Frequently Asked Questions About the IECEE CB Scheme

Q: What is the CB Scheme?

A: The IECEE Scheme, based on IEC and ISO harmonized international standards, allows for a true one-stop approach to obtain multiple national safety certifications with a single CB Test Certificate and Report. The program helps reduce trade barriers caused by different certification requirements in different countries, allowing manufacturers to access existing, new and developing global markets with repetitive testing.

Q: What does "CB Scheme" stand for?

A: The "CB" in IECEE CB Scheme refers to the multilateral agreement between global Certification Bodies operating in the program. The official name of the CB Scheme is the "IEC System of Conformity Assessment Schemes for Electrotechnical Equipment and Components (IECEE)"

Q: How does the CB Scheme work?

A: A manufacturer applies to any of the participating National Certification Bodies (NCBs) for a CB Test Certificate (Intertek has four NCBs located in Singapore, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States of America). The NCB will work with one of their associated CB Testing Laboratories (CBTL) (Intertek has more than 45 associated CBTLs globally) qualified to carry out testing and evaluation of products to determine conformity with the globally harmonized IEC and ISO EE standards. When in compliance, the NCB and associated CBTL will issue CB Test Certificates and Reports to the applicant. In most cases, at the applicant’s request, the NCB will in parallel issue its own national certification for the product, such as the ETL Listed Mark for the USA and Canada and the S Mark for Europe. The manufacturer can then present the CB Test Certificate and Reports to other participating NCBs to obtain additional global certifications for their product through without requiring retesting.

Q: How can the CB Scheme benefit me?

A: The CB Scheme can help you save money, save time, obtain certifications more quickly, and reduce the number of test samples needed. When a manufacturer applies to an NCB for their national certification based on an issued CB Test Certificate and Reports, the NCB will typically grant their certification with minimal, if any, re-testing once the documents are reviewed and successful pass through the certification process.  As a result, time to certification, testing related costs, and costs associated with multiple test samples necessary for repetitive testing are reduced., Intertek can further assist with the application to many NCBs around the world to further simplify this process for the applicant.

Q: Does the system really work?

A: Yes! Even through the pandemic, the number of CB Test Certificates issued by NCBs operating in the IECEE CB Scheme has continued to rise and the number of Member Countries in the Scheme exceeds 50.

Q: How can I apply for CB Scheme certification?

A: A manufacturer can apply to any NCB for issuance of a new CB Test Certificate or for certification based on recognition of an issued CB Test Certificate. Contact information for Intertek NCBs can be found at the following links

• Intertek USA NCB
• Intertek Sweden NCB
• Intertek Singapore NCB
• Intertek UK NCB

Q: What standards and product categories are covered by the CB Scheme?

A: The scope of products covered by the CB Scheme includes 37 categories, from household appliances, medical devices, information technology, cybersecurity, and more. For a complete list of standards operated by the IECEE CB Scheme, please see the following link: Standard Operated in the IECEE CB Scheme. The standards used are globally harmonized IEC and ISO standards. It is important to note that some standards do include national differences which should be addressed by the issuing NCB and CBTL during testing so when applying for national certifications, delays to address nation differences are not introduced.

Q: How are national differences handled?

A: Compliance with national differences may be evaluated either by the NCB and CBTL issuing the CB Test Certificate and Test Reports, or by the recognizing NCB to whom the CB Test Certificate and Test Reports are presented national certification. It is recommended, however, to reduce time to certification, possible additional testing, as well as required additional test samples that the applicant request country deviations be addressed by the original issuing NCB and CBTL.

Q: How can I learn more about the CB Scheme?

A: You can learn more about the CB Scheme by contacting any of our Intertek offices, NCBs or visiting IECEE’s web site.

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