In contrast to the European Union, where furniture is generally not subject to compulsory CE marking, there is a special Technical Regulation in the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), which requires compulsory conformity assessment and an EAC marking for furniture circulating on the market of the EAEU. Importing furniture without EAC marking is fined with up to one million Rubel and can lead to suspention of the business activities.
Legal framework
The main technical document is TR CU 025/2012 On safety of furniture. It sets the requirements for furniture and its use with the aim to protect life, health, property and the environment. The EAC marking should protect consumers against misuse or misleading advertising.
Application area
The Technical Regulation TR CU 025/2012 applies to all furniture which is placed on the Eurasian market, i.e. either manufactured in the EAEU or imported from abroad. Individually crafted designer furniture is also covered by these rules, while second-hand or antique furniture not. TR CU is applied for furniture used at home, laboratories, hotels, theaters, public premises, shops etc.
According to the technical regulation the furniture can be devided into following functional classes:
- tables (dining, writing desk, coffee table, tables for terraces and antechambers etc)
- chairs, armchair, bench seat, stools, benches, puffs, coaches)
- beds
- mattress
- wardrobe, cupboards, bedside tables, racks, shelves, chest of drawers and others (chests, bookcases, folding screens, stands, hangers, boxes etc.)
- furniture for children (tables, chairs, beds, playpen, armchairs, boxes for toys, coaches, wardrobe, stools, benches, mattress etc.)
TR CU 025/2013 does not apply to:
- furniture for use in dental, medical and veterinary practice
- furniture for use on air, ground or underground transport
- antique furniture
- second-hand furniture
- sample furniture for advertising purposes or exhibition
There are two types of conformity assessment procedures applied to the furniture - EAC Certificate or EAC Declaration.
The EAC declaration as well as the EAC certificate can only be applied by the company established in the Eurasian Economic Union. For this reason, an authorized representative within the EAEU is required. If you need an authorized representative, we will be happy to offer you a suitable company that takes over this function.
EAC certification
The EAC certification is carried out by a certification body, which can be chosen by the applicant. It is only important that the certification body is accredited for the certification of the respective product.
For the EAC certification the certification procedure 1c, 2c and 3c are used. The procedures are definedn in attachment 4 of the Technical Regulation TR CU 025/2012.
EAC declaration
The EAC declaration is issued by the manufacturer of the furniture. All proofs are provided by the applicant, which is also responsible for all the information presented in the EAC declaration. The certification body assesses only the information coming from the accredited test laboratory. The EAC declarationn is printed on a paper in A4 format and registered sbubsequently. The accompanying documentations for EAC certification is equal for those for the EAC declaration.
EAC certification of electric lighting or electric household appliances
Some pieces of furniture with an integrated electric lighting may also subject to obligatory assessment according to other Technical Regulations, such as TR CU 004/2011 On safety of low-voltage equipment or TR CU 020/2011 On electromagnetic compatibility. In addition, other proofs of conformity may be required. In case of crockery the state hygienic registration is required. This is the case when it concerns electrical equipment with an alternating current between 50 and 1.000 Volt or a direct current between 75 and 1.500 Volt. According to the requirements of the TR CU 020/2011 and TR CU 004/2011 technical passport and instruction manual in Russian.
Differences between an EAC Certificate and an EAC Declaration
| Criteria | EAC Certificate | EAC Declaration |
|---|---|---|
| Applicant | producer, importer, person with power of attorney | producer, importer, person with power of attorney |
| Classification of products | made by the certifying body | made by the applicant |
| Proof of conformity | based on the test report of the accredited test laboratory | based on applicant's own evidence or the test report of the accredited test laboratory |
| Quality assurance | comprehensive production audit through the certifying body or external ISO 9001 certification | quality assurance is done by the applicant |
| Issuing of the certificate of conformity | certification body on an official form | applicant on a normal sheet of paper |
| Registration of the certificate of conformity | certification body | applicant or certification body |
| Validity | 1 to 5 years, depending on the regulation | 1 to 5 years, depending on the regulation |
| Responsibility | lies with the certification body | lies with the applicant |
| Surveillance | certification body | - |
Schemes of EAC certification
| Scheme | Description |
|---|---|
| 1C | is intended for series production. The EAC certificate is issued for a maximum of 5 years. In this case, samples are to be tested and a manufacturing audit is to be carried out. The EAC certificate is issued on the basis of the test report, examination of technical documents and results of the audit.
