One of the UK’s leading designers and suppliers of architectural door hardware, Zoo Hardware, has announced that it will continue to conform with the requirements of the new UKCA marking, despite its deadline being extended from January 2023 to June 2025.

Following the government’s announcement in December 2022 that the CE / UKCA transition deadline for England, Scotland and Wales will now be extended to June 2025, Zoo Hardware has announced that it will continue to release its products with dual CE and UKCA markings where applicable.

This is to further provide industry professionals throughout Britain with the confidence that every product within its extensive portfolio of architectural door hardware meets the very latest testing and performance requirements.

Hardware supplied to the Northern Irish market will continue to be branded with CE markings, in line with the Northern Ireland Protocol.

Throughout 2022, Zoo Hardware undertook extensive product testing and certification across its broad suite of hardware solutions in order to meet the original January 2023 UKCA deadline. The business also undertook updated factory control audits to help satisfy UKCA marking requirements.

Jason Tonks, Technical Product Manager at Zoo Hardware, said: “Whilst we are pleased that clarity of the extension to the deadline has been given for building hardware products, we had already undertaken a lot of work ahead of this and we will therefore be continuing this process to supply our high quality hardware with the new UKCA mark to accompany the CE mark throughout 2023, 2024 and up to June 2025.

“As one of the sector’s leading suppliers of hardware, it’s imperative that we regularly undertake rigorous third party testing and certification for our products, and meeting the previous January 2023 deadline for UKCA was no exception.

“By continuing to supply our products with the new UKCA mark where possible, we can further provide our industry with reassurance that our products are conforming with the requirements outlined by the UK government.”

Over the last 12 months, Zoo Hardware’s technical team has been working in partnership with its extensive customer base to assist them with the marking transition to ensure compliance is maintained as far down the supply chain as possible.

Douglas Masterson, Technical Manager for the Guild of Architectural Ironmongers (GAI), added: “The transition from CE to UKCA conformity marking has been a long and arduous process for the construction industry in general and for the ironmongery industry in particular. GAI has welcomed the latest extension to the CE marking deadline, whilst noting the extra pressure that it has put on our membership to conform over the past number of years.

 “We have been pleased to support Zoo Hardware as a GAI member in their journey to UKCA and acknowledge the help and support of their technical product manager Jason Tonks as a member of our GAI Technical Committee.”