10 and 15 to 17](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2014/35/oj?ref=sorena.io) - Supports manufacturer, importer, distributor, declaration, and CE marking obligations for covered electrical equipment. - [European Commission LVD Guide, CE marking and EU declaration sections](https://ec.europa.eu/docsroom/documents/31221?ref=sorena.io) - Explains Module A internal production control and that LVD CE marking is not followed by a notified body identification number. ## Safety documentation for incorporated components The practical record should answer two questions: what is the component's own LVD status, and how was it made safe in the final equipment? A concise evidence pack is better than a generic component compliance folder that does not connect to the final design. For each safety-relevant component, link the bill of materials entry to the drawing or circuit, the rating or standard relied on, the supplier evidence, the installation or assembly constraint, the finished-product hazard assessment, and any verification result. This helps show that the equipment and its component parts can be safely and properly assembled and connected, which is one of the LVD safety objectives. Avoid unsupported shortcuts. Do not claim every component needs its own LVD CE mark, do not claim no component can ever be LVD equipment, and do not cite national penalty details unless the page is specifically grounded for the Member State at issue. - Use component-level documents as inputs to the finished-product risk assessment, not as substitutes for it. - Keep drawings, circuit schemes, assembly instructions, test reports, standards mapping, and production-control checks together with the EU declaration for the finished electrical equipment. - Separate LVD evidence from EMC, RED, machinery, RoHS, construction product, gas appliance, lifts, or ATEX evidence where those regimes apply different scope or conformity rules. Sources for this answer: - [Directive 2014/35/EU, Annex I safety objectives](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2014/35/oj?ref=sorena.io) - Requires electrical equipment and component parts to be made so they can be safely and properly assembled and connected. - [European Commission LVD Guide, relationship with other EU acts](https://ec.europa.eu/docsroom/documents/31221?ref=sorena.io) - Explains that products subject to the LVD may also be subject to other EU legislation and clarifies selected borderlines. ## Primary sources - [European Commission LVD Guide](https://ec.europa.eu/docsroom/documents/31221?ref=sorena.io) - Grounds the component-scope distinction, incorporated-component examples, technical documentation expectations, CE marking guidance, and relationship with other EU acts. - Quote: "Are components included in the scope?" - [Directive 2014/35/EU on electrical equipment within certain voltage limits](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2014/35/oj?ref=sorena.io) - Binding LVD source for scope, safety objectives, economic-operator duties, technical documentation, EU declaration of conformity, and CE marking. - Quote: "electrical equipment designed for use within certain voltage limits" ## Topic Guides - [Are chargers and power adapters covered by the EU Low Voltage Directive? | LVD FAQ](/artifacts/eu/low-voltage-directive/faq/chargers-and-adapters.md): LVD FAQ for chargers, external power supplies, travel adapters, CE marking, technical documentation, instructions, harmonised standards, and EMC, RED, and RoHS overlap. - [EU Low Voltage Directive applicability test](/artifacts/eu/low-voltage-directive/applicability-test.md): Check whether electrical equipment falls under the EU Low Voltage Directive by voltage rating, Annex II exclusions, components, evaluation kits, batteries, CE marking, and adjacent EU product rules. - [EU Low Voltage Directive compliance guide](/artifacts/eu/low-voltage-directive/compliance.md): Concrete LVD compliance guide covering scope, safety objectives, manufacturer duties, internal production control, EU declaration, CE marking, technical documentation, labels, importer and distributor checks, and post-market action. - [EU Low Voltage Directive deadlines and compliance calendar](/artifacts/eu/low-voltage-directive/deadlines-and-compliance-calendar.md): Calendar checkpoints for LVD 2014/35/EU: current-law status, release evidence gates, OJEU standard withdrawals, 10-year records, and post-market triggers. - [EU Low Voltage Directive exclusion triage workflow](/artifacts/eu/low-voltage-directive/exclusion-triage-workflow.md): A concrete LVD exclusion triage workflow for voltage scope, Annex II exclusions, components, evaluation kits, radio equipment, EMC, Machinery, and evidence records. - [EU Low Voltage Directive FAQ: scope, duties, CE marking](/artifacts/eu/low-voltage-directive/faq.md): Answers to practical LVD questions on voltage limits, Annex II exclusions, batteries, chargers, components, economic operators, instructions, standards, CE marking, and post-market controls. - [EU