Harmonised Standards for Machinery: Type A, B and C Standards and the Presumption of Conformity

As of 12 November 2026, the Directive list holds 1 type A reference in Part One of its Annex I, and no harmonised standard is cited in the Official Journal under Regulation (EU) 2023/1230.

The Directive list is Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2023/1586, which sorts the cited references into type A, type B and type C parts and has been amended seven times.

Its repeal with effect from 20 January 2027 follows the end of the Directive itself, and how the EU Machinery Regulation replaces the Directive is explained on the home page.

The sections below cover the three standard types, the four presumption provisions of the two acts, the Directive list with its amendments and restrictions, the dated status under the Regulation, the use of standards in the conformity file and an index of 40 machinery safety standards.

What Are Harmonised Standards for Machinery?

A harmonised standard for machinery is, under Article 3(24) of Regulation (EU) 2023/1230, a harmonised standard as defined in Article 2, point 1, point (c), of Regulation (EU) No 1025/2012.

The Regulation borrows the definition from Regulation (EU) No 1025/2012 on European standardisation, in force since 4 December 2012. On 6 October 2026 the Commission proposed COM(2026) 780, a Regulation on European standardisation repealing Regulation (EU) No 1025/2012; the proposal is pending as of 12 November 2026.

The Directive has its own definition. Article 2(l) of Directive 2006/42/EC describes a harmonised standard as a technical specification adopted by CEN, CENELEC or ETSI under the procedures of Directive 98/34/EC. Under both acts, applying a harmonised standard is voluntary.

The standard is a means to show conformity, not a requirement in itself, and the presumption it gives covers only the requirements the standard addresses: Article 20(1) of the Regulation speaks of "harmonised standards or parts thereof" and of the requirements "covered by those standards or parts thereof".

Harmonised standards are one tool among the manufacturer's compliance steps. Scope, risk assessment, the conformity assessment procedure, the technical documentation, the EU declaration of conformity and the CE marking all remain the manufacturer's duties whether a standard is applied or not. Every other step of Machinery Regulation compliance is set out on its own page.

Type A, B and C Standards: The Three-Level Hierarchy

Machinery safety standards come in three types: type A standards set basic concepts for all machinery, type B standards cover one safety aspect or one kind of safeguard across many machines, and type C standards set detailed requirements for one machine category, and Annex I of Implementing Decision (EU) 2023/1586 lists them in Part One (A), Part Two (B) and Part Three (C).

Annexes II and III of the same Decision hold withdrawn references, so the type structure sits in Annex I alone. Table 1 compares the three types by scope, place in the Directive list and presumption rule.

Type A Standards: Basic Safety Concepts

EN ISO 12100:2010 is the only type A reference in the Directive list since 15 May 2024, when Implementing Decision (EU) 2024/1329 moved EN 1127-2:2014 from Part One to Part Two. Before that correction, EN 1127-2:2014 had been listed as type A in error.

The note to Part One sets the limit of type A standards: their application alone "does not give a full presumption of conformity".

EN ISO 12100 gives the basic terminology, principles and a methodology for safety in design, covering risk assessment and risk reduction, and it is the basis on which type B and type C standards build. A full presumption for a machine therefore needs further standards, or the manufacturer's own solutions, for its specific hazards.

Type B Standards: Generic Safety Aspects and Safeguards

Type B standards give presumption only where a type C standard or the manufacturer's risk assessment shows that the type B solution is adequate, according to the note to Annex I, Part Two of Implementing Decision (EU) 2023/1586.

The type B solution is generic, so its fit to one machine has to be shown before the presumption applies.

Five type B standards show the range: EN ISO 13849-1 for safety-related parts of control systems, EN 60204-1 for the electrical equipment of machines, EN ISO 13857 for safety distances, EN ISO 14119 for interlocking devices and EN ISO 14120 for guards.

Of the 40 standards indexed below, 18 are type B. Each standard supports specific sections of the essential health and safety requirements in Annex III of the Regulation.

Type C Standards: Machine-Specific Requirements

Where a type C standard deviates from a type A or type B standard, the type C specifications take precedence (note to Annex I, Part Three of Implementing Decision (EU) 2023/1586). A type C standard is written for one machine category and can therefore set solutions that differ from the generic ones.

Three type C families show the range: EN ISO 10218-1 and -2 for industrial robots, EN 415 for packaging machines and EN 474 for earth-moving machinery. Of the 40 standards indexed below, 20 are type C, ISO 25119 counted as listed in Part Three.

