PED 2014/68/EU Directive: what a pressure equipment buyer should know in 2026

The PED applies to the design, manufacture and conformity assessment of pressure equipment and assemblies with a maximum allowable pressure PS greater than 0.5 bar, subject to the exceptions set out in the directive itself. It covers vessels, boilers, piping, pressure accessories and assemblies, including reactors and heat exchangers when they fall within its scope.

It is a placing-on-the-market directive: it regulates making equipment available and putting it into service within the European Union. Operation, maintenance and periodic inspections are governed by each Member State's legislation; in Spain, for example, by Royal Decree 809/2021, which we cover in another article.

Equipment is classified into categories (I to IV, in addition to article 4(3) equipment) according to the type of equipment, the fluid (group 1 or group 2), the pressure PS and the volume or nominal diameter DN, using the tables and charts in Annex II. The category determines the applicable conformity assessment module or modules from Annex III.

Not all equipment requires the involvement of a notified body. In category I, for example, the manufacturer may apply internal production control (module A). Higher categories involve notified bodies with different scopes. As a buyer, it is reasonable to ask for the declared category and its basis to be stated in writing in the quotation.

Article 4(3) of the directive provides that certain low-hazard equipment must be designed and manufactured in accordance with the sound engineering practice (SEP) of a Member State. This equipment does not carry CE marking under the PED, although it must meet the requirements of that article. The absence of CE marking under the PED does not necessarily mean an equipment item is non-compliant: it may fall within article 4(3) or outside the scope of the directive.

When several items are integrated into an assembly — for example, a reactor with its piping and accessories — the directive provides its own rules for assemblies, with assessment responsibilities that should be clarified contractually: who assumes the assessment of the complete assembly and what documentation is delivered to the operator. This is a legitimate question at the quotation stage, not a minor detail.

Harmonised standards cited in the Official Journal of the European Union confer a presumption of conformity with the essential requirements they cover, but their use is voluntary: they are not law. The presumption is subject to the published references and to any limitations or restrictions, which should be read carefully.

The list of references is updated periodically. The Commission published Implementing Decision (EU) 2025/165, whose references have been amended with dates of 12 January and 1 October 2026 according to the official harmonised standards page. These updates change the cited references; the amendment dates should not be read as entry-into-force dates of new requirements without checking the text of each decision.

• Declared category under Annex II and its basis: equipment type, fluid, PS, volume or DN.
• Conformity assessment module applied and, where involved, identification of the notified body.
• EU declaration of conformity and operating instructions where applicable.
• Agreed technical documentation: drawings, material certificates, test and examination reports according to the contracted scope.
• The equipment's position regarding article 4(3) when it does not carry CE marking under the PED.

This information makes it possible to compare quotations on a like-for-like basis and to anticipate the documentation needed for putting the equipment into service in the destination country.