Machinery Instructions: Content, Languages and the New Digital Format Rules

The same Article sets the language test, and Annex III, section 1.7.4 of the Regulation sets the content in 24 points, (a) to (x).

The Regulation replaces Directive 2006/42/EC, which applies until 19 January 2027 through national law. Both acts require instructions with every machine, but the Regulation adds written digital conditions, hands the choice of language to each Member State and adds two content points, so instructions are planned against the EU Machinery Regulation now.

The sections below follow the definition, the digital conditions, paper, language, content, preparation and the 2027 change. The table gives nine core rules with their legal basis.

What Are Instructions for Use under the Machinery Regulation?

Article 3(17) of Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 defines instructions for use as the information the manufacturer provides when the machinery or related product is placed on the market or put into service, to inform the user of its intended and proper use, the precautions for use and installation, and how to keep it safe and fit for purpose during its entire lifetime.

The full wording in the consolidated text of Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 on EUR-Lex reads as follows.

"'instructions for use' means the information, provided by the manufacturer when the machinery or related product is placed on the market or put into service, to inform the user of the machinery or related product, of the intended and proper use of that machinery or related product, as well as information on any precautions to be taken when using or installing the machinery or related product, including information on the safety aspects, and on how to keep that machinery or related product safe, and to ensure that it remains fit for purpose during its entire lifetime"

Instructions are the document that travels to the user. The technical documentation under Annex IV stays with the manufacturer (Article 10(3)), and the EU declaration of conformity accompanies the product or is reached through an internet address or machine-readable code (Article 10(8)). The three documents are compared under machinery documentation and instructions.

Who Must Supply Instructions and When

The manufacturer supplies the instructions with every machine or related product, because Annex III, section 1.7.4 requires instructions to accompany the product and Annex III, Part B, point 2 makes section 1.7.4 apply in all cases.

Sections 1.1.2, 1.7.3 and 1.7.4 are the three requirements that apply whether or not a hazard exists, so a risk assessment never removes the duty.

Article 10(7), first subparagraph, adds that the instructions and information clearly describe the product model to which they correspond. Under the Article 3(17) definition, the information is provided when the product is placed on the market or put into service.

Digital Instructions under Article 10(7): The Conditions

Article 10(7) of Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 allows the instructions for use to be provided in digital format, on three conditions: the product shows how to access them, the format can be printed, downloaded and saved, and they stay online during the expected lifetime and for at least 10 years after placing on the market.

Two paper rules apply to every digital set as well. Table 2 sets out each condition with its provision.

Marking How to Access the Digital Instructions

The manufacturer indicates on the machinery or related product, or where that is not possible on its packaging or in an accompanying document, how to access the digital instructions (Article 10(7)(a)). The product itself comes first; packaging or a document is the fallback.

The access notice belongs with the other indications a machine carries, such as the manufacturer's contact details and the CE marking. All mandatory indications are set out under machine nameplate markings.

How Long Digital Instructions Must Stay Online

Digital instructions stay accessible online during the expected lifetime of the machinery or related product and for at least 10 years after it is placed on the market (Article 10(7)(c)).

The same period applies to a digital EU declaration of conformity whose internet address or machine-readable code is given in the instructions (Article 10(8)). Both periods run alongside the retention of the technical documentation under Article 10(3), which is kept for national authorities, not published.

Instructions Embedded in the Machine's Software

Instructions embedded in the software of the machinery or related product must also be printable, downloadable and savable on an electronic device, and accessible at all times, in particular during a breakdown (Article 10(7)(b)).

The breakdown clause keeps them readable when the machine itself is not working. Article 11 applies the same rule to the assembly instructions of partly completed machinery.

When Instructions Must Still Be on Paper

Paper remains mandatory in two cases under Article 10(7) of Regulation (EU) 2023/1230: when the user asks for a paper copy at the time of purchase, and for the safety information that non-professional users need to put the product into service and use it safely.

The first case is tied to the moment of purchase, the second to the user group.

Paper Copies on Request: Manufacturer and Distributor Roles

When the user asks at the time of purchase, the manufacturer provides the instructions in paper format free of charge within one month (Article 10(7), third subparagraph).