Category-specific standards matter for one conformity route. Under Article 25(3) of Regulation (EU) 2023/1230, an Annex I, Part B product may use internal production control only when the manufacturer designs and constructs it "in accordance with the harmonised standards or common specifications specific to that category of machinery or related product covering all the relevant essential health and safety requirements".

Annex I of the Regulation holds 19 Part B points, and the 19 Annex I Part B categories and their standards are listed separately.

Machinery Safety Standards Index: 40 Standards by Type

The 40 machinery safety standards indexed below comprise 1 type A standard, 18 type B standards, 20 type C standards and EN 50742, a draft for protection against corruption, each shown with its status in the Directive list as of 12 November 2026. Each designation leads to the page on that standard.

The status column reads in four ways: "cited" means one edition is listed, "two editions cited" means an older and a newer edition are listed in parallel, "with a restriction" means the reference gives no presumption for a named requirement, and "not cited" means the standard is absent from the list.

Every status is that of Implementing Decision (EU) 2023/1586 as amended, which is repealed with effect from 20 January 2027; none is a citation under Regulation (EU) 2023/1230.

Three control-system standards in the index, EN ISO 13849-1, EN IEC 62061 and EN 61800-5-2, work with the safety function that a risk assessment assigns to the control system.

For EN ISO 13849-1, the design target of each safety function is its required performance level, and the required performance level (PLr) finder works through the risk graph step by step.

How the Presumption of Conformity Works

The presumption of conformity means that a product built to a harmonised standard whose reference is published in the Official Journal is presumed to meet the essential health and safety requirements the standard covers, and it rests on Article 20 of Regulation (EU) 2023/1230, which corresponds to Article 7 of Directive 2006/42/EC. The Regulation knows three routes to a presumption, listed below.

• Harmonised standards: references published in the Official Journal (Article 20(1)).
• Common specifications: adopted by the Commission by implementing act under the conditions of Article 20(3).
• Cybersecurity certificates: certificates or statements of conformity under Regulation (EU) 2019/881, for two sections of Annex III only (Article 20(9)).

Presumption under Article 20 of the Machinery Regulation

Article 20(1) of Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 presumes that a product "in conformity with harmonised standards or parts thereof the references of which have been published in the Official Journal of the European Union" meets "the essential health and safety requirements set out in Annex III covered by those standards or parts thereof". The provision covers every product within the scope of the Regulation, including related products.

Two conditions decide whether the presumption applies. The reference must be published in the Official Journal, and the presumption is limited to the Annex III requirements the standard, or the applied part of it, covers.

A standard that addresses only part of the requirements gives no presumption for the others. Article 20 applies from 20 January 2027, together with the rest of the Regulation.

Article 20(2) sets the source of future standards. The Commission requests one or more European standardisation organisations to draft harmonised standards for the essential health and safety requirements set out in Annex III, as provided in Article 10(1) of Regulation (EU) No 1025/2012.

Article 20 sits in Chapter III of Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 on machinery, which is set out with every chapter and annex.

Presumption under Article 7 of the Machinery Directive

Article 7(2) of Directive 2006/42/EC presumes that machinery built to a harmonised standard whose reference is published in the Official Journal meets the essential health and safety requirements that standard covers, and it applies until 19 January 2027.

Under the Directive, those requirements sit in its Annex I, not in Annex III as under the Regulation.

The Directive list is adopted under Article 7(3) of the Directive and Article 10(6) of Regulation (EU) No 1025/2012.

The standards it cites rest on two standardisation requests, which recitals 2 and 3 of Implementing Decision (EU) 2026/2015 name: M/396 of 19 December 2006, addressed to CEN and Cenelec, and M/471 of 29 June 2010, addressed to CEN for machinery for pesticide application.

Common Specifications and Cybersecurity Certificates

Article 20(3) of Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 lets the Commission adopt common specifications by implementing act only where a standardisation request was not accepted, not delivered in time or not met, and no harmonised standard reference is published or expected within a reasonable period. The implementing acts follow the examination procedure of Article 48(3).

A separate crisis route exists in Chapter IVa, inserted by Regulation (EU) 2024/2748, which has applied since 29 May 2026: the presumption from standards or common specifications listed under Article 25d ends from the day following the expiry or deactivation of the internal market emergency mode (Article 25d(5)).

