On 20 January 2027 a new set of rules replaces the previous Machinery Directive and then applies directly throughout the EU. For machine manufacturers and operators, more changes than just the name, especially on the subject of noise. This article puts the most important changes into context and shows the concrete need for action.

What the EU Machinery Regulation 2023/1230 Requires on Noise

The EU Machinery Regulation 2023/1230 is the new European set of rules for the safety of machinery and replaces the previous Machinery Directive on 20 January 2027. For noise control this is more than a formality, because the regulation requires a reduction of noise emission at the source and clear information on the noise values of a machine. At sta Group we have been developing and manufacturing soundproofing solutions for machines and systems since 1986, with which manufacturers and operators meet these requirements. This article explains what is changing and what matters when it comes to noise.

What Is the EU Machinery Regulation 2023/1230?

The EU Machinery Regulation 2023/1230 is Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 on machinery, which completely replaces Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC. It was adopted in 2023 and responds to technical developments such as connectivity, software and artificial intelligence, which were not yet reflected in the old law. At its core, however, the aim remains the same, namely to allow only safe machines onto the European market.

In everyday usage, many terms circulate for the same set of rules. Common ones are new machinery regulation, new EU machinery regulation and machinery regulation EU, as well as the short forms machinery regulation 2027 or machinery regulation new. In search queries the spellings EU machinery regulation 2023 1230 and machinery regulation 2023 1230 without a slash also appear.

Regulation Instead of Directive

The most important formal difference lies in the legal form. A directive must first be transposed into national law by each member state, in Germany this happened within the framework of product safety law. A regulation, by contrast, applies directly and uniformly in all member states, without a national transposition step.

For companies this means more clarity and fewer deviations between countries. At the same time, the familiar national intermediate step is eliminated, which is why all parties involved orient themselves directly on the European text.

Machinery and Related Products within the Scope

The scope covers machinery and, for the first time, explicitly also related products such as safety components, lifting accessories or removable cardan shafts. Some clarifications delimit the area of application more sharply, for example for certain vehicles intended purely for the transport of persons or goods.

The regulation thus covers practically the entire spectrum of industrial production machines that is relevant to noise control.

From When Does the New Machinery Regulation Apply?

The new machinery regulation applies on a mandatory basis from 20 January 2027. Until 19 January 2027, only Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC is to be applied, and from the cut-off date only the regulation. There is no transitional phase in which manufacturers can freely choose between the two sets of rules.

Individual provisions on market surveillance and on notified bodies have already applied since the beginning of 2024. The cut-off date decisive for practice, however, remains 20 January 2027.

Why Manufacturers Should Act Now

Even if 2027 sounds far off, development cycles in mechanical engineering are long. Anyone who designs a machine that is placed on the market after the cut-off date must already today design it according to the new requirements.

Constructional noise reduction in particular is difficult to add afterwards. Anyone who plans noise control early avoids expensive changes shortly before market launch.

What Changes Compared to Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC?

Besides the legal form, the regulation brings several substantive changes. The essential health and safety requirements are now found in Annex III instead of, as before, in Annex I. Newly regulated are, among other things, digital risks, the role of software and the handling of self-learning behaviour.

An important change concerns the substantial modification of a machine. Anyone who substantially modifies a machine is in future regarded as a manufacturer themselves and must carry out a new conformity assessment. For particularly critical machine categories, an independent inspection body must also be involved more frequently.

The circle of responsible parties has also been expanded. Besides manufacturers and authorised representatives, the regulation now explicitly also places importers and distributors under obligation. Anyone who brings machines onto the European market or distributes them therefore bears more clearly defined tasks than before.

The following overview summarises the central differences:

For noise control the central logic is retained, but the requirements are carried forward in the new Annex III and in part made more precise.

Noise Emission and Noise Reduction as an Essential Requirement

Noise is one of the hazards that a machine must take into account under Annex III. The regulation requires that machines be designed and built so that risks from airborne noise emission are reduced as far as possible. Decisive here are technical progress and the means available for noise reduction. Priority always goes to reduction directly at the source.

This means that constructional measures take priority over downstream solutions. A machine should operate as quietly as possible before additional protective measures are added.

Noise Reduction at the Source as a Design Principle

The range extends from damped bearings via vibration-decoupled components to capsules and claddings that hold the sound back at the point of origin. The earlier these means are planned in, the more effective and economical they are.

This is exactly where our work begins. We develop solutions that can be integrated into the design of a machine and noticeably reduce the radiated sound.

Which Noise Information Does the Machinery Regulation Require?

