Directive 2011/65/EU – Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS)
Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive
Select standards for Directive 2011/65/EU for RoHS certification at the linkIf your product is listed below or you know it falls under Directive 2011/65/EU, request a certification cost estimate
What Directive 2011/65/EU (RoHS) Covers
Directive RoHS 2011/65/EU is a legislative measure enacted by the European Union to reduce the harmful impact of hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment on humans and the environment.
The primary goal is to ensure safer manufacturing of electrical and electronic devices throughout all stages of their life cycle.
Some believe that Directive RoHS 2011/65/EU is not as important as the Electromagnetic Compatibility Directive 2014/30/EU or the Low Voltage Directive 2014/35/EU – but this is not true.
Under the new approach, using components falling under RoHS in manufacturing becomes a legal issue. To place any product on the EU market for consumer access, businesses must use equipment compliant with RoHS. Therefore, under CE marking, all products sold to consumers must comply with European harmonized standards and thus meet the requirements of all Directives, including those covered by these standards.
The RoHS Directive serves as a simple guide to human safety. While substances like lead and beryllium oxide may not pose immediate short-term threats, they become dangerous with prolonged exposure. Washing hands alone does not eliminate the risks. Exposure occurs through physical contact, including bare-hand use.
Directive RoHS 2011/65/EU is a legislative measure enacted by the European Union to reduce the harmful impact of hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment on humans and the environment.
The primary goal is to ensure safer manufacturing of electrical and electronic devices throughout all stages of their life cycle.
Some believe that Directive RoHS 2011/65/EU is not as important as the Electromagnetic Compatibility Directive 2014/30/EU or the Low Voltage Directive 2014/35/EU – but this is not true.
Under the new approach, using components falling under RoHS in manufacturing becomes a legal issue. To place any product on the EU market for consumer access, businesses must use equipment compliant with RoHS. Therefore, under CE marking, all products sold to consumers must comply with European harmonized standards and thus meet the requirements of all Directives, including those covered by these standards.
The RoHS Directive serves as a simple guide to human safety. While substances like lead and beryllium oxide may not pose immediate short-term threats, they become dangerous with prolonged exposure. Washing hands alone does not eliminate the risks. Exposure occurs through physical contact, including bare-hand use.
The maximum allowable concentrations of key hazardous substances in electrical and electronic products under RoHS are:
- Lead, mercury, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyls (PBB), and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE): not more than 0.1% by weight;
- Cadmium: not more than 0.01% by weight;
- DEHP, BBP, DBP, and DIBP: not more than 0.1% by weight.
Products Excluded from Directive 2011/65/EU
Directive 2011/65/EU does not apply to:/p>
- Equipment essential for the protection of the essential interests of Member States’ security, including arms, munitions, and military materials intended exclusively for military purposes;
- Equipment intended for launch into space;
- Equipment specifically designed to be part of another type of equipment excluded from or not within the scope of the RoHS Directive, which can perform its function only when part of that equipment and can be replaced only by the same specifically designed equipment;
- Large-scale stationary industrial tools or installations;
- Vehicles for transporting people or goods, except electric two-wheel vehicles without type approval;
- Off-road mobile machinery available only for professional use;
- Active implantable medical devices;
- Photovoltaic panels designed for installation by professionals in a specific location to generate solar energy for public, commercial, industrial, and residential use;
- Equipment designed exclusively for R&D purposes and made available only on a business-to-business basis.
Products Covered by Directive 2011/65/EU
A RoHS certificate confirms that a product complies with the requirements of Directive 2011/65/EU and applies to the following equipment categories:
- Large household appliances;
- Small household appliances;
- IT and telecommunications equipment;
- Consumer equipment;
- Lighting equipment;
- Electrical and electronic tools;
- Toys, leisure, and sports equipment;
- Medical devices;
- Monitoring and control instruments, including industrial monitoring and control instruments;
- Automatic dispensers.