Article 20(9) adds a third route. Certificates or statements of conformity issued under cybersecurity certification schemes adopted under Regulation (EU) 2019/881, whose references are published in the Official Journal, give a presumption for Annex III, sections 1.1.9 and 1.2.1, as regards protection against corruption and the safety and reliability of control systems, insofar as the certificate covers those requirements. What section 1.1.9 requires is explained under protection against corruption (Annex III 1.1.9).

The Official Journal List under the Machinery Directive

The Official Journal list under the Machinery Directive is Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2023/1586 of 26 July 2023 (C/2023/4914, OJ L 194, 2.8.2023, p. 45), in force since 2 August 2023, and its Annex I sorts the cited references into type A, type B and type C parts.

The consolidated text is on EUR-Lex, and the list in force on 12 November 2026 is that consolidated version of 7 September 2026.

Annexes II and III of the Decision hold withdrawn references that continue for a limited time.

The 2023 Decision repealed Communication 2018/C 092/01 (Article 2) and Implementing Decision (EU) 2019/436 (Article 3), and the references listed in its Annexes II and III continue under those earlier acts until their withdrawal dates. Neither earlier act is the current list.

The list and its presumption end with the Directive. The last day of presumption from the Directive list is 19 January 2027, and the rules that apply until then are set out in Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC.

Seven Amendments from 2024/1256 to 2026/2015

Implementing Decision (EU) 2023/1586 has been amended seven times, from Implementing Decision (EU) 2024/1256 of 26 April 2024 to Implementing Decision (EU) 2026/2015 of 4 September 2026, and EUR-Lex consolidates it as of 7 September 2026. Table 3 lists each amendment with its adoption and publication date.

Restricted References and Parallel Editions

Fourteen references in Part Three of the Directive list are published with a restriction (Article 1, second paragraph, of Implementing Decision (EU) 2023/1586, inserted by Implementing Decision (EU) 2026/546).

Row 24a, EN 474-1:2022, carries a restriction on the test load of clause 4.12.7.2: the test "at 125 % of Q1 and Q2" is read as at least 100 % or up to 125 %, insofar as the tested machine can attain a higher load.

Row 671a, EN 62841-1, gives no presumption for protection against unintentional starting, a restriction applying from 30 April 2024. A restricted reference gives no presumption for the excluded requirement, while the rest of the standard keeps it.

Implementing Decision (EU) 2026/2015 added new editions without withdrawing the earlier ones. EN ISO 13855:2010 and EN ISO 13855:2024, EN ISO 14119:2013 and EN ISO 14119:2025 with A11:2026, and EN ISO 10218-1 and -2 in their 2011 and 2025 editions are therefore cited in parallel in rows 71 and 71a, 77 and 77a, and 223, 224, 223a and 224a. Both editions of each pair give presumption until the Directive list ends.

Harmonised Standards under the Machinery Regulation: Status on 2026-11-12

As of 12 November 2026, no harmonised standard is cited in the Official Journal under Regulation (EU) 2023/1230, and Article 2 of Implementing Decision (EU) 2026/2015 repeals the Directive list "with effect from 20 January 2027".

The Implementing Decision (EU) 2026/2015 entered into force on 7 September 2026, the day of its publication (Article 3). On the same 12 November 2026, the only acts legally based on Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 in the Publications Office repository are Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/1922 and Commission Notice 52024XC06142.

The Directive list gives its last day of presumption on 19 January 2027, and Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 applies from 20 January 2027, so the presumption for a product placed on the market from that day rests on Article 20 of the Regulation. Every date of the changeover is on the Machinery Regulation timeline.

The Commission's summary list of harmonised standards for machinery, in the file generated on 28 October 2026, holds 1,468 rows under Directive 2006/42/EC, withdrawn references included.

Of these, 926 references carry an end of legal effect of 20 January 2027, and 0 rows are listed under Regulation (EU) 2023/1230. The summary list is information only and has no legal effect; the binding list is the Implementing Decision in the Official Journal.

Using Harmonised Standards in the Conformity File

A manufacturer who applies a cited harmonised standard records it in the EU declaration of conformity with the date of publication of its reference in the Official Journal (Annex V, Part A, point 7 of Regulation (EU) 2023/1230), and the presumption covers only the Annex III requirements that standard addresses.

The standard number and edition year alone do not meet point 7, which asks for the publication date of the reference as well.