Low Voltage Directive post-market controls](/artifacts/eu/low-voltage-directive/post-market-controls.md): LVD post-market controls for corrective action, recalls, complaints, technical documentation, EU declarations, authority cooperation, and 2019/1020 market surveillance. - [EU Low Voltage Directive requirements](/artifacts/eu/low-voltage-directive/requirements.md): LVD requirements for voltage scope, Annex I safety objectives, economic operator duties, internal production control, technical files, EU declarations, CE marking, standards, and market surveillance. - [EU Low Voltage Directive scope and covered products](/artifacts/eu/low-voltage-directive/scope-and-products.md): Scope notes for the EU Low Voltage Directive: voltage limits, Annex II exclusions, components, chargers, adapters, and boundaries with RED, Machinery, and EMC rules. - [EU LVD standard selection and OJEU checks](/artifacts/eu/low-voltage-directive/standard-selection.md): How to select Low Voltage Directive harmonised standards, check OJEU status, map Annex I safety objectives, and document alternatives in the technical file. - [Household Appliances under the Low Voltage Directive | LVD FAQ](/artifacts/eu/low-voltage-directive/faq/household-appliances.md): FAQ on how household and similar electrical appliances are treated under the EU Low Voltage Directive, including scope, safety objectives, CE marking, documentation, standards, and operator roles. - [Low Voltage Directive vs EMC Directive: safety and EMC comparison](/artifacts/eu/low-voltage-directive/low-voltage-directive-vs-emc-directive.md): Compare the EU Low Voltage Directive and EMC Directive by scope, safety objectives, electromagnetic disturbance, immunity, CE marking, declarations, documentation, and standards. - [Low Voltage Directive vs Machinery Regulation boundary](/artifacts/eu/low-voltage-directive/low-voltage-directive-vs-machinery-regulation.md): Grounded comparison of the LVD and EU machinery law boundary for electrical equipment, machine electrical hazards, control gear, documentation, and CE marking. - [LVD Annex II exclusions under Directive 2014/35/EU](/artifacts/eu/low-voltage-directive/annex-ii-exclusions.md): Practical EU Low Voltage Directive guide to Annex II excluded equipment, boundary cases, and records to keep when a product is outside LVD scope. - [LVD combined CE files for multi-regime products](/artifacts/eu/low-voltage-directive/combined-ce-files.md): How to keep EU declarations, standards, risk assessments, instructions, labels, and technical documentation aligned when LVD products also trigger EMC, RED, RoHS, machinery, or market-surveillance checks. - [LVD Compliance Checklist](/artifacts/eu/low-voltage-directive/checklist.md): EU Low Voltage Directive checklist covering scope, safety objectives, standards, technical documentation, EU declaration, CE marking, labelling, traceability, and post-market duties. - [LVD conformity assessment and CE marking](/artifacts/eu/low-voltage-directive/conformity-assessment-and-ce.md): EU Low Voltage Directive guide to internal production control, technical documentation, harmonised standards, EU declarations of conformity, and CE placement. - [LVD Conformity Assessment Template](/artifacts/eu/low-voltage-directive/lvd-conformity-assessment-template.md): Template fields for documenting Low Voltage Directive scope, Annex I safety objectives, standards, technical documentation, EU declaration, CE marking, and production control evidence. - [LVD Essential Safety Hazards and Objectives](/artifacts/eu/low-voltage-directive/essential-safety-hazards.md): EU Low Voltage Directive hazard map for Annex I safety objectives: electrical contact, heat, arcs, radiation, insulation, assembly, overload, mechanical, environmental, and foreseeable-use risks. - [LVD Essential Safety Requirements](/artifacts/eu/low-voltage-directive/essential-safety-requirements.md): Annex I safety objectives under the EU Low Voltage Directive: safe construction, markings, instructions, electrical hazards, external influences, insulation, temperature, and technical-file evidence. - [LVD harmonised standard update workflow](/artifacts/eu/low-voltage-directive/harmonized-standard-update-impact-workflow.md): Workflow for checking Low Voltage Directive harmonised standard updates, affected products, withdrawal dates, presumption of conformity, retesting, technical files, and declarations. - [LVD Harmonised Standards and OJEU Citations](/artifacts/eu/low-voltage-directive/harmonized-standards.md): Track Low Voltage Directive harmonised standards by OJEU reference, presumption of conformity, restrictions, withdrawals, replacements, and technical-file evidence. - [LVD importer obligations FAQ | Directive 2014/35/EU](/artifacts/eu/low-voltage-directive/faq/importers.md): What importers must check before placing LVD electrical equipment on the EU market: conformity assessment, CE marking, EU declaration, traceability, storage, corrective action, and authority cooperation. - [LVD instructions and labelling