The CE marking has a unique status in Europe. Based on the acronym for the French phrase Conformité Européenne (European Conformity), it’s legally required on certain goods sold throughout the European Union to indicate compliance with relevant EU regulations.
Nord-Lock has now confirmed that its Nord-Lock® X-series washers meet all requirements for CE marking. Featuring the brand’s renowned wedge-locking technology for preventing self-loosening and a conical shape to compensate for settlement, it’s the first CE-marked washer to combine the two elements.
The X-series washers is also the eighth series of washers with the CE marking produced by Nord-Lock, strengthening the producer’s status as the only manufacturer of multiple lines of CE-marked securing washers.
According to Frank Götz, Global Business Development Manager for Buildings and Infrastructure at Nord-Lock, it’s an especially notable development given that products like securing washers have much more rigorous standards to carry the CE marking than most others due to their primary usage.
“Products used in critical or structural applications in the construction industry must comply with harmonized European standards,” explains Götz.
Nord-Lock obtained its first CE marking in 2013 for its Nord-Lock® Steel Construction (SC) washers. But it was only to German standards and could really only be used in that market. Then, in 2016, the company launched an effort to attain CE markings for building and construction under the entire European framework.
Götz says it was an arduous process that involved a wide array of testing for technical dossiers, submission of a European Assessment Document (EAD), third-party inspections, and more. By 2023, Nord-Lock had expanded its CE markings across Europe, becoming the first brand to have multiple series of securing washers approved under the full European framework. Many of its series of wedge-locking washers gained approval for carrying the marking, including Nord-Lock® (NL) washers and Nord-Lock® stainless steel (NLss) washers.
The process of verifying the X-series for CE marking began in 2024 and went much faster, wrapping up in the third quarter of 2025.
There’s no dispute that having the CE marking on its washers has been invaluable for Nord-Lock. “It's absolutely a door opener for us in all European countries,” says Götz. “If we do not have the CE mark on a product, we can't sell it to the construction industry.”
However, the impact goes further. Meeting and overcoming the challenges in obtaining CE-marked status for products like securing washers requires a persistent commitment to excellence. And the CE marking helps confirm that to potential customers outside Europe as well.
“For people around the globe, our CE mark is guaranteeing the working principle of our products and the same quality over production time,” says Götz. “The CE marking is the baseline for further growth of Nord-Lock’s washers.”
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Nord-Lock products that carry the CE marking
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The Nord-Lock Group believes that no one should have to question the integrity of the mechanical systems that play such a critical role in our way of life. As a global leader in bolting solutions, we strengthen public and industrial infrastructures with high-quality, safe and innovative solutions that will change the face of modern living for decades to come.