CB Scheme

The CB Scheme for electrical appliances: single test with multiple benefits

Other countries - other safety standards - other test marks ... and nevertheless, only one testing procedure:
The CB Scheme (CB = Certification Body) makes it possible.
It is based on the principle of mutual recognition of test results through the participating National Certification Bodies. In the meantime, certification bodies in over 30 countries - including the leading industrial nations - have joined the CB Scheme.
As a manufacturer of electrical appliances, this procedure offers you decisive advantages:
A single testing and certification process is sufficient to obtain national test marks for many countries worldwide. Multiple testing is no longer necessary. The required national test marks are granted quickly and smoothly on the basis of the CB certificate.

In brief: the CB Scheme minimizes your time and cost expenditure for testing and certification of your products. It provides quick market access worldwide and thus secures you competitive and sales advantages.
TÜV Rheinland Product Safety GmbH has been integrated in the
CB Scheme as a National Certification Body for many years. We are pleased to provide you with comprehensive information on all aspects of this complex theme.

Overview

The CB Scheme - a test procedure for the whole world

TÜV Rheinland Product Safety GmbH offers worldwide service to manufacturers and exporters in the electrical goods industry. In 1994, we were accepted as a member of the international CB scheme group. As such, we are authorised to issue CB test reports and certificates for you as well as to pronounce certification on the basis of CB test reports by another testing body recognised as a member in the CB scheme. This means that the test results are recognized in all 38 countries participating in the CB scheme, without having the customer go through the same procedures again and again.

The CB scheme is a rather complicated business for those who are not versed in the world of international technical standardisation and raises a lot of questions. For this reason, in this brochure we have compiled a list of the questions and answers which prevail most often for customers. We certainly cannot claim completeness.

Details

The CB Scheme - a test procedure for the whole world

What is intended by the CB scheme?
The objectives of the CB scheme are:

• Recognition of test results in a wide range of different countries
• Simplification of the procedure for acquiring a national test mark without having to undergo several tests in accordance with the same IEC standard
• Reduction of international trade barriers.

What does the CB scheme achieve?
It is the only international scheme for mutual, world-wide recognition of test results among the members applying the CB scheme in order to acquire a national test mark. The scheme is based on a CB certificate and a CB test report showing that the equipment submitted has successfully passed the test in accordance with the applicable IEC standard.

What is a CB certificate?
A CB certificate issued by a member of the CB scheme group serves as proof to other members in the system that a test sample of the product concerned has been tested and complies with the IEC standard applied. The CB certificate is valid only in conjunction with the relevant CB test report. A CB certificate is not intended to be used for product advertising purposes, but may however be publicized as part of public relations work, for example in a trade journal.

What is a CB test report?
The CB test report is a standardized test report consisting of a reference check list. In this procedure, the technical standard applied is worked through point by point. It makes a clear and unequivocal statement on the test result, similar to a statement of conformity of the product. In general one or more photographs of the product are included to show clearly how the device is constructed or how particularly critical features of the device are designed with respect to equipment safety.

Are the test results recognized everywhere?
That is exactly the point of the CB scheme. When testing of a device has been completed and the device found to comply with the technical standard applied and with any national deviations which may be required, the national certification body commissioned will issue the CB documents, i.e. CB certificate and CB test report. The manufacturer can then submit these documents and, if required, a test sample to any other member institute participating in the CB scheme in a different country in order to acquire a corresponding national test mark. The other institute carries out a visual check on the test specimen to verify that it is the same as the one tested. If this is the case, no additional tests are necessary.

Who is responsible for and supervises the CB scheme?
The scheme is administered by the IECEE Certification Management Committee (CMC). The CMC, on the other hand, operates under the supervision of a council of the International Electrotechnical Commission.

What is the scope of the CB scheme?
The CB scheme is applied to electrical and electronic devices, for which an IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission) standard exists, which is accepted by the IECEE system, and to which a minimum of at least 3 members of the CB scheme group adhere.