Recital (40) of Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 asks manufacturers to ensure that distributors can supply paper instructions on request at the time of purchase, free of charge, and to consider giving contact details through which a paper copy can be sent by mail.

The Commission's Guide to application of the Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC, Edition 2.3 (April 2024), recommends the statement "The purchaser has the right to request to obtain, free of charge, the instructions for use in paper format". The dealer side of this process is covered under distributor obligations for machinery.

Safety Information on Paper for Non-Professional Users

Machinery intended for, or reasonably foreseeably used by, non-professional users comes with the safety information essential for putting it into service and using it safely in paper format (Article 10(7), fourth subparagraph). The test covers foreseeable use as well as the intended user group.

The Commission's guide to Directive 2006/42/EC names as a minimum the information on assembly, start-up, use, maintenance and transport of the machinery. The rest of the instructions may then be digital under the three conditions of Article 10(7).

Which Language Must Machinery Instructions Be In?

Article 10(7) of Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 requires instructions and information in a language which can be easily understood by users, as determined by the Member State concerned, and they must be clear, understandable and legible.

Annex I, section 1.7.4 of Directive 2006/42/EC asked instead for the official Community language or languages of the Member State in which the machinery is placed on the market and/or put into service.

In Germany, § 2 of the MaschinenDG requires German from 20 January 2027 for the instructions and the Annex III information, the paper safety information, the EU declaration of conformity and the notice on how to access digital instructions. The German rules are set out under machinery rules in Germany.

Maintenance Instructions for Specialised Personnel

Maintenance instructions intended for specialised personnel mandated by the manufacturer or its authorised representative may be supplied in only one official language of the Union which that personnel understands (Annex III, section 1.7.4, second paragraph). Instructions for operators and other users stay under the Member State test.

Original Instructions Labels: A Directive Rule That Ends

Annex I, section 1.7.4.1(a) and (b) of Directive 2006/42/EC requires the words "Original instructions" on each version verified by the manufacturer or its authorised representative, and "Translation of the original instructions" on every translation, which must be accompanied by the original.

Neither label appears in Annex III, section 1.7.4 or in Article 10(7) of Regulation (EU) 2023/1230, so the Regulation's text sets no labelling of language versions. The labels sit in the Directive 2006/42/EC text on EUR-Lex and are explained under Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC.

What Instructions Must Contain: The 24 Points of Annex III, Section 1.7.4.2

Annex III, section 1.7.4.2(1) of Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 lists 24 content points, (a) to (x), that the instructions must contain where relevant, two more than the 22 points, (a) to (v), of Annex I, section 1.7.4.2 of Directive 2006/42/EC.

Point (k) covers the instructions for putting into service and use and, if necessary, for the training of operators. Table 3 shows six of the 24 points.

Points (a), (b), (d) to (j) and (l) to (t) are set out in essential health and safety requirements (Annex III).

What Is New: Declaration Access, Rescue and Hazardous Substances

Two content points are new in the Regulation: point (v) on the precautions, devices and means for the immediate and gentle rescue of persons, and point (x) on emissions of hazardous substances.

Point (x) covers the characteristics of a capturing, filtration or discharge device where it is not supplied with the machine, and the flow rate, concentration or effectiveness of the capture device. Point (w) on non-ionising radiation is not new: it was point (v) of the Directive.

Point (c) now allows the EU declaration of conformity itself, or the internet address or machine-readable code where it can be accessed (Article 10(8)). The Directive asked for the declaration or a document setting out its contents. The declaration's own content is explained under EU declaration of conformity for machinery.

Extra Instruction Points for Specific Machinery Types

Four sections in chapters 2 to 4 of Annex III add instruction points for specific machinery types, as listed below.

• Food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical machinery: recommended products and methods for cleaning, disinfecting and rinsing (section 2.1.2; hygiene requirements for food machinery).
• Lifting accessories: intended use, limits of use, instructions for assembly, use and maintenance, and the static test coefficient used (section 4.4.1; lifting accessories under the Machinery Regulation).
• Lifting machinery: technical characteristics, the contents of the logbook, the test report and the installation measures (section 4.4.2; lifting machinery requirements).
• Autonomous mobile machinery: the characteristics of its intended travel, working areas and danger zones (section 3.6.3.3, new; autonomous mobile machinery).

