Government announces extension to recognition of CE Marking

On 2 September, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government announced the extension of the recognition of CE marking for construction products.

Currently, the recognition of CE marking will cease in June 2025; the extension of the period means the CE mark will continue to be accepted when placing construction products on the market across the UK.

The extension follows the Independent Review of the Construction Products Testing Regime, which highlighted that the UK currently lacks sufficient testing and certification capacity to meet the volume of conformity assessments that would be necessary if CE recognition were to end.

The review made it clear that ending recognition of the CE mark without first reforming the domestic regulatory regime could create trade barriers and negatively impact the supply of products that meet recognised standards.

In addition, the government acknowledged the critical role of UK Conformity Assessment Bodies in ensuring product compliance and intends to work closely with these bodies, the UK Accreditation Service, and the broader industry to strengthen the conformity assessment market.

Furthermore, any future changes to the recognition of CE marking will include a minimum two-year transitional period to provide the industry with the certainty needed to support supply chains.

For now, it is an end to the uncertainty regarding CE marking for timber-based products. TRA members can continue to operate until further details about the CE marking is released by the government.

Nick Boulton, chief executive of the TRA said:

“The announcement of the extension to the recognition of CE marking for construction products provides a  clearer path forward, reducing uncertainty and allowing TRA members to operate.

“The extension also ensures that our industry has sufficient time to adapt to any future regulatory changes, with the promise of a minimum two-year transitional period. This is particularly critical for products like metal web beams which use technical approvals to support their conformity marking, and were facing a cliff edge next June.

“For now, we can confidently continue our work knowing the CE mark remains valid in the UK market.”

The government’s full statement can be found by clicking here.