BESTAO Consulting | Regulatory Update | 3 November 2026

On 2 November 2026, China's State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) published Announcement No. 36 of 2026, removing 18 categories of mining explosion-proof electrical equipment from the China Compulsory Certification (CCC) scheme, with immediate effect. Designated certification bodies are required to cancel previously issued CCC certificates for the affected products.

 This represents a significant adjustment to China's conformity assessment framework for explosion-proof equipment and may reduce overlapping certification requirements for manufacturers.

 However, the removal of CCC does not mean deregulation. Mining safety certification requirements remain applicable, and existing ATEX or IECEx certifications do not automatically grant access to the Chinese mining market.

1. Eighteen Categories of Mining Explosion-Proof Equipment Removed from CCC

The announcement covers the following 18 categories:

1. Mining      explosion-proof motors

2. Mining      explosion-proof pumps

3. Mining      explosion-proof power distribution equipment

4. Mining      explosion-proof switching, control and protection equipment

5. Mining      explosion-proof starters

6. Mining      explosion-proof transformers

7. Mining      explosion-proof electric actuators and solenoid valves

8. Mining      explosion-proof plug-and-socket devices

9. Mining      explosion-proof monitoring equipment

10. Mining      explosion-proof communication and signalling equipment

11. Mining      explosion-proof air-conditioning and ventilation equipment

12. Mining      explosion-proof electric heating equipment

13. Mining      explosion-proof accessories and Ex components

14. Mining      explosion-proof measuring instruments

15. Mining      explosion-proof sensors

16. Mining      safety barriers

17. Mining      explosion-proof instrument enclosures

18. Mining      explosion-proof luminaires and control devices

Importantly, the announcement applies specifically to mining explosion-proof electrical equipment. It does not remove the entire explosion-proof electrical equipment category from the CCC catalogue.

Non-mining explosion-proof equipment used in petrochemical plants, chemical processing facilities, oil and gas installations, and other industrial hazardous locations may therefore remain subject to CCC certification.

2. CCC Removal Does Not Eliminate Mining Safety Certification

 China operates a separate mining product safety certification system alongside the CCC framework.

 Under the Catalogue of Mining Products Subject to Safety Mark Administration (矿安〔2022〕123号), products falling within the specified scope must obtain the applicable mining product safety mark.

 Two types of safety marks are relevant:

MA — Safety Mark for Coal Mining Products

The MA mark applies to products listed in the mandatory safety mark catalogue for coal mines. These include specified explosion-proof motors, transformers, power distribution equipment, starters, monitoring systems, sensors, and explosion-proof lighting equipment.

KA — Safety Mark for Non-Coal Mining Products

The KA mark applies to products covered by the safety mark requirements for non-coal underground mines.

For non-coal underground mines with explosive gas or dust hazards, the relevant explosion-proof equipment requirements refer to the coal mining product catalogue.

The 2022 regulation also provides that products covered by both coal and non-coal mining catalogues may be used in non-coal underground mines after obtaining the MA mark, without requiring a separate KA mark.

Furthermore, China's revised Coal Mine Safety Regulations, effective from 1 February 2026, require explosion-proof electrical equipment to undergo verification of product conformity documentation, mining safety marks, and product consistency during acceptance inspections. Explosion-proof inspections must also be completed before equipment is taken underground.

 Consequently, the cancellation of CCC certificates does not remove applicable MA/KA obligations or the safety inspection requirements for mining equipment.

3. ATEX and IECEx Certifications Are Not Automatic Substitutes

For European manufacturers, the new policy may simplify certain aspects of market access. However, existing ATEX and IECEx certifications cannot automatically replace Chinese mining safety marks.

European manufacturers must continue to assess the applicable Chinese technical requirements, including:

• GB/T 3836 series standards for explosive atmospheres;

• Relevant Chinese mining industry standards;

• Product-specific mining safety certification requirements;

• Applicable product testing and factory assessment procedures.

Existing IECEx Certificates of Conformity, Ex Test Reports (ExTRs), Quality Assessment Reports (QARs), and ATEX technical documentation may provide useful evidence of technical conformity.

However, whether these documents can be accepted to reduce duplicate testing or simplify factory assessments under MA/KA certification must be confirmed with the relevant Chinese certification authorities.

In particular, recognition arrangements established under the CCC framework should not be assumed to apply automatically to MA/KA certification.

