According to Directive 2013/29 /EU, pyrotechnic articles must comply with the essential safety requirements (ESR) before being placed on the EU market. Manufacturers should ensure that their products meet the essential safety requirements. The notified body must be involved in the conformity assessment procedures. To meet the requirements of the directive, CerTrust Ltd. has world-class expertise in testing and certification services on the field of pyrotechnics. Our certification process bases on the harmonized standards of the European Union.

We are a notified body in the European Union in the conformity assessment procedures for pyrotechnic articles and we are actively involved in the regular meetings of the notified bodies, the standardization committees, so we are up to date on the latest developments in the area and regulations. Our experts are internationally recognized, not to mention that we are in daily contact with manufacturers, distributors and importers. Our pyrotechnic certificates cover all categories of the directive.

The pyrotechnic articles listed in the Directive:

• Fireworks (F1,F2,F3,F4)
• Theatrical pyrotechnic articles (T1,T2)
• Other pyrotechnic articles (mainly for technical purposes), e.g.: Gas Generators, Alarms, etc. (P1,P2)
• Pyrotechnic articles for vehicles, e.g..: safety belt pretensioners, airbag modules

Conformity assessment procedure to CE mark

The conformity assessment procedure under Directive 2013/29 / EU consists of two steps:

1. Design Phase - EU Type Examination (Module B)
2. Production Phase - Conformity to Type Based on Different Aspects (Module C2, D or E)
3. Both phases
   • Module H: Compliance based on full quality assurance (for F4 class fireworks only). In this case, Module B is not necessary because it also covers the design phase.

The purpose of the type examination is to assess whether the product meets the essential safety requirements (ESR) of the Directive. This assessment must be carried out by a notified body, in this case (NB 2806). For this reason, the relevant harmonized standards are used for conformity assessment procedures. According to the Directive 2013/29/EU, products with similar characteristics are grouped into product families based on their appearance, parameters and function.

Compulsory tests required by Type Examination (Module B):

• Functional test of the product in its original form
• Functional test after testing the thermal stability of the product
• Functional test after testing the mechanical stability of the product
• Product disassembly

The manufacturer must provide the following information for the application:

• The name and address of the manufacturer, if the application is made by an authorized representative, the name and address of this applicant.
• EU Tax number
• Declaration that the same application has not been lodged with any other Notified body
• Information regarding the product submitted for type examination:
• Technical documentation
• General description of the product
• Main parts, components, production plans and sketches
• Labelling design

You can download our application form from the Downloads menu.

Once the type-examination has proven that the product type complies with the ESR, it must be verified that the manufactured articles conform to the type certification before being placed on the EU market.

When checking the production phase, the applicant can choose from the module system (based on preference and possibility) given in the Directive 2013/29/EU (Annex II):

• Module C2
  • Conformity to type based on internal production control plus supervised product checks at random intervals. A detailed examination of all the items to be placed on the EU market by the manufacturer.
• Module D
  • Conformity to type based on quality assurance of the production process. The manufacturer operates an approved quality system for the production, final product inspection and testing of the pyrotechnic articles concerned. The chosen notified body shall monitor the quality management system.
• Module E
  • Conformity to type based on product quality assurance. The manufacturer operates an approved quality system for final product inspection and testing of the pyrotechnic articles concerned. The chosen notified body shall monitor the quality management system.
• Module G
  • Conformity based on unit verification

Strengths of CerTrust in this area

• Experts with more than a decade of experience in internationally recognized manufacturing and conformity assessment.
• A wide range of relationships with experts, consulting companies, authorities, manufacturers, importers, trading companies.
• Wide range of experience with the conformity assessment requirements of pyrotechnic articles in all categories of the Directive.
• Fast response, smooth communication, work out the details of the test before the actual test phase
• High level competence of our Hungarian and Chinese offices and laboratories
• 20-25 business days lead time (EU Type examination)

Legal background

Cultural habits and traditions vary greatly from one Member State to another. For this reason, Member States may take national measures to prohibit or restrict the purchase of certain categories of fireworks to consumers based on of public policy, security or environmental protection.

The publication of the First Directive in July 2007 marked the beginning of the transitional period. The Directive stated that, after a transitional period, all pyrotechnic articles must possess the CE marking in order to comply with the essential safety requirements of the Directive. This means that fireworks of categories 1, 2 and 3 must have a CE marking issued by a notified body by July 2010, unless a national license for relevant fireworks have been issued by July 2010. From 4 July 2017, all pyrotechnic articles covered by Directive 2013/29/EU must comply with the ESR before being placed on the market.

Source: https://certrust.eu/en/services/pyrotechnic-articles