UKCA Marking

The UK Conformity Assessed (UKCA) mark is the UK’s product conformity mark for goods placed on the market in Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales). It was introduced after Brexit to replace the CE mark in Great Britain, but UK government guidance now allows continued use of CE marking for most goods indefinitely, alongside UKCA.

For anyone carrying out PAT testing, the key point is this: conformity marks relate to placing goods on the market, whereas PAT testing is about in-service safety. However, markings can still be useful during the visual inspection stage, especially where a mark looks suspicious, incorrect, or appears on items it shouldn’t.

Related reading: For how CE marking relates to PAT inspection and common misuse, see our CE marking guide, our guide to counterfeit electrical equipment, and examples of fake chargers.

In a nutshell

• Great Britain: for most regulated products you can generally use UKCA or CE marking (provided requirements are met).
• Northern Ireland: CE marking continues to apply under NI rules; UKCA is not used for placing goods on the NI market.
• UKNI: used in addition to CE in Northern Ireland when mandatory third-party conformity assessment is carried out by a UK-approved body.

Rules for using the UKCA mark

• The letters forming the UKCA mark must keep the correct proportions.
• The UKCA mark must be at least 5mm high (unless different minimum dimensions apply in the relevant legislation).
• The mark must be visible and legible. Where and how it must be applied (on product, label, packaging or documentation) can vary by product area, check current GOV.UK guidance.

Great Britain and Northern Ireland

UKCA marking only applies in Great Britain. In Northern Ireland, products that require certification, must still use the CE marking. For products that require conformity assessment by a notified body, they must also display an additional UKNI mark if the assessment was made by a UK conformity assessment body. Products with the UKNI mark can not be exported to the EU as they must have undergone a conformity assessment by an EU notified body.

Note: the UKNI mark is never used on its own, it always accompanies an EU conformity marking such as CE. Goods marked with CE + UKNI can be placed on the NI market, but cannot be placed on the EU market.

UKCA/CE markings during PAT inspection

Conformity marks do not prove an item is safe, but they can help spot warning signs during the visual inspection stage, particularly with counterfeit or poor-quality imports. If you want to build confidence in inspection and testing, this is covered in our PAT testing courses, including the accredited City & Guilds 2377 course.

Further information

For the most up-to-date official guidance on UKCA and UKNI marking (including any current easements and sector-specific rules), refer to the GOV.UK links below.

• GOV.UK: Using the UKCA marking
• GOV.UK: Using the UKNI marking