Gas Appliances Regulation (EU) 2016/426

Last reviewed: May 2026 · Legal status verified against EUR-Lex.

Regulation (EU) 2016/426 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 9 March 2016 on appliances burning gaseous fuels — the "Gas Appliances Regulation" or GAR — replaced Directive 2009/142/EC and has applied since 21 April 2018. It covers appliances burning gaseous fuels used for cooking, refrigeration, air-conditioning, space heating, hot water production, lighting, washing, and forced-draught burners, together with fittings (safety devices, controlling devices, regulating devices, sub-assemblies). The Regulation was published in the OJEU as OJ L 81, 31.3.2016, p. 99.

Legal status and timeline

• Adoption: 9 March 2016.
• Date of application: 21 April 2018.
• Repeal of Directive 2009/142/EC: 21 April 2018.
• Status in May 2026: applies; no replacement under preparation. The Commission has indicated that interaction with the Ecodesign Regulation will continue to develop.

Scope: products covered

Article 1 applies to "appliances" and "fittings" as defined in Article 2:

• Appliance (Article 2(1)) — an appliance burning gaseous fuels used for cooking, refrigeration, air conditioning, space heating, hot water production, lighting, or washing, and forced-draught burners and heating bodies to be equipped with such burners.
• Fitting (Article 2(2)) — a safety device, controlling device, or regulating device, and sub-assemblies thereof, designed to be incorporated into an appliance or assembled to constitute an appliance.

Exclusions (Article 1(3))

• Appliances specifically designed for use in industrial processes carried out on industrial premises;
• Appliances specifically designed for use on aircraft and railways;
• Appliances designed for research purposes for temporary use in laboratories.

Essential requirements (Annex I)

Annex I sets the essential requirements for appliances and fittings, organised into:

• General conditions — appliances must be safe under normal use, with instructions and warnings appropriate to the level of competence expected of users.
• Materials — appropriate for intended use, resistant to mechanical, chemical, and thermal conditions to which they will be subjected.
• Design and construction — structural soundness; safety devices including flame supervision and protection against gas leakage; ignition; combustion (correct combustion, completeness, prevention of carbon monoxide and unburnt fuel emission); rational use of energy; release of unburnt gas; explosion hazards; condensate management; release of hazardous substances; surface temperatures; protection against parts in motion.

Categories of gas supply

The Regulation distinguishes appliance categories based on the gases and pressures they are designed to use, set out in EN 437 (test gases and pressures). Appliances are designated with codes (e.g., I3B/P, II2H3B/P, III1ab2H3+) corresponding to the gas families (1 — town/manufactured gas; 2 — natural gas; 3 — LPG) and sub-categories. Member States declare the categories permitted on their territory (Article 4 and Annex II); appliances must be designed for the categories present in the Member State of destination.

Conformity assessment procedures

Article 14 and Annex III provide modules for appliances and for fittings.

Appliances

• Series-produced appliances: Module B (EU type-examination) + Module C2 (conformity to type with random checks), D (production QA), E (product QA), or F (product verification).
• Single appliances: Module G (unit verification).
• Full quality assurance: Module H.

Fittings

Fittings follow the same module options. Fittings are CE-marked only when placed on the market separately; fittings incorporated into an appliance form part of that appliance's conformity assessment.

Notified Body involvement is required for all GAR products other than fittings undergoing certain quality system modules without separate certification. The Notified Body identification number appears next to the CE mark for the production-phase module.

Technical documentation

Annex III, Module B (and others) requires: a general description of the appliance/fitting; conceptual design and manufacturing drawings; descriptions necessary to understand the drawings and operation; list of harmonised standards applied; results of design calculations and examinations; test reports. Retention: 10 years (Article 7(7)). See technical documentation.

EU Declaration of Conformity

Article 15 and Annex IV set the Declaration's contents. See EU Declaration of Conformity.

Marking and labelling

Article 17 requires the CE marking and the Notified Body identification number. Article 7(5) requires the appliance to bear the manufacturer's contact details, type/batch identifier, and any specific marking required by the relevant harmonised standard (gas category code, supply pressure, output, electrical voltage where applicable, type of gas pipe connection). The fittings are marked separately. See affixing the CE mark.

Harmonised standards

Principal harmonised standards include EN 30 series (domestic cooking appliances), EN 26 (instantaneous water heaters), EN 89 (storage water heaters), EN 297 (central heating boilers using fan-assisted atmospheric burners), EN 437 (test gases and pressures), EN 161 (automatic shut-off valves for gas burners). See harmonised standards.

Recent and upcoming changes

The GAR is one of several regulations whose product scope is being progressively narrowed by climate policy: the EU's REPowerEU Plan and the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EU) 2024/1275 phase out new stand-alone fossil-fuel boilers from 2040 and end public subsidies for them from 2025. The GAR remains the placing-on-market regime for the appliances themselves while they are still being manufactured; its interaction with hydrogen-ready and hydrogen-blend appliances is an active area of standardisation work.

Related legislation

• Pressure Equipment Directive 2014/68/EU — the GAR excludes pressure equipment matters within the PED's scope where the appliance contains PED-categorised pressure equipment above thresholds.
• Low Voltage Directive 2014/35/EU — for the electrical aspects of gas appliances with electrical components.
• EMC Directive 2014/30/EU — for electromagnetic compatibility of appliances with electronic controls.
• Ecodesign Regulation 2024/1781 — applies in parallel for energy-related appliances (e.g., boilers under Commission Regulation (EU) 813/2013).
• Energy Labelling Regulation (EU) 2017/1369 — energy label requirements for in-scope appliances.

Common errors

• Wrong appliance category for the destination Member State. An appliance designed for natural gas category 2H only cannot be sold in a Member State requiring 2H+3B/P or 2E+. Member State category lists in Annex II must be consulted.
• Missing fittings markings. Fittings placed on the market separately require their own CE mark, Declaration of Conformity, and technical file.
• Reliance on outdated EN editions. The harmonised standard list must be checked at the time of conformity assessment.
• Module A self-declaration. Module A is not available under the GAR; Notified Body involvement is required for in-scope products.

Sources

• Regulation (EU) 2016/426 (Gas Appliances) — EUR-Lex consolidated text.
• European Commission — Gas appliances sector page.
• Commission Notice — Blue Guide 2022 — EUR-Lex.
• EN 437 — test gases and pressures (CEN).
• Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EU) 2024/1275 — EUR-Lex.