UKC

If you had a wild country nut, marked with CE96 0120... would I be right in thinking that it was manufactured in 1996?

cheers

LD

Not sure, those exact markings are a bit odd. Usually, the number next to the CE mark is the code for the Notified Body, who are the independent body you send products to to get type approval to the relevant standard. 0120 refers to SGS, a UK based company. In the past, WC used a 3 digit letter code for the year/batch number, which you could look up on their website, iirc.

My WC Rocks have various numbers like 99 and 00 on them which is roughly about right for when I bought them.

If there's a no deal Brexit, UK manufacturers may have to come up with a 'UK' mark as they won't be able to apply the CE mark..................

Companies anywhere in the world can apply the CE mark, it just won´t have any relevance to the UK.

Cool, looks like they've used several different code systems over the years. My WC krabs have got a 3 letter code, the Rocks I have got have a 2 letter code. Replaced my battered nut collection a few back so nothing left from the 90's!

Why?

Because they were battered. After several decades of good service, the cables were getting kinked and the heads were a bit gouged. A good few went to the big gear store in the sky as and when the cables started to fray, the rest went onto the "winter rack". Five seasons of "encouragement" into icy cracks finished the rest of them off, with the odd hardy survivor getting donated to newbie friends starting out tradding.

Not neccesarily true.  The product needs to be tested in an 'accredited laboratory', that accredited laboratory needs to be accredited to an EU countries accrediation system.  So a karabiner made in the UK and tested in a UK laboratory (with UK accreditation) won't be getting a CE mark, unless a BREXIT deal is made. If it is made in the UK and tested and accredited in  France for example, then it should be able to have a CE mark (maybe, depending on the small print etc...)

That's good enough reason for anyone

I wasn't sure if it was an age thing. (not your age obviously)

But the UK lab could get EU certification just as well...

It's more the other way round. After Brexit you can't be sure that a carabiner sold in the UK is  CE certified unless you specifically look for the certification mark or documentation. (Or the UK adopts EU standards as national law again).

Possibly, but not very likely as it would involve assessors from another country coming over to the UK laboratory to do the assessment.  All of the laboratories testing kit would also need to be calibrated by an EU accredited calibration organisation, rather than a UK one.

not sure I'm following you.

I'v got plenty of stuff that's CE marked and stamped "made in china"....

Rubbish! Firstly not all (in fact the majority) of products don´t need to be externally tested at all. Secondly there are accredited testing laboratories (there are thousands) all over the world. The complete list can be found here http://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/nando/index.cfm?fuseaction=notif...

Possibly the rather dodgy 'Chinese Export' mark............

 there are accredited testing laboratories (there are thousands) all over the world.

But if the lab is in the UK with UK accreditation (through UKAS) it will lose it's authority as far as the EU is concerned (unless there is a deal).

See the UKAS website where it says: However, it also confirms that the work of UK Notified Bodies would no longer be recognised in the EU and suggests that a new UK mark would be introduced to replace the current CE marking.   https://www.ukas.com/news/ukas-customer-brexit-update/

Possibly though becoming an MRA would presumably be a rubber-stamp affair and nothing to do with a political deal. The manufacturer can simply use a lab in another country anyway (they already often do as the notifying bodies specialise).

A UK mark would be to replace the CE mark for the UK, just extra cost for EU product old in the UK.

No. You can have things made outside the EU but still conform to the CE standard and as such are CE marked?

sorry to disappoint you but that is a myth

http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getAllAnswers.do?reference=P-2007-5938&...

The issue is for UK companies selling in Europe and all they need to do is get a CE stamp from an EU approved notified body. This will incur a cost and is a faff but not the end of the world.

The biggest concern is now the lack of any standards in the UK and what we are going to do about that. Creating and implementing the UK mark is no easy (or cheap) feat.

The current standards are UK law so dont just dissapear. How this will work in practice is anyones guess.

Not the end of the world, but it would be an extra cost and depending on your product, quite a faff.  Your production facility would not be able to (easily) use its own laboratory and some products (e.g. cement) require regular sampling and testing.