requirements | FAQ](/artifacts/eu/low-voltage-directive/faq/instructions-and-labelling.md): What the Low Voltage Directive requires for instructions, safety information, traceability, manufacturer/importer labels, CE marking, and retained evidence. - [LVD Internal Production Control: Module A Evidence](/artifacts/eu/low-voltage-directive/internal-production-control.md): How manufacturers document Low Voltage Directive Module A: technical documentation, safety objectives, harmonised standards, EU declaration, CE marking, and production controls. - [LVD penalties and enforcement](/artifacts/eu/low-voltage-directive/penalties-and-fines.md): How penalties and enforcement work under the EU Low Voltage Directive: Member State penalty rules, market surveillance action, recalls, restrictions, and cooperation. - [LVD release evidence gates workflow](/artifacts/eu/low-voltage-directive/release-evidence-gates-workflow.md): Product-release gates for EU Low Voltage Directive evidence: voltage scope, safety objectives, standards, technical documentation, EU declaration, CE marking, labelling, production control, operator checks, and post-market triggers. - [LVD spare parts FAQ | CE marking and evidence](/artifacts/eu/low-voltage-directive/faq/spare-parts.md): How to handle spare parts under the EU Low Voltage Directive when a part is electrical equipment, built into finished equipment, imported, modified, or documented for repair. - [LVD Technical Documentation Checklist](/artifacts/eu/low-voltage-directive/technical-documentation.md): What to keep in EU Low Voltage Directive technical documentation: product identity, design and manufacturing records, risk assessment, standards, tests, declaration, CE marking, instructions, and authority access. - [LVD voltage scope triage workflow](/artifacts/eu/low-voltage-directive/voltage-scope-triage-workflow.md): A concrete Low Voltage Directive scope workflow for AC/DC thresholds, intended-use claims, Annex II exclusions, components, chargers, adapters, and RED, EMC, or Machinery routing. - [LVD voltage thresholds: 50-1000 V AC and 75-1500 V DC](/artifacts/eu/low-voltage-directive/voltage-thresholds.md): How the EU Low Voltage Directive voltage limits work for rated input and output voltage, battery-powered equipment, chargers, Annex II exclusions, and RED, EMC, or Machinery routing. - [LVD vs MSR: Low Voltage Directive and Market Surveillance Regulation](/artifacts/eu/low-voltage-directive/lvd-vs-msr.md): Compare LVD electrical-equipment conformity duties with Regulation (EU) 2019/1020 market surveillance, economic-operator cooperation, corrective action, online sales, and border controls. - [LVD vs RED: electrical safety and radio equipment scope](/artifacts/eu/low-voltage-directive/lvd-vs-red.md): Compare the Low Voltage Directive and Radio Equipment Directive for electrical safety, radio scope, CE files, chargers, adapters, and harmonised standards. - [LVD vs RoHS: electrical safety vs substance restriction](/artifacts/eu/low-voltage-directive/lvd-vs-rohs.md): Compare LVD and RoHS at the CE file boundary: electrical safety evidence, hazardous-substance restriction, declarations, standards, and documentation overlap. - [What happens when an LVD harmonised standard is withdrawn or replaced? | LVD FAQ](/artifacts/eu/low-voltage-directive/faq/standards-withdrawal.md): How LVD manufacturers should handle OJEU standard withdrawals, replacement references, presumption of conformity, technical documentation updates, and transition dates. - [When are battery-powered products covered by the Low Voltage Directive? | LVD FAQ](/artifacts/eu/low-voltage-directive/faq/battery-powered-products.md): LVD FAQ explaining when battery-only products, bundled chargers, adapters, external power supplies, and integrated supplies fall inside or outside Directive 2014/35/EU. - [Which AC and DC voltage thresholds bring equipment into the Low Voltage Directive? | LVD FAQ](/artifacts/eu/low-voltage-directive/faq/ac-and-dc-thresholds.md): LVD FAQ explaining the 50-1000 V AC and 75-1500 V DC scope thresholds, input and output ratings, exclusions, and common product edge cases. *Recommended next step* *Placement: after safety documentation section* ## Review component evidence before final CE marking Check whether each component is LVD equipment in its own right or integration evidence for the finished product, then align supplier files, risk assessment, technical documentation, EU declaration, and CE marking. - [Open Research Copilot](/solutions/research-copilot.md): Trace LVD component, documentation, and CE marking questions to official EU sources. - [Talk through implementation](/contact.md): Review component classification, supplier evidence, technical-file gaps, and final-product declarations. --- [Privacy Policy](https://www.sorena.io/privacy) | [Terms of Use](https://www.sorena.io/terms-of-use) | [DMCA](https://www.sorena.io/dmca) | [About Us](https://www.sorena.io/about-us) (c) 2026 Sorena AB (559573-7338). 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