In short: A standard, a certification and CE marking are three different things. What EN 13814, GB 8408 and ASTM F2291 each cover, and what your market requires.
Most misunderstandings about ride compliance come from using these three words as if they meant the same thing. They do not.
| Term | What it is | Who produces it | What it does not prove |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | A technical document defining loads, safety factors, clearances and verification methods — e.g. EN 13814, GB 8408, ASTM F2291 | A standards body (CEN, SAC, ASTM) | That a specific ride complies with it |
| Certification | Third-party verification that a design, a product or a quality system meets a requirement | An accredited body (TÜV, SGS, a notified body) | That the ride is safe in every jurisdiction — certification is scoped to what was assessed |
| CE marking | A manufacturer’s declaration that the product meets applicable EU legislation, supported by a technical file | The manufacturer (self-declaration), with a notified body involved only for certain categories | That anyone inspected the ride before it shipped |
Once those three are separated, the rest of the question becomes answerable: which standard applies, what certification your authority accepts, and whether the supplier can produce the technical file behind the CE declaration.
EN 13814 is the European standard for fairground and amusement park machinery and structures. It is published in parts, covering the design and manufacture of the structure, the requirements for operation and maintenance, and the inspection required at the design stage.
In practice it governs:
What EN 13814 does not do is certify anything. It tells a designer how to verify a structure. A ride can be designed to EN 13814 and still not be legal in your country, if your country requires a different approval route.
Turning those load cases into member sizes is a separate step, described in how those load cases are calculated.
CE marking means the manufacturer declares that the product conforms to the applicable EU legislation — for machinery, primarily the Machinery Directive and its successor regulation. The declaration is supported by a technical file: risk assessment, calculations, drawings, test records and a declaration of conformity.
For most ride categories this is a self-declaration. That surprises buyers who assume CE means “inspected and approved by the EU”. It does not. What it means is that the manufacturer has taken on the legal responsibility for conformity, and can be challenged on it.
Two practical consequences:
The technical file is only credible if the records behind it exist; the inspection records behind the file are set out on the quality assurance page.
EN 13814 is commonly used as the design basis for a ride that is then CE marked, because it is a harmonised standard for this equipment type. That is a relationship of convenience, not identity: one is the design rule, the other is the market-access declaration.
GB 8408 is the Chinese national standard for large amusement rides. It covers load combinations, safety factors and verification in a way broadly comparable to EN 13814, but the details differ — and those differences matter if your authority assesses against it.
Two points buyers should know:
For export projects we normally design to the destination standard. Tell us the destination country at inquiry stage and it is settled before the quotation, not after production — see how the destination shapes the design.
In the United States, ASTM F2291 is the commonly referenced design standard for amusement rides and devices. It is a design and verification standard, not a market authorisation.
Market access in the US runs largely through state-level regulation: several states require review by a professional engineer and their own permitting process, and requirements differ from state to state. A US project therefore needs the destination state identified early.
This table is a starting point for the conversation, not legal advice. Regulations change, and your local authority has the final word.
| Destination | Typical design basis | Market access route | Third party usually involved |
|---|---|---|---|
| European Union | EN 13814 | CE marking + technical file | Notified body for certain categories; often none for others |
| United Kingdom | EN 13814 (as adopted) | UKCA, or CE accepted under current transitional policy | Same as EU in practice |
| China | GB 8408 | Special equipment route: type test and statutory inspection | Yes — statutory inspection body |
| United States | ASTM F2291 | State-level permitting, often with professional engineer review | Varies by state |
| Russia / EAEU | EN 13814 commonly used as design basis | EAC conformity under the customs union technical regulations | Accredited certification body |
| Saudi Arabia / Gulf | EN 13814 commonly referenced | SASO / SABER certificates | Yes |
| Brazil | EN 13814 or ASTM as project basis | INMETRO where applicable | Yes |
| Southeast Asia, Africa, much of Latin America | Frequently EN 13814, sometimes the manufacturer’s national standard | Project-specific approval; third-party inspection reports are commonly accepted | Often SGS, TÜV or a nominated inspector |
If your country is not listed, send us the name of the authority that will approve the installation. That is usually enough to work out which route applies.
What we do not do is claim that one certificate covers every market. It does not exist, and a supplier who says otherwise has either misunderstood the rules or is hoping you will not check.
Our quality management system is certified to GB/T 19001-2016 / ISO 9001:2015 under certificate HQ-Q20268921 — that is a management-system certificate, not a product certificate, and it does not replace the design verification described above. The records it produces are described on the quality assurance page.
No. For most ride categories CE is a manufacturer’s self-declaration supported by a technical file. Ask to see the file.
No. CE covers the EU/EEA. The US, China, the Gulf, Brazil and others each have their own route.
EN 13814 is a standard, not a certificate. The correct phrasing is “designed and verified to EN 13814”. Anyone offering “EN 13814 certification” is describing a third-party assessment, which is a different thing — ask which body issued it and what scope it covers.
A standard constrains the design and the verification, not the country of manufacture. What matters is whether the load cases were calculated, the drawings match the calculation, and the records exist. That is checkable, and it is what an inspector will check.
They are comparable in scope but not identical in load combinations, safety factors and inspection regime. A design cannot be assumed to satisfy both without checking.
The one that applies in your destination country, agreed at inquiry stage and written into the quotation. For EU destinations that is normally EN 13814.
Yes — calculations, drawings, risk assessment, material certificates, test records and the declaration of conformity, as a package for the market-access process.
On request. SGS, TÜV or a nominee of your choice, at whatever production stage your contract specifies. We schedule the trial run around their availability.
Usually not. CE is an EU/EEA market-access declaration. Most other markets require their own approval or certification, even where they accept EN 13814 as the design basis.
Tell us at inquiry stage. Designing to a different standard changes the load cases and possibly the structure — it is workable before production, and expensive after.
The operation and maintenance manual can be supplied in the destination language. The calculation report and drawings are normally in English.
Sometimes, when the design bases overlap and the documentation is prepared for each route separately. It is more expensive and slower than designing for one market, so it works best when the destination is genuinely undecided.
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This page describes common practice and is not legal advice. Regulations change; your local authority has the final decision on market access.
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