What CE marking and ATEX Zone 2/22 actually mean for a fan — and the classification, temperature class, motor protection and construction you have to specify.
Reviewed by Jitamitra application engineering
Share on LinkedInA fan for a hazardous area is not a catalogue decision. Two letters on a data sheet — “CE” and “ATEX” — carry a chain of obligations that sit partly with the fan maker and partly with you, the plant that classifies the area. Get the split wrong and you either pay for protection you don’t need, or install a fan that isn’t legal for the zone. Here is what each term actually means, and the questions to put to any fan supplier — us included.
CE marking is a manufacturer’s declaration that a product meets the applicable EU directives — for an industrial fan, typically the Machinery Directive, and where the fan is destined for an explosive atmosphere, the ATEX Directive (2014/34/EU). For most fan categories the manufacturer self-declares conformity and issues a Declaration of Conformity; a Notified Body is drawn in only for the higher equipment categories. CE is not a quality award and not a third-party certificate — it is a documented claim, backed by a technical file, that the maker stands behind. We self-declare CE conformity for the equipment scope we build; we do not hold, and do not claim, a Notified-Body certificate.
You classify the area; the equipment is built to match it. Zones describe how often an explosive atmosphere is present — gas: Zone 0 (continuous) / Zone 1 (likely) / Zone 2 (rare, short); dust: Zone 20 / 21 / Zone 22. Equipment categories map to zones — Category 2 for Zone 1/21, Category 3 for Zone 2/22. The marking string encodes it, and a temperature class (T1–T6) caps the maximum surface temperature against the ignition temperature of your gas or dust.
| Example marking | Reads as |
|---|---|
| II 2G Ex h IIB T3 Gb | Group II surface industry, gas atmosphere, Category 2, temperature class T3. |
| II 2D Ex h IIIC T135°C Db | Group II, dust atmosphere, Category 2, 135 °C maximum surface temperature. |
Jitamitra’s published hazardous-area scope is self-declared ATEX Zone 2/22 (Category 3). The Category 2 (Zone 1/21) markings above are shown as what the standard defines — higher zones are engineered case by case and stated explicitly, never assumed.
For Zone 2/22 (Category 3) equipment, ATEX conformity is typically self-declared by the manufacturer against the harmonised standards, with a technical file retained; Zone 1/0 (Category 2/1) draws a Notified Body into the route. A supplier who claims ATEX conformity without naming the zone, the category and who issued any certificate is skipping the part that matters. Ours is a self-declaration for Zone 2/22, built to your stated classification — said plainly so nothing is assumed on your behalf.
Every hazardous-area fan we build is engineered to the classification you state: the spark-resistant construction type, the non-sparking inlet-ring material, the motor protection type and temperature class you specify, and a performance test to the AMCA 210 method before dispatch. Where a duty needs a higher zone than our standard self-declared Zone 2/22 scope, we say so and engineer it explicitly. State the gas, the zone and the duty point in your enquiry and we will name the construction back to you.
Talk to us about a hazardous-area fan →
Jitamitra Electro Engineering · Fan-engineering notes, written for the engineer.
Sources & basis. Framed from the ATEX Directive 2014/34/EU (and the European Commission's ATEX guidelines) and AMCA non-sparking construction, including the marking-string and motor-protection detail. Standards are described by method only: CE and ATEX are self-declared for Zone 2/22 — never notified-body certified; AMCA spark-resistant construction is named as a construction standard, not a product certification. Not claimed: any EN 14986 certification route as one Jitamitra holds, any Zone 1/0 scope, and specific T-class surface-temperature numerics — each outside our self-declared Zone 2/22 scope and engineered only to your stated classification.
No. CE marking is a manufacturer's declaration that the product meets the applicable EU directives — for an industrial fan, typically the Machinery Directive, and the ATEX Directive 2014/34/EU where it is destined for an explosive atmosphere. For most fan categories the manufacturer self-declares and issues a Declaration of Conformity. It is a documented claim backed by a technical file, not a quality award.
Category 3. You classify the area; the equipment is built to match it. Zones describe how often an explosive atmosphere is present — gas Zone 0 continuous, Zone 1 likely, Zone 2 rare and short; dust Zone 20, 21, 22. Equipment categories map onto them: Category 2 for Zone 1/21, Category 3 for Zone 2/22.
Start with your area classification — gas or dust and which zone — from your HAZOP or area-classification drawing; a fan maker builds to your stated zone and does not classify your plant. The gas or dust group: IIA / IIB / IIC for gas, IIIA / IIIB / IIIC for dust. The temperature class, T1 to T6. The motor protection type. And the non-sparking construction.
No. A stainless wheel alone does not make a fan spark-resistant. AMCA spark-resistant Type A / B / C defines the material pairing at the impeller-to-casing rubbing zone, and a non-sparking inlet-ring surface is the usual measure. The motor protection type — Ex db flameproof, Ex eb increased safety or Ex tb dust-ignition-proof — has to match the zone as well.
We self-declare CE conformity for the equipment scope we build, and our published hazardous-area scope is self-declared ATEX Zone 2/22, Category 3. We do not hold, and do not claim, a Notified-Body certificate. Zone 1/0 draws a Notified Body into the route. Where a duty needs a higher zone than our self-declared scope, we say so and engineer it explicitly.
A Declaration of Conformity, the marking string, the motor certificate and a performance test — ask to see them. Self-declared does not mean undocumented. A supplier who claims ATEX conformity without naming the zone, the category and who issued any certificate is skipping the part that matters. We test to the AMCA 210 method before dispatch.
Flow, static, gas temperature, application — or attach a spec, GA drawing or a multi-fan schedule. Engineer to engineer.
ISO 9001:2015 quality system · performance-tested to IS 4894 / ISO 5801 / AMCA 210 method · witnessed FAT on request.
*For our standard range. ATEX and special projects need 5 to 7 working days.
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