Short answer: the EU does not issue a national certificate for a circuit breaker. It asks the manufacturer for a CE mark supported by an EU Declaration of Conformity under the Low Voltage Directive 2014/35/EU, with the technical file behind it. The responsible economic operator inside the EU is the importer, not the Chinese exporter. So an order like a CHINT NA1 air circuit breaker, 2000 A, 3-pole is specified the same way anywhere else — frame, breaking class, poles, trip unit — but the compliance question shifts to “whose name is on the declaration, and who holds the file for ten years”.
This page answers that, using a real enquiry (a 2000 A, 3-pole ACB) as the worked example, and lists what else normally travels in the same switchboard. It is written from the position of an independent trading company, not a manufacturer and not an appointed distributor of any brand: certificates are stated per exact ordering code, never for a whole range.
The bits that actually apply to a low-voltage breaker
| Instrument | What it covers | What it means in practice |
|---|---|---|
| Low Voltage Directive 2014/35/EU | Electrical equipment rated 50–1000 V AC (or 75–1500 V DC) | Manufacturer draws up an EU Declaration of Conformity and affixes CE. A 230/400 V breaker sits inside this range. |
| EMC Directive 2014/30/EU | Electromagnetic compatibility | Relevant once the breaker carries an electronic trip unit or a smart controller — i.e. most ACBs above the basic thermal-magnetic models. |
| RoHS Directive 2011/65/EU (as amended by (EU) 2015/863) | Restricted substances | Evidenced through a technical assessment; EN IEC 63000:2018 is the usual route. |
| EN 60947-2 | Circuit-breakers (harmonised standard) | This is the standard an ACB is tested to in order to claim LVD conformity. Auxiliary and accessory switches are covered by EN 60947-5-1. |
Note what is not in that list: a certificate issued by an EU body. There is no EU equivalent of SONCAP’s SC or Saudi SABER’s SCoC that an exporter buys per shipment. The EU system is a self-declaration supported by a technical file, and enforcement happens after the fact through market surveillance.
Why the importer carries the weight
Under Article 8 of the LVD, before placing equipment on the EU market the importer must ensure the conformity assessment has been carried out, that the manufacturer has drawn up the technical documentation, that the equipment bears CE and is accompanied by the required documents. The importer must also put its own name, trade name or trade mark and postal address on the equipment, or on its packaging, or in an accompanying document — and must keep a copy of the EU Declaration of Conformity available to the authorities for ten years.
Article 10 adds the sting: an importer or distributor that places equipment on the market under its own name or trade mark, or modifies it in a way that affects compliance, is treated as the manufacturer and takes on the manufacturer’s obligations.
Two consequences for a buyer:
- Private labelling moves the responsibility. If your name goes on the breaker, the declaration is your problem, not the factory’s. Agree it in writing before the order, not after.
- The document you need is the code-specific EU DoC. Not a generic “CE certificate” image, and not a CE mark on the family catalogue. Ask for the declaration that names the ordering code you are buying.
Worked example: a 2000 A, 3-pole air circuit breaker
The enquiry that prompted this page was a 2000 A, 3-pole air circuit breaker. Within the CHINT range that sits in the NA1 series: an air circuit breaker to IEC/EN 60947-2, AC 50/60 Hz, rated operational voltage 400/690 V, rated current up to 6300 A, 3-pole and 4-pole, fixed or drawout, manual or motor charging, protecting against overload, short circuit, undervoltage and single-phase earth fault.
| Series | Type | Range | Notes that matter at quote stage |
|---|---|---|---|
| NA1 | Air circuit breaker, IEC/EN 60947-2 | In 200–6300 A · Ue 400/690 V · 50/60 Hz · 3P/4P | Fixed or drawout; manual or motor charging. Breaking capacity is read for the specific frame from the NA1 catalogue table — it is not one figure for the series. |
| NA8 | Air circuit breaker, newer platform with S/M/H intelligent trip units | Distribution, feeder and generator protection | Choice when the project wants a modern electronic controller with communication. |
| NXA | Air circuit breaker, IEC/EN 60947-2 with EMC annex | Frames 1600 / 2000 / 3200 / 4000 / 6300 A · Ue 380/400/415, 440/525, 690 V · Ui 1000 V · Uimp 12 kV | Three breaking levels (N/S/H); public KEMA, CE and CB documents exist, which shortens the EU declaration chain. |
Two practical points from that table. First, breaking capacity is voltage-dependent and frame-dependent: a figure quoted at 690 V is not the figure at 400 V, and each frame has its own row. Second, when the destination is the EU and the buyer wants the shortest possible declaration chain, the series with the clearest published CE evidence is the one to lead with — which is why we would put NXA forward against an NA1 enquiry rather than pretend they are identical.
