1. What is your role?
The category is the same for everyone; the guidance and checklist adapt to your role.
2. What do you want to classify?
Choose the equipment type.
Does my equipment fall under the PED at all?
The PED (Directive 2014/68/EU) applies to the design and placing on the market of pressure equipment and assemblies with a maximum allowable pressure PS > 0.5 bar (gauge): vessels, piping, safety accessories and pressure accessories. Three quick checks:
- Is PS ≤ 0.5 bar? Then the equipment does not fall under the PED.
- Is PS > 0.5 bar and is it a vessel, piping, accessory or assembly? Then it falls under the PED in principle — even if the outcome below is "Article 4(3)": that is a light regime within the PED, not an exemption.
- Then check whether an exclusion of Article 1(2) applies (below).
The most common exclusions (Art. 1(2)):
- Transport pipelines for conveying fluids to or from an installation, starting from and including the last isolation device within the installation boundary — other rules apply there. Note: standard pressure equipment in, for example, pressure-reduction or compressor stations does fall under the PED.
- Water supply networks and associated equipment, and hydroelectric headraces and penstocks.
- Simple pressure vessels: series-produced welded vessels of simple shape for air or nitrogen, not fired, PS ≤ 30 bar and PS·V ≤ 10,000 bar·L — those fall under their own Directive 2014/29/EU. Outside those limits (a one-off, for instance) the PED does apply.
- Aerosol dispensers and gas cylinders / transport tanks for the carriage of dangerous goods (ADR/RID — the TPED, 2010/35/EU, applies there).
- Machine parts whose dimensions are determined by strength or stiffness, not by pressure: engine blocks, turbine and pump casings, press cylinders.
- Radiators and pipes in warm-water heating systems.
- Flexible casings: tyres, balls, air cushions, inflatable craft.
- Beverage containers: bottles and cans for carbonated drinks, and drink vessels up to 7 bar and 500 bar·L.
- Vehicle, ship and aircraft equipment, high-voltage equipment (switchgear, transformers), weapons, equipment with a specific nuclear risk, and well-control equipment in oil, gas and geothermal extraction.
- Equipment that would be at most category I and falls under the machinery, lifts, low-voltage, ATEX, gas-appliance or medical-device rules: then that legislation applies, not the PED (Art. 1(2)(f)).
This is a summary of the most common cases; Article 1(2) lists more exclusions — see the full Does the PED apply? page. No exclusion applicable? Then simply continue with the check — it also tells you whether your equipment falls under Article 4(3) (no CE marking) or in category I to IV. In doubt, mail your case to info@swqc.nl.
Result
Three pages: your input, the category with its reasoning, your position in the Annex II chart, the margin to the next category and the first next steps. Free, no account.
One note on scope. PED-Check is built from Dutch practice. The classification follows Directive 2014/68/EU and applies throughout the EU; where the summary mentions national law it is Dutch law. If your equipment is operated in another Member State, that country’s in-service rules apply instead.
Your technical input is not stored. Your address is used to send you this summary and is not passed to third parties; mail info@swqc.nl to have it removed.
Show the official chart from the directive
Annex II of Directive 2014/68/EU, Official Journal L 189 of 27-6-2014 — shown here as the extract from the Dutch edition of the OJ ("Tabel" = table, "Artikel 4, lid 3" = Article 4(3)); the demarcation lines and values are identical in every language edition. © European Union, eur-lex.europa.eu — reuse permitted with attribution.
3D printing does not change your category — it changes how you substantiate material and process. The AM route wizard takes your category across and determines in five choices which regime, which material route and which qualifications apply.
Continue with the AM route → Or read about material and PMA firstThe full report gives the execution for your situation: a phased plan and module selection guide (manufacturer), or workshop requirements and the deliverables file (build to order), plus the documentation checklist with the legal basis per item and the official chart from the Official Journal. Delivered in English. See what the difference is.
Order the full report — € 49 (SEP / cat. I) · € 99 (cat. II–IV)Everything on this site, in the order you meet it
PED-Check is set up as a reference: from "does this fall under it at all" to the file and the in-service inspection in the Netherlands, with a separate route for additive manufacturing alongside it. Each step has its own free page, each statement with its reference in the directive.
Route 1 · The PED route, step by step
Route 2 · PED & additive manufacturing
Is the part printed or deposited? The category does not change, the substantiation does. These pages form that route, in order.
Your file and the full report
Free or full? This is the difference
The free check gives the answer — which category, which routes. The full report gives the execution — in which order, with which documents, and what to expect back from the notified body: a phased plan, the file checklist with the legal basis per item, the module choice worked out, the test pressure with its normative basis, and the Dutch in-service chapter for equipment operated in the Netherlands. Up to 26 pages, matched to your category, delivered in English.
