Non-Automatic Weighing Instruments Directive (NAWI) 2014/31/EU
Directive 2014/31/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 February 2014 on the harmonisation of the laws of the Member States relating to the making available on the market of non-automatic weighing instruments — the "NAWI Directive" — replaced Directive 2009/23/EC and has applied since 20 April 2016. It applies to all non-automatic weighing instruments, meaning instruments requiring the intervention of an operator during weighing. Its essential requirements and conformity assessment apply to the uses listed in Article 1(2)(a) to (f): commercial transactions; calculation of a toll, tariff, tax, bonus, penalty, remuneration, indemnity or similar payment; application of laws or regulations and expert opinions in court proceedings; weighing patients in the practice of medicine; making up medicines on prescription in a pharmacy and analyses in medical and pharmaceutical laboratories; and determination of price on the basis of mass for direct sales to the public and the making-up of prepackages. Published as OJ L 96, 29.3.2014, p. 107.
Legal status and timeline
- Adoption: 26 February 2014.
- Date of application: 20 April 2016.
- Repeal of Directive 2009/23/EC: 20 April 2016.
- Status in October 2026: applies. A reference on the meaning of "non-automatic weighing instrument" is pending before the Court of Justice (see Recent and upcoming changes).
Scope: products covered
Article 1(1) applies the Directive to all non-automatic weighing instruments, defined in Article 2(2) as "a weighing instrument requiring the intervention of an operator during weighing". The Directive distinguishes:
- Article 1(2)(a)–(f) instruments — used for the legal-metrology applications listed in points (a) to (f). For these uses, the Annex I essential requirements apply (Article 4), and conformity assessment by a Notified Body is required. Member States must also ensure that such instruments are not put into service for these uses unless they comply, and that they continue to comply in service (Article 3).
- Article 1(2)(g) instruments — used for all other applications. For these, the essential requirements and conformity assessment procedures do not apply. The instrument bears only the manufacturer's name and its maximum capacity, and must not bear the conformity marking set out in the Directive (Annex III, point 2).
The test is the use, not the instrument's technology. Three examples:
- Shop counter scale pricing goods by weight: point (f). Full conformity assessment.
- Hospital scale for monitoring a patient's weight: point (d). A home bathroom scale is point (g).
- Warehouse scale used only for stock control, with no price or charge based on it: point (g). If the same scale later determines a shipping charge, point (b) applies and it needs to comply before being put into service for that use.
Where an instrument for points (a) to (f) is connected to devices not used for those purposes, those devices are outside the essential requirements (Article 4) and must bear the restrictive use symbol: a black capital M on a red square of at least 25 mm x 25 mm, with two diagonals forming a cross (Article 6(5), Article 18 and Annex III, point 3).
Essential requirements (Annex I)
Annex I sets metrological and technical requirements: accuracy classes (I special, II high, III medium, IIII ordinary); maximum permissible errors; influence quantities and disturbances; suitability; means for adjustment; sensitivity; durability; protection against tampering; markings and inscriptions.
Conformity assessment procedures
Article 13(1) lets the manufacturer choose between two procedures for Article 1(2)(a) to (f) instruments:
- Module B (EU-type examination) followed by Module D or Module F: Module D is conformity to type based on quality assurance of the production process; Module F is conformity to type based on product verification.
- Module G: unit verification.
Module B is not compulsory where the instrument both uses no electronic devices and has a load-measuring device that does not use a spring to balance the load. Both conditions must be met. For instruments that take this exception, Module D1 (quality assurance of the production process) or Module F1 (conformity based on product verification) applies instead. In practice, this means a purely mechanical instrument such as a traditional beam balance; any electronic scale, and any spring scale, needs Module B or Module G.
Every route involves a Notified Body. See Notified Bodies.
The CE marking and supplementary metrology marking
Article 15 requires the CE marking and the supplementary metrology marking on instruments for Article 1(2)(a) to (f) uses. As under the Measuring Instruments Directive, the supplementary marking consists of the capital letter "M" and the last two digits of the year of its affixing, surrounded by a rectangle of the same height as the CE marking (Article 16(2)). It immediately follows the CE marking, and the identification number of the Notified Body or bodies involved in the production control phase comes after both (Article 17(3) and (4)). An instrument marked in 2026 therefore reads: CE M26 1234, where 1234 stands for the body's actual four-digit number. The markings go on the instrument or its data plate, visibly, legibly and indelibly, before it is placed on the market (Article 17(1) and (2)).
Instruments for Article 1(2)(g) applications must not bear the conformity marking under this Directive (Annex III, point 2). They may still bear a CE marking under other applicable acts, such as the LVD or EMC Directive, but without the M marking.
