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 CB
Scheme Overview
CB is abbreviated for the term
"certification body". The CB Scheme is not a single testing or marking,
instead, it is the mutual recognition of tests and certificates among
a series of National Certification Bodies (NCBs) in many different
countries. Reference document for is the “CB Test Certificate” in
conjunction with the relevant test reports. CB scheme members issue “CB
Test Certificate” in connection to the test report. Based one the
certificate and report released by one member, other CB members will be
able to issue licenses of their national level. Therefore, each country
that each member belongs to does not need to repeat a complete set of
approval tests.
The CB Scheme was established by The
International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) with a purpose of
reducing obstacles to international trade for certain types of
electrical and electronic equipment. Before the CB Scheme, testing and
certifications in which global trade are involved were complicated.
Manufacturers had to have their products tested and certified by the
testing labs and certification bodies in many different countries in
order to export to their market, which was extremely difficult,
time-consuming and costly.
The NCB that issues a license to use a
national mark of conformity on the grounds of a CB Test Certificate will
check the product for compliance with the results of the test report.
The NCB will also examine whether deviations from the national standards
have been considered. A CB Test Certificate as such does not entitle the
holder to use a mark of conformity, rather it simplifies the procurement
of national marks of conformity within the other CB member countries.
Currently, 34 countries, including America, Canada, China, Japanese,
Singapore, Russia, Australia, and European countries, etc. are members
of the CB scheme.
Product
Categories Covered Under the CB Scheme
The CB Scheme are applicable to a
series of electrical and electronic equipment covered by IEC standards.
About 180 products are covered under the following categories.
Cables and Cords
Capacitors as components
Switches for appliances and automatic controls for electrical household
appliances
Household
equipment and similar equipment
Installation
accessories and connection devices
Lighting
Measuring
instruments
Electrical
equipment for medical use
IT
and office equipment
Low
voltage and high power switching equipment
Installation
protective equipment
Safety
transformers and similar equipment
Portable
tools
Electronic
entertainment
Issuance
and recognition of the CB Test Certificates
Previously, the CB Scheme only accepted
the applications from the applicants that manufacture their products in
a CB member country. A manufacturer also had to file the application
with the NCB in their own country. These rules have been changed
recently so the manufacturers from non-member countries can also apply
for a CB Certificate, and the manufacturers can submit their application
to any NCB in the world. In addition, the manufacturer may be
represented by an applicant who acts on their behalf; an application may
also include multiple factories located in multiple countries.
The new CB Scheme has made certification process simpler. If a piece of
equipment is modified after the CB Test Certificate was issued, only an
appendix to the original test report needs be drafted instead of
repeating the entire testing process. The appendix must contain the
pages of the test report which are relevant for the modified equipment
and a certificate form.
Who can
benefit from the CB Scheme?
Export oriented manufacturers are
certainly on the top of the list. They can save significant amount of
time, efforts and expenses by not having to go through the conformity
testing processes in each national market again and again. Generally the
product needs to be tested only once against international standards in
order to obtain the necessary national certification in various
countries.
The certified equipment will be
included in the "List of CB Test Certificates" that is published every
years as a guide for wholesalers who can procure equipment conforming to
integral international safety standards from manufacturers in many
countries of the world. In the case that additional procedures are
needed to comply with national differences, the user of this scheme can
save time by applying for additional tests that cover only the national
deviations from the relevant international safety standards. If a
manufacturer knows to what countries their products are going to be
exported, this can even be done in the first testing. All CB Scheme
testing laboratories have information available on national conditions
in the various countries. |
