CE, CB, ETL: What Certifications to Check When Importing Kitchen Equipment
Importing commercial kitchen equipment without the right certificates can mean seized containers, rejected shipments, or liability exposure after an incident.
CE — the baseline for the European Union
CE marking shows the machine meets EU health, safety and environmental directives. Ask for the Declaration of Conformity and the test reports — not just a CE sticker on the brochure.
CB — your passport across 50+ countries
A CB test certificate under the IECEE scheme lets one safety test be recognized by many national bodies, making local certification faster and cheaper.
ETL / UL — the United States
The US market requires Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL) marks such as ETL or UL for electrical equipment.
How to verify before you pay
Request the certificate number and verify it on the issuing body’s website. Match the certificate scope to the exact model you are buying — certificates are model-specific.
