Pressure Equipment Directive 2014/68/EU

Last reviewed: October 2026 · Sources listed at the end of this page.

Directive 2014/68/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 May 2014 on the harmonisation of the laws of the Member States relating to the making available on the market of pressure equipment — the "PED" — replaced Directive 97/23/EC and has applied since 19 July 2016. It covers pressure equipment and assemblies with a maximum allowable pressure (PS) greater than 0.5 bar. The Directive classifies products by hazard (combining pressure, volume or nominal size, and fluid group) into four categories with conformity assessment routes scaled accordingly. Published as OJ L 189, 27.6.2014, p. 164.

Legal status and timeline

• Adoption: 15 May 2014.
• Date of application: 19 July 2016 (for most provisions); Article 13 (classification) from 1 June 2015, aligned with the CLP Regulation (Article 49).
• Repeal of Directive 97/23/EC: 19 July 2016 (its Article 9 was deleted from 1 June 2015).
• Status (October 2026): applies, as amended by Directive (EU) 2024/2749 (emergency procedures for an internal market emergency, applicable from 30 May 2026). No replacement has been proposed, though the Commission's planned European Product Act may affect the common framework.

Scope: products covered

Article 1(1) applies the Directive to "the design, manufacture and conformity assessment of pressure equipment and assemblies with a maximum allowable pressure PS greater than 0.5 bar". "Pressure equipment" (Article 2(1)) includes vessels, piping, safety accessories, and pressure accessories. Article 4 then sets which items must meet the essential safety requirements.

Exclusions (Article 1(2))

Article 1(2) lists 21 exclusions. The ones most often relevant:

• Pipelines for conveying fluids to or from an installation, starting from and including the last isolation device within the installation (point (a));
• Water supply, distribution and discharge networks, and penstocks and similar hydroelectric works (point (b));
• Simple pressure vessels covered by Directive 2014/29/EU (point (c));
• Aerosol dispensers covered by Directive 75/324/EEC (point (d));
• Equipment for the functioning of vehicles under the type-approval legislation (point (e));
• Equipment classified no higher than category I and covered by machinery, lifts, low voltage, medical devices, gas appliances or ATEX legislation (point (f));
• Military equipment covered by Article 346(1)(b) TFEU (point (g));
• Items specifically designed for nuclear use, failure of which may cause an emission of radioactivity (point (h));
• Well-control equipment in petroleum, gas or geothermal exploration and extraction and underground storage (point (i));
• Ships, rockets, aircraft and mobile offshore units, and equipment specifically intended for installation on board or their propulsion (point (n));
• Bottles or cans for carbonated drinks for final consumption (point (q));
• Transportable equipment covered by Directives 2008/68/EC and 2010/35/EU (point (s));
• Radiators and pipes in warm water heating systems (point (t)).

Equipment with PS of 0.5 bar or less is outside the Directive under Article 1(1).

Article 13 classification

Article 13 establishes the classification of pressure equipment into categories I, II, III, and IV based on:

• The type of equipment (vessel, piping, safety accessory, pressure accessory);
• The state of the fluid (gas, liquid);
• The fluid group:
  • Group 1 — dangerous fluids classified under CLP Regulation (EC) 1272/2008 as, among others, explosives, flammable gases (categories 1 and 2), oxidising gases, flammable liquids (categories 1 and 2, and category 3 where the maximum allowable temperature is above the flashpoint), flammable solids, pyrophoric substances, oxidising liquids and solids, organic peroxides, acutely toxic (oral and dermal categories 1 and 2, inhalation categories 1 to 3) or STOT single exposure category 1; Group 1 also covers fluids contained at a maximum allowable temperature TS above their flashpoint (Article 13(1)(a));
  • Group 2 — all other fluids not in Group 1.
• Maximum allowable pressure (PS) in bar;
• Volume (V) in litres for vessels, or nominal size (DN) for piping.

Annex II tables 1–9 then map the PS × V (or PS × DN) product against the equipment type and fluid group to assign a category. The higher the category, the more stringent the conformity assessment.

Sound Engineering Practice (Article 4(3))

Equipment at or below the Article 4(1) limits is governed by the "sound engineering practice" (SEP) of a Member State. It must be designed and manufactured to ensure safe use and be accompanied by adequate instructions for use. It must not bear the CE marking under the PED, although another applicable act may require one.

Worked examples

Where a vessel has several chambers, it takes the highest category applicable to an individual chamber (Article 13(2)).

Essential safety requirements (Annex I)

Annex I sets the essential safety requirements:

• 1. General. Design and manufacture, safety information.
• 2. Design. Design for adequate strength, provisions for safe handling and operation, means of examination, draining and venting, corrosion, wear, assemblies, provisions for filling and discharge, protection against exceeding allowable limits, safety accessories, external fire.
• 3. Manufacturing. Manufacturing procedures, permanent joining, non-destructive tests, heat treatment, traceability of materials.
• 4. Materials. Material requirements, met by materials complying with harmonised standards, covered by a European Approval for Materials (EAM), or subject to a particular material appraisal.
• 5. Specific requirements for fired or otherwise heated pressure equipment with a risk of overheating.
• 6. Piping.
• 7. Specific quantitative requirements for certain pressure equipment.

Conformity assessment procedures

Article 14(2) and Annex III provide a menu of modules scaled by category. The manufacturer may choose any listed for the category, or one for a higher category (Article 14(3)):

• Category I — Module A only.
• Category II — Modules A2, D1, or E1.
• Category III — Modules B (design type) + D, B (design type) + F, B (production type) + E, B (production type) + C2, or H.
• Category IV — Modules B (production type) + D, B (production type) + F, G, or H1.