We will not print a kA number here for a specific NA1 frame. It belongs to the catalogue table for that frame, and we quote against that table.
What else travels in the same switchboard
A 2000 A incomer almost never ships alone. The usual companions, all quotable per code:
| Role | Typical device | Why the EU buyer cares |
|---|---|---|
| Outgoing feeders | MCCB — NM1 (10–1250 A) or NXM (16–1600 A) | Breaking classes and per-frame Icu must come from the catalogue table, same discipline as the ACB. |
| Metering | Three-phase CT-operated DIN-rail meter (DTSU666-CT) | Carries MID B + D certification (EU measuring instruments), which matters when the panel feeds a billing or sub-metering point. |
| Surge protection | Class I+II SPD (NU6-I+II), IEC/EN 61643-11 | Published VDE, CB, CE and RoHS documents. |
| Accessories | Auxiliary contacts, shunt release, undervoltage release, CTs, busbar | Each is a separate code and a separate line on the declaration. |
Voltage and frequency in the EU: the easy part
The EU runs on 230/400 V, 50 Hz. For a low-voltage breaker that means no frequency trap: MCBs and RCCBs to IEC/EN 60898-1, 61008-1 and 61009-1 are rated 50/60 Hz, and an ACB to IEC/EN 60947-2 is a 50/60 Hz device. The 60 Hz coil problem that bites in Saudi Arabia, Peru and the Philippines does not exist here. The 110–127 V question does not arise either.
The one split to keep straight is the United Kingdom: post-Brexit it uses UKCA with harmonised BS EN standards and a UK-based responsible party, run in parallel with CE and not to be confused with it. A unit going to both markets needs both routes documented.
FAQ
Q: Is there an “EU certificate” for a circuit breaker?
A: Not in the sense of a certificate issued by an EU authority. Conformity is declared by the manufacturer in an EU Declaration of Conformity under the Low Voltage Directive, supported by a technical file, after testing to the harmonised standard EN 60947-2. The CE mark is the visible result.
Q: Who signs the EU Declaration of Conformity when a Chinese breaker is sold into the EU?
A: The manufacturer, normally. The importer must ensure the declaration and technical documentation exist and must keep a copy for ten years. If the importer places the goods on the market under its own name or trade mark, or modifies them, it is treated as the manufacturer and takes on those obligations itself.
Q: Does an ACB need EMC testing as well as LVD?
A: Where it contains an electronic trip unit or a smart controller, yes — the EMC Directive 2014/30/EU applies alongside the Low Voltage Directive. Purely thermal-magnetic devices do not raise the same EMC question.
Q: Can you supply one CE certificate covering the whole ACB range?
A: No, and you should distrust anyone who offers one. Declarations are made per product and per ordering code. We provide the document for the exact code being quoted.
Q: Is 2000 A, 3-pole a standard frame?
A: Yes — it is a normal frame size in air circuit breaker ranges, positioned between the smaller distribution frames and the 3200 A and above main-incomer frames. The variables that change the quote are the frame, the breaking class, the trip unit and the mounting (fixed versus drawout).
Q: Do we need to be an EU company to export there?
A: No. The exporter can be anywhere. The compliance anchor is the economic operator established in the EU — the importer — plus the manufacturer’s declaration and file.
What to send us for a quotation
Model or code · quantity · destination country (and whether it is EU or UK) · grid (V / Hz / single or three phase) · required certificate route · available fault current at the board if known. You get unit price, packing data (pcs per carton, gross weight, CBM) and the certificate document for the exact ordering code. Request a quotation.
Related: Air circuit breakers (ACB) · Moulded case circuit breakers · SPD and isolators · Electrical import certificates by country · IEC 60898-1 vs IEC 60947-2 · How to verify genuine product