EU Directive · RoHS
RoHS Directive
Directive 2011/65/EU
The RoHS Directive restricts the use of specified hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment placed on the EU market, and is a prerequisite for CE marking of in-scope products.
What it covers
Electrical and electronic equipment — restricts hazardous substances such as lead, mercury and cadmium.
How it applies to your product
RoHS compliance is a substance-restriction exercise: the manufacturer shows, usually through supplier declarations and the technical file, that each homogeneous material stays under the limits for lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, the brominated flame retardants and the restricted phthalates. It is a precondition for CE marking of in-scope electronics.
Authoritative source
Always confirm against the primary text on EUR-Lex — the official EU legal database.
Read Directive 2011/65/EU on EUR-Lex ↗See also the RoHS entry in the glossary.
Guides on RoHS
From the Library
tutorial
How to Verify CE Documents from an Electronics Supplier
Check product identity, declarations, test reports and supplier gaps before accepting CE evidence for an electronics order.
guide
CE marking for industrial sensors and gateways
Product-specific scope and evidence checks for industrial sensors and gateways: EMC, RED, RoHS, voltage limits, ATEX, machinery transition and CRA classification.
guide
CE marking for IoT consumer products — end-to-end
End-to-end CE marking process for consumer IoT — RED, EMC, LVD, RoHS, CRA (from 11 December 2027), and GPSR — sequenced from scope to vulnerability handling.
reference
RoHS Directive 2011/65/EU — Annex II restricted substances
Annex II of RoHS 2 lists 10 restricted substances with maximum concentration values. The 2015 phthalate amendment, exemptions, and CE marking explained.
tutorial
Sample Declaration of Conformity — annotated walkthrough with template
An unsigned RED and RoHS declaration worksheet for a fictional radio product, with fields that require actual configuration and assessment evidence.
reference
Common CE marking errors — scope, assessment and evidence
Common pitfalls in CE marking, representative mandates, assessment routes and regulatory penalties, with primary references and product-evidence checks.
Check your product