Does refurbished or second-hand Ex equipment need a new certificate?
Abstract
Not automatically. Used Ex equipment already lawfully on the EU market keeps its original certificate if only repaired or restored. A new conformity assessment is needed when it is substantially modified, sold as new, or imported used from outside the EU for the first time.
Not automatically. Second-hand Ex equipment that was lawfully placed on the EU market keeps its original certificate when it is resold, relocated, repaired or cosmetically restored, because the ATEX directive covers only the first placing on the market. A new conformity assessment is needed when the equipment is substantially modified, is offered as an "as new" product, or is imported used from outside the EU and made available there for the first time. In every case the user must still verify its condition, documents and suitability before putting it into service.
Short answer
- Used, unmodified, already on the EU market: no new ATEX certificate. The original certificate and declaration still apply to that unit.
- Repaired (function restored, nothing added or changed): no new certificate under the directive. Repair should follow IEC 60079-19 and be documented.
- Reconditioned or reconfigured without substantial modification: no new certificate.
- Substantially modified (any change affecting a requirement such as temperature, or the integrity of the type of protection): the directive applies again when the product is placed on the market again or used by the modifier for its own purposes, and whoever makes the change takes on the manufacturer's obligations.
- Used equipment imported from a non-EU country and made available in the EU for the first time: treated like a new product; full ATEX compliance is needed.
- National workplace rules may require the user to assess any used or repaired item before use.
How the ATEX Guidelines sort used products
The European Commission's ATEX Guidelines (6th edition, 2026) ask two questions: is the product being placed on the EU market or put into service for the first time, and is it modified so much that it must be regarded as a new product? If either answer is yes, Directive 2014/34/EU applies in full.
| Case | Directive applies again? |
|---|---|
| Used or second-hand, already used in the EU | No; it circulates under the rules in force when first placed on the market |
| Used, imported from outside the EU, first made available in the EU after 20 April 2016 | Yes |
| Reconditioned or refurbished to restore performance, no substantial modification | No |
| Reconfigured by adding or removing parts, no substantial modification | No |
| Substantially modified | Yes, if placed on the market again or used by the modifier |
| Repaired, no new features | No |
| Spare parts for repair | No; a newer replacement part from the original manufacturer is also acceptable if the repair is not a substantial modification |
The Guidelines warn that even cosmetic refurbishment can matter: a different enclosure material or dimensions can change the electrostatic behaviour, for example a plastic enclosure in place of a metal one. Such a change is no longer cosmetic.
What a buyer or plant manager must still check
Being exempt from new certification does not make an item fit to install. Before putting second-hand or relocated equipment into service:
- Identity and documents. The original nameplate must be present and legible, and the certificate, declaration and instructions must match the marking. For IECEx equipment, check the certificate status online and the issue covering the date of manufacture.
- Suitability for the new location. Zone, gas or dust group, temperature class, ambient range and any specific conditions of use must fit the area, which may differ from the original plant.
- Condition. Flamepaths, seals, glands, enclosures, windings and fasteners should be examined by a competent person, as in an initial inspection.
- Repair history. Repairs and overhauls should have been done to IEC 60079-19. Its 2025 edition (5.0) includes a normative annex on identifying repaired equipment by marking, so look for repair labels and records.
- Modifications. Added entries, different lamps, rewound motors with changed data or replaced enclosures need evidence that they were done within the certificate or reassessed.
Example: A plant buys surplus flameproof motors from a closed refinery in another EU Member State. No new ATEX certificate is needed, because the motors were placed on the EU market by their manufacturer. The buyer checks the certificates and temperature classes against its own area classification, has the flamepaths inspected and keeps the records. The same motors bought from a refinery outside the EU would have to meet the directive as if new before being made available in the EU.
The workplace rules: a Great Britain example
Product law is only half of the question; the user's workplace law decides what may be used. HSE's guidance on DSEAR (L138) says that second-hand equipment and stock spares brought into use after 1 July 2003 must meet the product regulations (the Equipment and Protective Systems Intended for Use in Potentially Explosive Atmospheres Regulations, EPS), while products already in use in the EU before July 2003 may continue in use if the employer has assessed them and can show that the fire and explosion risks are eliminated or reduced so far as reasonably practicable. Other countries have similar rules, so check the national requirements.
Common mistakes
- Selling refurbished equipment "as new" under your own name without a conformity assessment. That makes you the manufacturer.
- Assuming an old certificate covers modifications made by a previous owner.
- Importing surplus equipment into the EU from abroad on the strength of its original ATEX marking without checking how it was first placed on the market.
- Skipping the suitability check because the equipment "was certified".
Related on excodex
- Repair, overhaul and modification of Ex equipment (IEC 60079-19)
- The ATEX Declaration of Conformity and the CE and Ex marking: what must be on the label
- How to verify that an Ex certificate is genuine
- Does modifying certified Ex equipment void its certificate?
- Standard spaces: IEC 60079-19, IEC 60079-17
Standards and further reading
- European Commission, ATEX 2014/34/EU Guidelines, 6th edition (January 2026), section on used, repaired or modified products and spare parts: webgate.ec.europa.eu
- IEC 60079-19:2025, equipment repair, overhaul and reclamation (edition 5.0); public preview: standards.iteh.ai
- IEC 60079-17, inspection and maintenance of electrical installations
- HSE, L138 Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations 2002, Approved Code of Practice and guidance (2nd edition), paragraphs 24 and 373: hse.gov.uk
This article is general technical information prepared by the excodex editorial team. It does not replace the applicable standards, the equipment certificates and instructions, national regulations or the assessment of a competent person.