4. Non-Mining Explosion-Proof Equipment May Still Require CCC

SAMR Announcement No. 36 removes mining explosion-proof electrical equipment from CCC management but does not abolish CCC requirements for non-mining explosion-proof equipment.

Products potentially remaining within the CCC scope include non-mining explosion-proof motors, pumps, distribution equipment, switches, transformers, control systems, measuring instruments, sensors, safety barriers, and luminaires.

Manufacturers supplying both mining and non-mining industrial applications should pay particular attention to product classification, intended use, technical specifications, and certification scope.

The same general product category may be subject to different conformity assessment requirements depending on its intended application.

5. Implications for European Manufacturers

BESTAO Consulting recommends that European manufacturers review their product portfolios and reassess their Chinese market access strategies following this regulatory change.

Priority actions include:

• Identifying mining explosion-proof products no longer subject to CCC;

• Determining whether MA or KA certification remains mandatory for each product;

• Reviewing the implications of existing CCC certificate cancellations;

• Assessing applicable Chinese standards and mining safety requirements;

• Evaluating whether existing ATEX and IECEx documentation can support Chinese      certification procedures;

• Confirming continuing CCC obligations for non-mining explosion-proof equipment.

The key change is not the removal of explosion protection requirements, but a reallocation of regulatory responsibilities between China's CCC system and its specialised mining safety certification framework.

For European manufacturers, understanding the boundaries between CCC, MA, and KA — and making effective use of existing international certification evidence — will be essential to maintaining compliant and efficient access to the Chinese market.

Annex I — Preliminary Mapping of the 18 Removed CCC Categories Against MA/KA Requirements

The following table provides an initial comparison between SAMR Announcement No. 36 of 2026 and the Catalogue of Mining Products Subject to Safety Mark Administration (矿安〔2022〕123号).

Important: The MA/KA requirements below apply only where a specific product falls within the relevant safety mark catalogue. They should not be interpreted as blanket certification obligations for every model within a broad product category.

Important Regulatory Distinctions

The CCC catalogue and the mining safety mark catalogue do not use identical product classifications.

CCC categorises products primarily by electrical equipment type, whereas the mining safety mark system also considers product function, mining application, and operating environment.

Under the 2022 mining safety mark requirements:

• Products included in both the coal and non-coal underground mining catalogues may be used in non-coal underground mines with an MA mark, without obtaining an additional KA mark.

• Products included only in the coal mining catalogue, but not in the non-coal mining catalogue, do not necessarily require a mining safety mark when used exclusively in      non-coal underground mines.

• For non-coal underground mines with explosive gas or dust hazards, the relevant coal      mining catalogue provisions apply.

This table is a preliminary regulatory mapping, not a product-level certification determination. Final applicability must be assessed against the current official catalogues and the specific product model, technical parameters, intended use, and installation environment.

Annex II — Which Explosion-Proof Electrical Products May Still Require CCC?

The 2026 regulatory change removes mining explosion-proof equipment from CCC management. It does not automatically remove non-mining explosion-proof products from the CCC catalogue.

The following 18 product categories, corresponding to the existing CCC explosion-proof equipment classification, may continue to require CCC for non-mining applications.

Important clarification: The above list identifies product categories for which CCC applicability must still be assessed. It does not mean that every non-mining product within these categories automatically requires CCC.

For example, explosion-proof motors, intrinsically safe sensors, and explosion-proof luminaires intended for petrochemical or other industrial hazardous locations may remain subject to CCC where they fall within the current certification scope.

Manufacturers should consult the latest CCC Catalogue, the official Description and Definition Table of the CCC Catalogue, SAMR Announcement No. 36 of 2026, and the applicable CNCA implementation rules.

Official Regulatory References

1. State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR), Announcement No. 36 of 2026, Removal of Mining Explosion-Proof Electrical Equipment from Compulsory Product      Certification Management, published 2 November 2026.

2. National Mine Safety Administration, 矿安〔2022〕123号, Catalogue of Mining Products Subject to Safety Mark Administration.

3. Coal Mine Safety Regulations, revised edition effective 1      February 2026.

4. Certification and Accreditation Administration of China (CNCA), CCC Implementation Rules for Explosion-Proof Electrical Apparatus, CNCA-C23-01:2024.

5. SAMR, Descriptio and Definition Table of the CCC Catalogue, 2023 revision, together      with subsequent catalogue amendments.