Pressure equipment (for example  pressure vessels, steam generators,, industrial piping, tanks  and safety or pressure accessories) with a maximum pressure in excess of 0.5 bar in order to be placed in the European Union (EU) market needs CE certification before sold.

The PED can be applied to pressure equipment assemblies such as complex chemical process or power boiler plants and portable extinguishers or bottles for breathing equipment.
The PED has a wide scope, covering the design, calculating, manufacture and conformity assessment of pressure equipment and assemblies.

All pressure equipment shall meet the essential safety requirements set out in Annex I of the 2014/68/EU PED Directive. Depending upon the type of equipment, its pressure rating, volume or fluid content, and potential hazards, manufacturers may select a procedure from a range of conformity modules, which include:

• manufacturers self-certification
• third-party type examination or design examination
• third-party inspection
• quality management system certification

The risk category for the type of pressure equipment is set out in Annex II of the PED. Only lower-risk equipment may be subject to manufacturers own  self-certification; most pressure equipment must be certified.