Pressure Equipment Directive

The Pressure Equipment Directive (PED) 2014/68/EU (formerly97/23/EC) of the EU sets out the standards for the design and fabrication of pressure equipment ("pressure equipment" means steam boilers, pressure vessels, piping, safety valves and other components and assemblies subject to pressure loading) generally over one litre in volume and having a maximum pressure more than 0.5 bar gauge. It also sets the administrative procedures requirements for the "conformity assessment" of pressure equipment, for the free placing on the European market without local legislative barriers. It has been mandatory throughout the EU since 30 May 2002, with 2014 revision fully effective as of 19 July 2016. This is enacted in the UK as the Pressure Equipment Regulations (PER). The set out standards and regulations regarding pressure vessels and boilers safety is also very close to the US standards defined by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). This enables most international inspection agencies to provide both verification and certification services to assess compliance to the different pressure equipment directives.

Directive 97/23/EC was fully superseded by directive 2014/68/EU from July 20, 2016 onwards. Article 13 of the new directive (classification of pressure equipment) became effective June 1, 2015, replacing article 9 of directive 97/23/EC.

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