Applying a standard does not replace the conformity assessment procedure of Article 25 of the Regulation.

A product not listed in Annex I still follows internal production control, and an Annex I, Part A product still needs a notified body in module B+C, H or G, whatever standards the manufacturer applies. The routes are set out under conformity assessment under the Machinery Regulation.

Partial application has a precise legal effect. The presumption follows the "parts thereof" that the manufacturer applies (Article 20(1)), so a manufacturer who applies only selected clauses of a standard gets a presumption for the requirements those clauses cover.

Requirements outside the standard, or outside the applied parts, need the manufacturer's own solution, justified in the technical documentation.

The technical documentation records the same choice. Annex IV, Part A, point (e) of Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 puts the references of the harmonised standards or common specifications applied into the technical documentation.

The manufacturer keeps the technical documentation and the EU declaration of conformity for at least 10 years after the product is placed on the market or put into service (Article 10(3)).

The four documentation steps that carry a standard into the conformity file are listed below.

1. List the applied harmonised standards, or the applied parts, in the technical documentation (Annex IV, Part A, point (e)).
2. List the applicable essential health and safety requirements and the protective measures in the risk assessment documentation (Annex IV, Part A, point (b)).
3. Enter each reference with its date of publication in the Official Journal in the EU declaration of conformity (Annex V, Part A, point 7).
4. Keep both documents for at least 10 years (Article 10(3)).

The declaration names the references; the full content of the EU declaration of conformity for machinery is set out in Annex V.

What Harmonised Standards Do Not Decide

Harmonised standards do not decide whether a product is in scope, which conformity route it takes or whether its risks are acceptable; those remain the manufacturer's decisions under Regulation (EU) 2023/1230. Scope follows Article 2, the route follows Article 25 and the risk assessment follows Annex III, Part B, point 1.

The risk assessment documentation (Annex IV, Part A, point (b)) lists the applicable essential health and safety requirements and the protective measures, with the residual risks. It forms part of the machinery technical file.

Standards and the Manufacturer's Risk Assessment

Annex III, Part B, point 1 of Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 requires a risk assessment in five steps, (a) to (e). Annex III, Part B, point 5 adds: "These general principles shall apply to the risk assessment carried out by the manufacturer of partly completed machinery."

EN ISO 12100 describes the method of risk assessment and risk reduction, but as a type A standard it does not give a full presumption of conformity on its own. The five steps are explained in machinery risk assessment.

Who Drafts Machinery Standards

Machinery standards are drafted in ISO and IEC committees and in CEN and CENELEC committees. Among the indexed type B standards, ISO/TC 199 publishes EN ISO 13849, EN ISO 13857, EN ISO 14119 and EN ISO 14120, and IEC TC 44 publishes EN 60204-1, EN IEC 62061 and IEC 61496, which CENELEC adopts.

Among the type C standards, CEN/TC 98 handles EN 280 and EN 1570, CEN/TC 147 handles EN 13155 and EN 13001, CEN/TC 151 handles EN 474, and CEN/TC 310 handles EN ISO 10218 and EN ISO 13482.

Frequently Asked Questions

Three questions recur about harmonised machinery standards: whether they are mandatory, where the list is published and whether drafts count.

Are harmonised standards mandatory for machinery?

No: harmonised standards are voluntary, and a manufacturer may meet the essential health and safety requirements by other means, without the presumption of conformity. Article 20(1) of Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 and Article 7(2) of Directive 2006/42/EC attach the presumption to applying a standard whose reference is published in the Official Journal, and only for the requirements that standard covers. A manufacturer who chooses another solution records the protective measures for each applicable requirement in the risk assessment documentation (Annex IV, Part A, point (b)).

Where is the list of harmonised standards for machinery published?

The legally binding list is the Implementing Decision published in the Official Journal of the European Union; for the Directive, it is Implementing Decision (EU) 2023/1586 as consolidated on EUR-Lex on 7 September 2026. The Commission's summary list of harmonised standards for machinery is for information only and has no legal effect. As of 12 November 2026, no harmonised standard is cited in the Official Journal under Regulation (EU) 2023/1230.

Do draft standards give a presumption of conformity?

No: a draft such as a prEN or FprEN gives no presumption, because Article 20(1) of Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 requires the reference to be published in the Official Journal. Article 7(2) of Directive 2006/42/EC sets the same condition. A manufacturer who follows a draft relies on its own evidence of conformity with Annex III instead.