Besides the reduction, the regulation requires clear information on noise emission in the instruction manual. These values create comparability between machines and form the basis for the later risk assessment at the operator’s premises. The disclosure obligation is graduated according to the level of the noise.

The A-weighted emission sound pressure level at the workstations must be stated. If this is at most 70 dB(A), exactly that is to be stated. If the emission sound pressure level exceeds 80 dB(A), the sound power level of the machine must additionally be named. If high short-term peaks occur, the C-weighted peak sound pressure level is to be stated as soon as it corresponds to 63 Pa, i.e. 130 dB.

The table shows that the obligation to provide information increases with a rising level. The sound power level describes the total radiated sound power of a machine, while the emission sound pressure level indicates how loud it would be at the assigned workstation.

Both characteristic values are determined according to recognised measurement standards, for example to determine the sound power level via the enveloping surface method. Only this uniform measurement and disclosure obligation makes the noise values of different machines comparable at all. For buyers the noise value thus becomes a comprehensible selection criterion.

What the Machinery Regulation 2027 Means for Manufacturers

For manufacturers, the Machinery Regulation 2027 shifts noise control even more strongly into the design phase. The noise values have to be determined, documented and stated in the instruction manual. Low values are not only an obligation but also a genuine selling point in the competition.

Anyone who reduces the sound early achieves more favourable figures and thus a better market position. Integrated solutions such as custom-fit machine cladding lower the radiated sound without hindering operation and maintenance.

There is also the documentation side. In the technical files the manufacturer must set out by which means it fulfils the requirements from Annex III, including the noise reduction measures. A cleanly designed soundproofing solution thus pays off twice, on the noise declaration and on the proof of conformity.

Considering Noise Control Already in the Design

As a full-service partner we accompany machine builders from analysis via design through to manufacturing. With a state-of-the-art 3D scanner we create measurements accurate to the millimetre and produce custom-fit elements up to 6 metres in length in our own production.

In this way soundproofing components can be planned in early and transferred into series production, instead of retrofitting them in a costly way later.

What the New Machinery Regulation Means for Operators

Operators too benefit from the new information, but should classify it correctly. A compliant machine with a correct noise declaration is no carte blanche for the entire hall. The stated value describes only the contribution of an individual machine under defined conditions.

In reality, several machines, reflections off walls and ceilings as well as background noise add up. The actual level at the workplace is therefore often considerably higher than the individual value and can exceed the action values of occupational safety.

An example makes this clear. An individual machine with a declared emission sound pressure level of 83 dB(A) seems manageable in itself. If several such machines stand next to one another and the reflected sound of the hall is added, the real level at the workplace quickly rises above 85 dB(A) and thus into the range that triggers stricter protective measures.

The Noise Declaration Is No Carte Blanche

Where the sum of several sources becomes critical, supplementary structural measures help. Machine enclosures completely encapsulate individual loud units and lower the level throughout the hall area.

Which solution makes sense is shown by an on-site sound measurement. As part of our full-service soundproofing we determine the real levels and derive targeted measures.

Distinction from Occupational Noise Protection Law

It is important to separate two legal levels. The Machinery Regulation is product law and is aimed at manufacturers and those placing products on the market. The protection of employees at the workplace, by contrast, is occupational safety law and follows its own rules, which we explain in our overview of noise reduction in the industry.

Both levels interlock. The manufacturer’s information provides the data basis, but the obligation to comply with the action values at the workplace remains with the operator.

Conclusion

The EU Machinery Regulation 2023/1230 raises noise control to a more binding level. It requires the reduction of noise emission at the source and makes clear noise declarations mandatory. Anyone who plans noise control early into design and operation meets the requirements more easily and at the same time creates better working conditions. Get in touch with us if you would like to make machines quieter or prepare your hall for the 2027 cut-off date.

Frequently Asked Questions about the EU Machinery Regulation 2023/1230

From when does the EU Machinery Regulation 2023/1230 apply?

It applies on a mandatory basis from 20 January 2027. Until then, only Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC is to be applied, afterwards only the regulation. There is no phase with a right to choose between the two sets of rules.

Does the Machinery Regulation replace the Machinery Directive?

Yes. Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 completely replaces Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC. As a regulation it applies directly in all EU member states, without national laws being necessary.

Which noise declarations are mandatory?

The emission sound pressure level at the workstation must be stated. For values over 80 dB(A) the sound power level is added, for high peaks additionally the C-weighted peak sound pressure level. If the level is at most 70 dB(A), this is to be stated.