The check above stays free in full — category, modules, reasoning and chart. The test pressure calculator and the Dutch inspection check cost nothing either.
| Free check + summary (PDF) | Full report (PDF) | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | € 0 | € 49 (SEP / cat. I) · € 99 (cat. II–IV), incl. Dutch VAT |
| Category with reasoning and the article/table reference | ✓ | ✓ |
| Your position in the chart of Annex II | ✓ | ✓ |
| Test pressure calculated with the reasoning per step, plus a summary as PDF | ✓ | ✓ |
| Dutch inspection duty: designated for inspection before entry into service and re-inspection, with the fixed interval — free on the separate page, worked out for your equipment in the report | ✓ | ✓ |
| Permitted conformity assessment modules (names) | ✓ | ✓ |
| Selection guide: which module suits a one-off or a series, with an explanation per module | — | ✓ |
| Phased plan: what you submit to and receive back from the notified body, including application requirements such as the hazard analysis | — | ✓ |
| Documentation checklist for the technical file, with the legal basis per item | — | ✓ |
| Which standards you actually need: every part of the EN 13445, EN 13480 or boiler series with its function, plus what demonstrating equivalence involves when designing to ASME VIII or AD 2000 | — | ✓ |
| Sequence plan with a phase bar: which step blocks what — from the category before you order material to the inspection before entry into service | — | ✓ |
| Responsibility matrix: who performs and who assesses, per action and with the category threshold — manufacturer, notified body, recognised third-party organisation, Dutch inspection body and user | — | ✓ |
| Module selection as a decision scheme: criterion → route, showing only the routes permitted for your category | — | ✓ |
| Handover file: which documents your customer may expect with the equipment | — | ✓ |
| The file the notified body assesses: 15 design items and 14 manufacturing items, each with its basis in the directive — including what a PMA must actually contain | — | ✓ |
| The pressure test in practice: gauge range and calibration chain, water temperature and chloride risk with stainless steel, pressure build-up and hold time, the standpipe method at a design pressure of 0 bar, and who belongs at which hold point | — | ✓ |
| User obligations under the Dutch decree (WBDA 2016): instructions for use in Dutch, requirements for the installation, the record sheet and who may write on it, retention periods, and what applies to modifications and repairs | — | ✓ |
| Fill-in pressure test protocol as an annex: object and test data, measuring equipment with serial number and calibration date, execution, acceptance criterion and release blocks for manufacturer, notified body, Dutch inspection body and client | — | ✓ |
| Workshop requirements: welding and NDT qualifications, calibration requirements (ISO/IEC 17025) | — | ✓ |
| Dutch notified body overview (who can deliver your module, with NB numbers) + in-service chapter: inspection and re-inspection intervals (WBDA/WRDA 2016) — for cat. II–IV | — | ✓ |
| Official chart from the Official Journal as an annex | — | ✓ |
With the role “build to order” the report replaces the selection guide, the phased plan and the handover file with the full workshop requirements and the deliverables file towards your client.
€ 49 (SEP and category I) · € 99 (categories II–IV) — prices include Dutch VAT; for EU business customers outside the Netherlands with a valid VAT number the reverse-charge mechanism applies.
Order by e-mail — delivered within two working days
Why PED-Check, and not another free PED calculator?
There are other free PED calculators, some of them from notified bodies. They usually give the category, the table chart and the module names. PED-Check differs on nine points:
- Role-driven — if you build to order you get workshop requirements and a deliverables file instead of the manufacturer’s perspective. If you are buying, you get the questions you ought to be asking your supplier.
- A reasoning line with every outcome — you see which rule from Annex II sets your category, with the article and table reference. Copyable into your own file. A category without a substantiation is worth nothing in an audit.
- Demonstrably verified — rule by rule against the charts of Official Journal L 189, with 347 boundary cases and over 134,000 automated comparisons against an independent second implementation. The revision state is at the foot of every page.
- The edge cases are in it — a gas blanket above a liquid, unstable gas, multi-chamber vessels, pressure cookers, portable extinguishers, and the difference between the liquid and the gas phase. Exactly where generic calculators go wrong.
- The Dutch use phase — most tools stop at the CE marking. This one also works out whether your equipment is subject to inspection in the Netherlands and at which interval (WBDA/WRDA 2016). That is what your Dutch customer will hold you to.
- Written by someone from practice — International Welding Engineer and IWI-C, file owner for category IV pressure vessels that passed a notified body through module B+F. Not a marketing agency with a spreadsheet.
- Independent — we sell no inspections and no certificates. The outcome does not steer you to one desk; the report helps you compare quotations from several notified bodies.