An inspection control must also be carried out every year. |
| 3C | is intended for series production. The EAC certificate is issued for a maximum of 5 years. In this case, samples are to be tested and a manufacturing audit is to be carried out. The EAC certificate is issued on the basis of the test report, examination of technical documents and results of the audit.
An inspection control must also be carried out every year. |
| 4C | is intended for a batch delivery. In this case, samples are also to be tested. |
Schemes of EAC declaration
| Scheme | Description |
|---|---|
| 1D | is intended for series production. This scheme requires the type examination of product samples. Type examination of product samples is carried out by the manufacturer. |
| 2D | is intended for a batch delivery. This scheme requires the type examination of product samples. Type examination of product samples are carried out by the manufacturer. |
| 3D | is intended for series production. This scheme requires product samples to be tested by a laboratory accredited by the EAEU. |
| 4D | is intended for a batch/single delivery. This scheme requires product samples to be tested by a laboratory accredited by the EAEU. |
| 6D | is intended for series production. This scheme requires product samples to be tested by a laboratory accredited by the EAEU. |
Required documents
The accompanying documents must be written in Russian or in a language of the memver states of the EAEU. The documentations shall contain the following:
- test report
- data sheet
- product description
- certificate of the quality management system
- report of the manufacturing audit for serial production
5 steps for a successful conformity assessment of the furniture
- Classification of the product: First of all, you have to define which kind of conformity assessment process should be applied for your product.
- Choice of samples: In both cases samples must be sent to a test laboratory in the EAEU.
- Preparation of the technical documents like technical passport or operational manual in Russian (for lighting)
- Issuing of the EAC Certificate or EAC Declaration according to the test results and its registration
- EAC marking of the furniture
EAC marking
The products declared according to TR CU 025/2012 must be marked with the EAC conformity mark before launching in the market. The conformity mark shall be affixed to each unit and (or) shipping documents. The marking must be carried out in such a way that it is easily recognizable and legible throughout the entire shelf life of the product. Appropriate marking may only be made if the corresponding production meets the requirements of all relevant technical regulations.
Requirements for the EAC conformity marking:
- EAC marking must be easy to read with the naked eye
- dimensions are not less than 5 mm
- EAC marking should be monochrome and colour contrast to the surface
- EAC sign can be placed in any way that guarantees its legibility throughout the life of products
Placement of the EAC mark
- The EAC logo must be printed/affixed on the label, placed on a fixed part of each piece of furniture. It is not appalled to put the EAC Sing on drawers, removable shelves and component parts that may be replaced.
- For furniture which is sold disassembled an EAC sign can be put on their packaging and in the accompanying documents attached to them.
- The EAC marking is also attached to accompanying documents, consignment notes.
Marking of furniture
Consumer information is provided in the form of marking, instruction manuals and if necessary assembly instruction.
The marking shall be in Russian or in any language of one of the member states of the EAEU, if it is required by the national legislation.
- designation of the product
- logo of the manufacturer
- country of production
- name and address of the manufacturer
- name and address of the importer or the authorized representative
- warranty time
- lifetime of the product defined by the manufacturer
- EAC mark
If the furniture is disassembled the label and the instruction manual shall be in the packaging.
Authorized representative
The manufacturer, which is not based in one of the member states of the Eurasian Economic Union, is not entitled to request the conformity assessment of furniture to comply with the requirements of TR CU 025/2012.
In order to be able to carry out a conformity assessment, the foreign manufacturer must commission a authorized representative in one of the member states of the Eurasian Economic Union. This then represents the foreign manufacturer's interest in working with the certification bodies of the Eurasian Economic Union with regard to the safety and quality of products and compliance with technical regulations.
Period of validity of EAC conformity assessment certificates for furniture
The validity period of the EAC certificate or EAC declaration for furniture differs depending on the applied technical regulations, the selected scheme, the type of production (serial production, individual delivery, etc.) and equipment and ranges on average from one to 5 years. Those parameters are determined in the respective technical regulation.
Duration and costs for EAC certification
The duration and costs associated with an EAC certificate application for furniture depend on several different factors, such as the classification of the product, any required laboratory checks and the complexity of all examinations. As such the exact conditions of the EAC certification are always determined individually based on the required documentation.
Please note that an application for an EAC certificate can takeseveral weeks to process.
Delivery of the documentation
If you order the EAC Certificate on furniture, you will receive a copy of it via email immediately after our successful certification procedure. The original document and two certified copies will be sent by post.