Which rules and procedures are used in CB procedure testing?
The rules and procedures used in this, for which IEC standards form the common standards base, are laid down in two publications entitled:

• Publication IECEE 01: Basic Rules of the System
• Publication IECEE 02: Rules of Procedure of the Scheme of the IECEE for Mutual Recognition of Test Certificates for Electrical Equipment (CB Scheme)
• Publication IECEE03: Rules of Procedures of the Scheme of the IECEE for Mutual Recognition of Confirmity Assessment Certificates according to Standards for Safety of Electrical Equipment (CB-FCS)

Which certification bodies may become members of the CB scheme?
The certification body must be a member of the IECEE System and be recognized as a National Certification Body (NCB). There may be several NCBs within one and the same country. The national standards for which an NCB has received authorization must, to a large extent, conform with the relevant IEC standards. The national certification body must provide individual proof of its competence to test and certify for every IEC standard, for which it wishes to apply the CB scheme. Mutual recognition of the CB documents is restricted to these standards. To become accepted as an NCB for the CB scheme, the national certification body must undergo extensive audits. In these audits, the quality management system, the test laboratory, and the personnel are scrutinized.

Are there different types of national certification bodies?
Yes, a NCB can qualify as a "Recognizing NCB" or as an "Issuing and Recognizing NCB": A "Recognizing NCB" is a certification body which accepts the CB documents of another member in the CB scheme as the basis for national certification. This may apply to one or more product groups, depending on which IEC standards the certification body is authorized to use the CB scheme for. An "Issuing and Recognizing NCB" is a certification body such as, e.g. TÜV Rheinland Product Safety GmbH, which is authorized both to recognize CB documents and to issue CB test reports and CB certificates. This applies to IEC standards which have been accepted for the CB scheme.

Which responsibilities does a national certification body have?
The function and responsibility of an NCB depends on the status of its accreditation in the CB scheme and on the particular situation in the respective country. An NCB may perform the following activities:

• Testing of a product in accordance with IEC standards in the owned accredited test laboratory (CBTL)
• Assessment of production factories
• Checking of national deviations for those countries to which the product is to be exported
• Issuing of CB certificates
• Issuing of CB test reports
• Recognition of CB test reports
• Issuing of certificates for the use of own test marks.

Are there country-specific differences between national certification bodies? Yes, in some countries there is, for example, no compulsory testing of "Consumer Products". In other countries, testing of such products in a recognized test laboratory is compulsory. Furthermore, some individual NCBs demand an initial production plant inspection prior to certification. (Production plant inspections are compulsory in some countries.) What are national deviations?

The IEC standards are not automatically and unreservedly accepted by every country. To acquire a national test mark, the device to be tested has to comply with the national standard. In Europe, these are the EN standards and HD documents. This may make tests in addition to the IEC standard necessary. Can a national certification body participating in the CB scheme also test national deviations of other countries?

Yes, an NCB participating in the CB scheme can carry out and confirm these tests, provided that the required measuring instruments are available. The test results are then entered in the CB test report as an addendum and are accepted by other NCBs. The national deviations of all the countries participating in the CB scheme must of course be made known to the other members in the CB scheme. These are publicized regularly in the CB Bulletin. Which countries take part in the CB scheme?

Certification - and testing bodies from 38 countries, among them the world's most important industrial nations, are members of the CB scheme: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, China, the Czech Republic, Denmark, United Kingdom, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Russia, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, USA, Yugoslavia

What is a CB Bulletin?
A CB Bulletin is a publication published by the CB secretariat approx. 2 to 3 times a year. Basically, this publication contains the following:

• The IEC standards which are accepted for the CB scheme
• Statistics on how many certificates have been awarded
• National deviations from IEC standards
• Information about the national certification bodies participating in the CB scheme
• A list of the products certified under the CB scheme

 

What do you have to do?

What do you have to pay particular attention to?

The procedure for acquiring the CB documents and therefore national test marks of other countries can be described as follows:

• An application for the award of a CB certificate must be made to the "Issuing and Recognizing NCB" which has been authorized to apply the CB scheme for the standard in question.
• The manufacturer/exporter or an authorized representative of the manufacturer/exporter may file the application.
• The applicant must list all production plants, including those located abroad.
• An applicant may turn to a foreign NCB of his choice, in particular when in his own country there is no NCB for the standard in question, provided the foreign NCB has a suitable CB test laboratory and has been authorized in the CB scheme for this standard.

 

Market Access Services - World

CB Scheme Further approvals