- Your input is not stored — the calculation runs in your browser. No account, no tracking cookies.
- Kept current, with a reference date — the list of notified bodies, the harmonised standards and the Dutch regulations each carry a date. So you can see whether you are looking at fresh information.
Rather not start the technical file from a blank page? Fill-in templates in your own house style — file structure, deliverables list, inspection and test plan, register sheets — from € 395 excl. VAT. Mail info@swqc.nl with your category and module for a fixed quote.
Not starting from a blank page: custom templates for the technical file
The report tells you what your technical file must contain; the templates give you the documents themselves. You receive them fully fill-in-able, in your own house style with your logo, company details and document coding, and matched to your category and conformity module — from the file structure and deliverables list to the inspection and test plan and register sheets. Delivered as editable files, from € 395 excl. VAT.
Mail info@swqc.nl with your category and module; you receive a fixed price within one working day.
Frequently asked questions
Which PED category does my pressure equipment fall into?
The category (Article 4(3), or I to IV) follows from the equipment type, the fluid (gas or liquid, group 1 or 2), the maximum allowable pressure PS and the volume V or nominal size DN, through the nine tables of Annex II of Directive 2014/68/EU. The free check on this page gives you the category in one minute.
When is CE marking mandatory on pressure equipment?
For categories I to IV the CE marking is mandatory; from category II with the identification number of the notified body. If the equipment falls under Article 4(3) (sound engineering practice), it must not bear the CE marking under this directive.
Do I need a notified body?
From category II a notified body is involved in the conformity assessment. In category I the manufacturer carries out internal production control (module A); under Article 4(3) no notified body is involved at all.
Why is there no CE marking on Article 4(3) equipment, and what is required instead?
The equipment does fall under the directive, but there is no conformity assessment. Below the thresholds of Article 4(1) it must be designed and manufactured in accordance with the sound engineering practice of a Member State. For that route the directive knows no module, no notified body and no declaration of conformity — and the CE marking is precisely the visible proof that a conformity assessment took place. Article 4(3) therefore states expressly that this equipment does not bear the CE marking. What is required: design and manufacture to the state of the art, adequate instructions for use, and identification of the manufacturer and type. Note that CE marking can still be mandatory under another directive — machinery, ATEX, low voltage or EMC.
What is the Dutch inspection before entry into service?
In the Netherlands, designated pressure equipment — among others steam boilers and pressure vessels above certain pressure and volume limits — must be inspected after installation and before first use by a designated Dutch conformity assessment body, followed by periodic re-inspections. This follows from the Warenwetbesluit drukapparatuur 2016 and is separate from the CE marking: that covers the placing on the market, not the use phase. Check your equipment on the Netherlands page.
My vessel is full of water — why does it end up in a high category?
Because there is almost always gas in it too. An expansion vessel, hydrophore, sprinkler tank or extinguishing vessel carries a gas blanket above the liquid: air or nitrogen under pressure. That blanket governs the classification, and gas falls under a far stricter table than liquid. Worked example, which you can reproduce with the check above: a 1,540-litre water tank at 10 bar falls under Article 4(3) without a gas blanket — no CE marking, no notified body. With an air blanket table 2 applies, PS·V = 15,400 bar·L, and the very same vessel comes out in category IV. One checkbox, and the difference is a full conformity route. If that gas is continuously vented, only the liquid counts (guideline B-08).
What goes into the handover file, and what does the notified body check?
A notified body works through a fixed list, split into a design part (design data, category and module, standards applied, drawings, strength calculations, hazard analysis, ESR assessment, welding and NDT procedures, instructions for use) and a manufacturing part (qualifications, ITP, material and welding certificates, examination reports, calibration, proof test, nameplate, declaration of conformity). Four items are structurally forgotten and hold files up: the substantiation of the test pressure, the ESR assessment, the certificates for welding gases and the calibration of the welding power source.
I want to use ASME or ASTM material. What exactly is a PMA?
A PMA (Particular Material Appraisal) is required as soon as you use material that is not covered by a harmonised material standard and for which no European approval for materials exists (Annex I point 4.2, and Article 15 for the European route). It is not an essay but a comparison table: the material next to its harmonised equivalent, demonstrating per property that you are at least equivalent — strength, toughness, ageing, weldability and traceability, each tied to a point in Annex I. You draw up the PMA; the notified body performing the conformity assessment reviews and accepts it, and the certificate follows only after that.
Does the PED also apply to repair or modification?
A substantial modification can legally count as placing on the market anew, after which the modified equipment must comply with the PED again. For the use phase in the Netherlands (inspection before entry into service, re-inspection) the Warenwetbesluit drukapparatuur 2016 applies.