Selling or installing valves in the EU (and several adjacent markets) means meeting the Pressure Equipment Directive 2014/68/EU. For buyers outside Europe, PED is often the least understood line on a datasheet — yet it decides whether your shipment clears the project’s document review.
How PED Classifies a Valve
PED sorts pressure accessories by risk: the fluid group (Group 1 = dangerous fluids like LNG, hydrogen, sour gas; Group 2 = benign like water, air), the DN, and PS×DN or PS×V product. That places the valve in SEP (Sound Engineering Practice — no CE mark permitted) or Categories I–IV (CE mark required, rising conformity involvement).
- Small valves on benign fluids → usually SEP.
- A DN150 Class 300 ball valve on natural gas → typically Category I–II.
- Large cryogenic valves on LNG → can reach Category III with notified-body involvement (module H, B+D etc.).
What the Buyer Should Check
- CE mark + category on the nameplate (and notified body number for Cat II+).
- EU Declaration of Conformity naming PED 2014/68/EU and the modules used.
- Materials with EN 10204 3.1 certificates from approved material manufacturers.
- For LNG/cryogenic: PED compliance plus BS 6364 / ISO 28921 type testing — see our cryogenic valve guide.
PED Outside the EU
The UK now uses UKCA marking (PED-equivalent, PER 2016); Türkiye applies PED via national regulation, so CE-marked valves are accepted; the Middle East commonly references PED in EPC specs even without legal force. This is why we treat PED documentation as standard for EMEA-bound industrial valves.
How the Category Is Determined
PED category is not a property of the valve alone. It is calculated from the maximum allowable pressure (PS), the nominal size (DN), the state of the fluid (gas or liquid) and the fluid group — Group 1 covering dangerous fluids and Group 2 everything else. The same valve can fall into different categories on two projects because the service differs.
The practical consequence for buyers is that the category calculation belongs to whoever defines the service conditions, and it must be communicated with the enquiry. A supplier cannot determine category from a part number.
The Threshold Nobody Reads: Article 4.3
Below the PED category thresholds, equipment must be designed and manufactured in accordance with sound engineering practice — and it must not carry a CE mark under the Directive. This surprises buyers regularly: a valve correctly supplied under Article 4.3 with no PED CE marking is compliant, and demanding a CE mark for it asks the manufacturer to do something the Directive prohibits.
So “is it CE marked?” is the wrong question. The right question is: “which category does this valve fall into for my service conditions, and what conformity evidence corresponds to that category?”
What the Buyer Should Actually Verify
- Declaration of Conformity naming the Directive (2014/68/EU), the category, the conformity assessment module used, and the harmonised standards applied.
- Notified body number alongside the CE mark for categories that require notified body involvement — a CE mark with no number on equipment that needs one is a red flag.
- Material conformity — pressure-bearing materials must be covered by an approved route, with certificates to match.
- Instructions in the required language for the country of installation; this is a legal requirement, not a courtesy.
- Consistency between the declared category and your stated service conditions — if they do not match, the paperwork protects nobody.
PED Outside the EU, and the ASME Question
PED marking is required for equipment placed on the EU market. It is frequently specified outside the EU — in parts of EMEA and on EU-funded or EU-engineered projects — because the client’s engineering standard references it. In those cases it functions as a contractual requirement rather than a legal one, but the evidence required is identical.
ASME B16.34 acceptance does not substitute for PED conformity. The two address overlapping subject matter through different legal and technical frameworks, and a project that names both is asking for both. Where a specification names ASME construction and EU placement, confirm early which framework governs acceptance — retrofitting conformity evidence after manufacture is expensive and sometimes impossible.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a valve be “PED compliant” without a CE mark?
Yes — SEP category valves must NOT carry the CE mark under PED, but should still come with the manufacturer’s SEP declaration.
Is ASME B16.34 acceptance enough for Europe?
No. ASME design is fine technically, but the legal requirement is PED conformity — the manufacturer must have run the PED modules. Many API-standard valves are dual-certified.
Who is responsible for category calculation?
Formally the manufacturer; practically, your RFQ should state fluid group and conditions so the supplier can confirm category and marking. We do this check on every European inquiry.