Sales Literature Must Not Contradict the Instructions

Sales literature describing the machinery must not contradict the instructions as regards health and safety, and must contain the same emission information (Annex III, section 1.7.5). This rule was Annex I, section 1.7.4.3 of Directive 2006/42/EC.

How to Prepare Instructions That Meet the Regulation

Preparing instructions for use under Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 takes six steps, from identifying the users to running the paper-copy process. The six steps are listed below in order.

1. Identify whether non-professional users are intended or reasonably foreseeable users.
2. Write the content against Annex III, section 1.7.4.2(1) and the chapter points, using a drafting standard such as the EN ISO 20607 instruction handbook.
3. Set the language for each Member State of sale, as that Member State determines it.
4. Choose paper, digital or both, meeting Article 10(7)(a) to (c) for digital.
5. Set up free paper copies within one month, also through distributors.
6. Package the paper safety information where step 1 requires it, and describe the product model in every version.

What Changes for Machinery Instructions on 20 January 2027

From 20 January 2027, instructions for machinery placed on the market follow Article 10(7) and Annex III, section 1.7.4 of Regulation (EU) 2023/1230, and until 19 January 2027 Annex I, section 1.7.4 of Directive 2006/42/EC applies through national law; there is no parallel period.

Machinery placed on the market under the Directive before 20 January 2027 may continue to be made available (Article 52(1)).

The Commission's guide to Directive 2006/42/EC, Edition 2.3, states that respecting the Regulation's format provisions in Article 10(7), including paper safety information for non-professional use, can be considered to also ensure compliance with the Directive. The full correspondence between the two acts is set out under Machinery Regulation vs Machinery Directive.

Update the language test, the labels, points (c), (v) and (x) and the paper-request process. Table 4 compares both regimes.

Directive column per the Guide to Application of the Machinery Directive, Edition 2.3, and the Directive text.

Documents and Standards That Sit Next to Machinery Instructions

Instructions for use sit next to the technical documentation, the EU declaration of conformity and the drafting standards, and each has its own rules.

EN ISO 20607:2019 is cited in the list under Directive 2006/42/EC, Implementing Decision (EU) 2023/1586 (Annex I, Part Two, row 94), which Implementing Decision (EU) 2026/2015 of 4 September 2026 repeals with effect from 20 January 2027 (Article 2).

As of 12 November 2026, no harmonised standard is cited in the Official Journal under Regulation (EU) 2023/1230. IEC/IEEE 82079-1 is not cited in the Directive list. Four neighbouring topics are listed below.

• Technical documentation under Annex IV: machinery technical file.
• Manufacturer duties under Article 10: manufacturer obligations under the Machinery Regulation.
• Importers ensure that the product is accompanied by the instructions and the Article 10(7) information (Article 13(4)): importer obligations for machinery.
• National language determinations: machinery rules by country.

The Commission proposed in COM(2025) 504 of 21 May 2025 that the EU declaration of conformity be drawn up in digital format, with the product accompanied by the internet address or machine-readable code through which it can be accessed (proposed Article 10(8)). It is pending as of 12 November 2026; see amendments to the Machinery Regulation.

Machinery Instructions Questions

Four questions recur about machinery instructions: who checks the language, warnings on the machine, translating the declaration and partly completed machinery.

Who checks that machinery instructions are in the right language?

The distributor verifies, before making the product available, that the instructions are in a language easily understood by users as determined by the Member State where it is made available (Article 15(2)(c) of Regulation (EU) 2023/1230).

Do warnings on the machine follow the same language rule?

Yes: Annex III, section 1.7.1 of Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 applies the same test to information and warnings on the machinery, a language easily understood by users as determined by the Member State concerned.

Must the EU declaration of conformity be translated as well?

Yes: Article 21(2) of Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 requires the EU declaration of conformity to be translated into the language or languages required by the Member State where the product is placed on the market, made available or put into service.

Do the instruction rules apply to partly completed machinery?

Partly completed machinery comes with assembly instructions under Annex XI instead, in a language easily understood by the person who incorporates it, as determined by the Member State concerned (Article 11(7) of Regulation (EU) 2023/1230). Digital assembly instructions are allowed, with a free paper copy within one month on request at the time of purchase, as set out under partly completed machinery and its assembly instructions.