The Notified Body identification number follows the CE marking wherever a Notified Body is involved in the production control phase (Article 19(4)). See conformity assessment modules.

Technical documentation

The relevant modules in Annex III set the technical documentation, which must allow assessment of conformity. Contents include: a general description; design and manufacturing drawings; descriptions of operation; list of standards applied; design calculations; weld qualification and procedures; non-destructive testing procedures and results; manuals for operation. Retention: 10 years after the pressure equipment or assembly has been placed on the market (Article 6(3)). See technical documentation.

EU Declaration of Conformity

Annex IV sets the contents. For Category I to IV, the Declaration lists the PED and any other applicable acts. See EU Declaration of Conformity.

Marking and labelling

Articles 18 and 19 govern the CE marking and the Notified Body identification number where applicable. It need not be repeated on each item of an assembly (Article 19(2)). Annex I, section 3.3, requires inscription of:

• Manufacturer's name and contact details;
• Year of manufacture;
• Identification of the equipment (type, serial or batch number);
• Essential maximum/minimum allowable limits (PS, TS, minimum/maximum allowable temperatures);
• Specific information depending on the type of equipment.

For SEP equipment, no PED CE marking and no Notified Body number. See affixing the CE mark.

Assemblies

Article 4(2) covers assemblies that include at least one item within Article 4(1): those generating steam or superheated water above 110 °C with fired or heated equipment, and others the manufacturer intends to place on the market as assemblies. Article 14(6) requires a global assessment: each item not already assessed and CE-marked, the integration of the components, determined by the highest category of the equipment concerned (excluding safety accessories), and the protection against exceeding operating limits, in light of the highest category of the items protected. Common assemblies include packaged steam-generation systems, water-heating systems with pumps and burners, and process skids.

Harmonised standards

• EN 13445 series — unfired pressure vessels;
• EN 13480 series — metallic industrial piping;
• EN 12952 series — water-tube boilers;
• EN 12953 series — shell boilers;
• EN 13458 series — cryogenic vessels;
• EN 14222 — stainless steel shell boilers;
• EN ISO 15614 series — welding procedure qualification;
• EN ISO 9712:2022 — qualification and certification of non-destructive testing personnel (cited in Implementing Decision (EU) 2025/165; relevant to Annex I, point 3.1.3, which requires NDT of permanent joints by suitably qualified personnel, approved for categories III and IV by a third-party organisation recognised by a Member State).

See harmonised standards.

Recent and upcoming changes

The only amendment to the PED since 2016 is Directive (EU) 2024/2749, which adds emergency conformity assessment and market surveillance procedures that operate only when an internal market emergency is activated (applicable from 30 May 2026). Otherwise, the principal developments are alignment of CLP fluid classifications and ongoing OJEU updates to dated editions of harmonised standards. No successor act has been proposed. Article 1(2)(f) still cites Directive 2006/42/EC; from 20 January 2027 that reference is read as a reference to the Machinery Regulation (Article 51(2) of that Regulation).

Related legislation

• Simple Pressure Vessels Directive 2014/29/EU — for series-manufactured simple pressure vessels with PS ≤ 30 bar and PS·V ≤ 10 000 bar·L; PED does not apply in parallel.
• Transportable Pressure Equipment Directive 2010/35/EU (TPED) — covers pressure equipment for the transport of dangerous goods; uses the "Pi" mark, not CE; PED does not apply.
• Machinery Regulation 2023/1230 — applies in parallel for pressure equipment that is also machinery, except that equipment no higher than category I and covered by machinery legislation is outside the PED (Article 1(2)(f)).
• ATEX Directive 2014/34/EU — applies in parallel for pressure equipment for potentially explosive atmospheres, with the same category I carve-out.
• Gas Appliances Regulation 2016/426 — for gas appliances; pressure equipment no higher than category I and covered by gas appliance legislation is outside the PED.

Common errors

• CE mark on SEP equipment. Equipment within Article 4(3) must not bear the CE marking under the PED.
• Misclassification of fluid group. CLP classification of the fluid determines whether it falls in Group 1 or Group 2. Older classifications under Directive 67/548/EEC are not the operative reference.
• Treating an assembly as the sum of its components. Article 14(6) requires a global assessment that includes integration and protection against exceeding operating limits.
• Missing Notified Body number on category II–IV equipment. Every route for these categories involves a Notified Body in production control, so its four-digit number must follow the CE marking.
• Inadequate weld qualification documentation. Annex I, Section 3.1.2, requires qualified welders and welding procedures; documentation of qualification is a frequent finding in surveillance audits.

Frequently asked questions

How do I find the PED fluid group?

Use the CLP classification on the safety data sheet. Fluids with a hazard listed in Article 13(1)(a) are Group 1, as are fluids held above their flashpoint. All others are Group 2.

Which PED fluid group are refrigerants such as R134a and R32?

The group follows the CLP classification of the actual fluid. R134a does not propagate flame, so it is normally Group 2. R32 is flammable at 20 °C and is normally Group 1. Confirm from the safety data sheet of the fluid used.

Does category I equipment need a Notified Body?

No. Category I uses Module A, internal production control. The equipment still needs CE marking and an EU Declaration of Conformity.

Does equipment below the PED limits need CE marking?

No, not under the PED. Equipment within Article 4(3) follows sound engineering practice, comes with adequate instructions, and must not carry the CE marking under the PED. Another act covering the product may still require CE marking.

Sources

• Directive 2014/68/EU (PED) — OJ text; consolidated text of 30 May 2026.
• European Commission — Pressure equipment sector page.
• Commission Guideline on the application of Directive 2014/68/EU — Commission.
• Regulation (EC) 1272/2008 (CLP) — EUR-Lex.
• Commission Notice — Blue Guide 2022 — EUR-Lex.