Here's what the CE mark means on your electronics

The labels on your gadgets can convey critical information about safe usage, so it's a smart practice to understand the meanings of all the different symbols and icons you might see there. One logo that's quite common is a rounded CE.

These letters stand for the French words conformité européenne, which means "European conformity" in English. Its presence means that the product in question has met health and safety standards that the members of the EU have agreed to. You might spy it on many of your electronics, but the CE designation is actually a much broader requirement that can be applied to a wide array of products. Under the present regulations, CE is mandatory on common consumer goods like toys and on expensive purchases like recreational water crafts. Other more likely product segments where you might find a CE label include electronics, electrical equipment, gas-powered appliances and batteries.

While the CE is an EU designation, customers elsewhere in the world might see the label on a products that could be bought and sold around the European Economic Area. Currently, 33 countries require CE designation for a product to be sold domestically. The most likely case where you'll see an electronic device not marked with CE is if the company isn't shipping the item to Europe. If a business isn't involved in any of those markets, it likely wouldn't bother seeking out the additional certification.

For people in the US, there are no regulators that recognize the CE standard. But this country has its own suite of labels that denote compliance with health safety regulations. In the case of electronics, you might see a couple different designations. One is the UL label, which stands for Underwriters Laboratories, and it can be found on a consumer products, electronics and industrial equipment. ETL certification is another option that can be applied to similar product categories.

Even if you're looking at a gadget that seems like it should be covered under the EU rules, there are always exceptions. Health and safety regulation tends to be at least a little convoluted everywhere in the world, so it's possible that a device falls under a different certification and thus wouldn't also carry the CE.

The official CE mark used by European regulators has two stylized representations of the letters, with each one comprised of a semicircle. There's should be enough room between the letters that if you were to complete the circle of the C, it would just connect with the left edge of the E.

You may notice products that sport the same two semicircular letters, but they have almost no space them. This is an unofficial symbol most commonly found on products made in China. Having this "China export" label doesn't mean the item is unsafe, but it also has no connection to the European standards.

If for any reason you have safety concerns about a product, regardless of what labeling it carries, stop using it right away. The best course of action is to turn the device off and contact the manufacturer with your concerns.