EU Machinery Regulation 2023/1230
Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 replaces the Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC on 20 January 2027, at the end of a 42-month transition period. There is no overlap window: machinery placed on the EU market from that date must conform to the new Regulation, not the old Directive, and some high-risk machinery categories lose the option to self-certify.
Last updated 15 August 2026
Most EU product-law transitions give manufacturers a window where either the old or the new regime is acceptable. This one doesn't. The Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC is permanently repealed on 20 January 2027, and from that date CE marking of machinery — and assessment of partly completed machinery — can only be carried out under Regulation (EU) 2023/1230. A product line still being certified against the old Directive on 19 January 2027 has to be re-certified against the Regulation, not grandfathered in.
Source: Nemko Digital; TÜV Rheinland.
The Regulation's notified-body designation criteria have applied since 20 July 2024, about two and a half years ahead of the general application date, precisely so the certification infrastructure is ready when manufacturers need it. In practice this means notified bodies are being re-assessed and re-designated against the new criteria now — worth confirming your existing notified body's status rather than assuming continuity.
Under the current Directive, most machinery built to harmonised standards can be self-certified by the manufacturer. The Regulation narrows this: certain high-risk machinery categories (listed in Annex I) require third-party conformity assessment regardless of harmonised-standard compliance. If any product in your range sits in one of those categories, the assessment route itself changes, not just the paperwork.
Source: Pilz; Danem Test.
Instructions for use can now be digital rather than paper by default. A paper copy is still required on request at the point of sale, for non-professional users, or on request at any later point — manufacturers have to keep instructions available, online and downloadable, for a minimum of 10 years. Digital-by-default is a real cost saving, but it's a documentation-process change, not a formality.
Source: EquipmentCloud; Rockwell Automation.
Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 entered into force on 19 July 2023 and applies from 20 January 2027 — a 42-month transition period. The current Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC is repealed on that date, with no overlap: machinery cannot be CE marked under the old Directive once the new Regulation applies.
No. Unlike some EU product-law transitions, there is no window where manufacturers can choose either the old Directive or the new Regulation. From 20 January 2027, CE marking of machinery and assessment of partly completed machinery can only be carried out under Regulation (EU) 2023/1230.
Notified-body designation rules under the new Regulation have already been in force since 20 July 2024, ahead of the main application date, so bodies are being re-designated against the new criteria now. Some categories of high-risk machinery that could previously self-certify against harmonised standards will require third-party conformity assessment under the Regulation.
Instructions for use can be digital by default rather than paper. A paper copy must still be provided on request at the point of sale, for non-professional users, or on request at any point across a minimum 10-year availability period, and digital manuals must be accessible online and downloadable.
The hard part isn't reading the Regulation, it's knowing whether your product range crosses into the categories that lose self-certification, confirming your notified body's re-designation status, and rebuilding the technical file and instructions on the new basis before 20 January 2027 — with no fallback date if you're not ready. We scope the gap and manage the transition end to end.
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