Technical documentation
Annex II sets the documentation contents for each module. Retention of the technical documentation and EU declaration of conformity: 10 years after the instrument has been placed on the market (Article 6(3)). See technical documentation.
EU Declaration of Conformity
Article 14 and the model structure in Annex IV. Where more than one Union act requires a declaration, a single declaration covers them all (Article 14(3)). See EU Declaration of Conformity.
Inscriptions and information on the instrument
Annex III, point 1 requires, on instruments for Article 1(2)(a) to (f) applications: the EU-type examination certificate number where appropriate; the manufacturer's name; the accuracy class; Max; Min; e; and the type, batch or serial number. Further inscriptions apply when relevant, including d where it differs from e, tare values and maximum safe load. Max, Min, e and d must also appear near the display if not already there (point 1.4).
Harmonised standards
EN 45501:2015, Metrological aspects of non-automatic weighing instruments, is the harmonised standard listed by the Commission under this Directive and gives a presumption of conformity with the Annex I requirements it covers (Article 12). OIML R 76 is the corresponding international recommendation; unlike under the MID, this Directive has no separate normative document route. See harmonised standards.
Recent and upcoming changes
No amendment to the Directive's substantive requirements since 2016 was identified. Three developments are worth watching:
- Case C-238/25, Land Nordrhein-Westfalen v Bizerba. A German court asked whether a device that records a weighing result without printing or displaying it is still a non-automatic weighing instrument. Advocate General Biondi's opinion of 7 May 2026 proposes that it can be, where it passes the result to a connected external display and the conformity assessment covers the instrument as a whole. An opinion is not binding, and no judgment could be confirmed at this review.
- Evaluation. The Commission says it is evaluating the MID and NAWI Directive, with a staff working document planned for autumn 2026.
- Omnibus IV. The proposals on digital declarations and instructions list this Directive among the acts to be amended. A provisional agreement was reached on 9 June 2026; no publication in the Official Journal could be confirmed at this review.
Related legislation
- Measuring Instruments Directive 2014/32/EU — covers automatic weighing instruments under MI-006 (Annex VIII): the catchweighers, gravimetric filling instruments, totalisers and rail-weighbridges defined there. Unlike the NAWI Directive, the MID applies where a Member State prescribes the instrument (MID Article 3), so coverage of automatic weighing varies nationally.
- Low Voltage Directive 2014/35/EU — applies in parallel to electrical aspects.
- EMC Directive 2014/30/EU — applies in parallel for EMC.
- ATEX Directive 2014/34/EU — applies in parallel where instruments are used in explosive atmospheres.
Common errors
- Missing supplementary metrology marking. The M marking and Notified Body number are mandatory; CE alone is insufficient for Article 1(2)(a) to (f) instruments.
- Marking a general-use scale with the M marking. Annex III, point 2 forbids it on instruments not intended for points (a) to (f).
- Using D1 or F1 for an electronic or spring scale. Article 13(1)(a) limits them to instruments meeting both conditions.
- Mis-classification. A scale used for direct retail sales to the public falls under Article 1(2)(f) regardless of whether the seller intends it for "informal" use.
- Wrong accuracy class. The class is set by Annex I from the verification scale interval and number of intervals; the class inscribed must match what was assessed.
- Verification scale interval mis-marking. The verification scale interval (e) and the scale interval (d) may differ; Annex III requires d to be marked as well where it does.
Frequently asked questions
Does every scale sold in the EU need the M marking?
No. Only instruments for the uses in Article 1(2)(a) to (f) do. A kitchen scale or a scale for internal stock control is point (g), and must not carry the marking under this Directive.
Can a scale be self-declared under this Directive?
No. All routes for Article 1(2)(a) to (f) instruments involve a Notified Body. Module A is not available.
Which instruments can skip Module B?
Only instruments that use no electronic devices and whose load-measuring device does not use a spring to balance the load (Article 13(1)(a)). They then follow Module D1 or Module F1.
Is a checkweigher on a production line covered by this Directive?
Generally not. An instrument that weighs without operator intervention is automatic and falls to be assessed against Annex VIII (MI-006) of Directive 2014/32/EU, where the Member State prescribes it.
Does the scale need to be re-verified after sale?
The Directive covers conformity when placed on the market and put into service, and Article 3(3) requires Member States to ensure instruments in service keep complying. Any re-verification schedule is set by national law.
Sources
- Directive 2014/31/EU (NAWI) — EUR-Lex consolidated text.
- European Commission — Measuring and weighing instruments in the EU.
- European Commission — Harmonised standards: NAWI.
- Case C-238/25, Opinion of Advocate General Biondi, 7 May 2026 — text.
- OIML R 76 — International recommendation for non-automatic weighing.
- Commission Notice — Blue Guide 2022 — EUR-Lex.