Commercial waterproof festoon lights for contractors, venues and distributors. Custom E27/B22, 24V/230V and OEM/ODM outdoor string light systems for UK, EU and Australia projects.
How to Read a Festoon Light Test Report (CE-LVD, EMC, IP)
A test report is a working document, not a badge. It records what a laboratory examined, which models it covered, which standards it applied and what it found. When a supplier says its festoon lights are CE compliant, the useful follow-up question is: which models does the report list, and which document supports each claim? This guide shows how to read the reports behind CE-LVD, EMC and IP claims, using a lighting-chain report published on our Downloads page as the worked example.
A report is evidence, not a badge
CE marking rests on a declaration of conformity issued by the responsible company. Test reports support that declaration. They do not replace it, and they do not certify a whole catalogue. A laboratory tests submitted samples of specific models, and its conclusion applies to those samples and to any similar construction that the report explicitly says it covers.
Two reports can both be genuine while covering completely different products: one a single 5 m string, another four models that are not in your quotation. Neither situation is automatically dishonest, but neither supports a general claim about "the range". The document either matches the configuration you are buying, or it does not.
Start with the cover page
Before reading any result, find five items: the report number, the issuing laboratory, the applicant or holder, the standards with their versions, and the issue date.
The report number ties every page to one test job. The example is report CLLH-ESH-P23061643, issued by LCIE China Company Limited; the laboratory name and address are printed in the page footer. Later pages cite EN IEC 60598-1 and EN 60598-2-20, with EN IEC 60238 for the E27 lampholder and EN 61984 for the connector. The edition and amendment year matter, because standards are revised and market requirements move.
The applicant is the company that commissioned the test and holds the technical file, and the party you go back to when a question arises. In this industry the applicant is often a trading company or a related factory, which is normal, but you should know who stands behind the document and whether the same name appears on the product label.
Then check what kind of paper you have been sent. Suppliers use words loosely: a report, a certificate and a declaration of conformity are different things. A report records measurements and verdicts for the tested samples. A certificate is issued by a certification body for a defined scope. A declaration is the supplier's own statement. A complete CE file usually contains a declaration plus test reports.
Read the model list line by line
The model list is the heart of the report. The example report lists four E27 lighting chains on flat H05RNH2-F 2 x 1.5 mm虏 cable at 220-240 V, for indoor and outdoor use:
| Model reference | Rated wattage | Lampholders | Chain length |
|---|---|---|---|
| WD-001(9164) | 10 x E27, max 25 W | 10 | 5 m |
| WD002(7604) | 10 x E27, max 25 W | 10 | 10 m |
| WD-003(7873) | 20 x E27, max 25 W | 20 | 20 m |
| WD-004(9163) | 20 x E27, max 25 W | 20 | 10 m |
The same pages record the limits used in the examination: a maximum chain length of 100 m, 200 bulbs and a maximum load of 400 W. Those limits belong to the report. A quotation offering a longer run, a higher bulb count or a different voltage is outside the tested configuration until a document says otherwise.
The description page adds useful detail: in the example, Class II construction, a non-detachable cord with plug and a degree of protection of IP65 for the listed models. It also includes a copy of the rating plate, which shows how the marking should appear on the product. Compare that plate with the label on the carton and the goods you receive; if the model, voltage or IP code differs, stop and ask before you commit.
Report model references may also differ from the catalogue names a buyer sees. Those four factory references are not automatically the same as a catalogue item called "10 m flat cable festoon". Ask for the mapping between the report's model list and the catalogue or quotation model; without it you cannot tell whether your order is inside the report.
Read the IP section with the model list open
An IP claim in a report usually appears twice. The description table gives a single figure for degree of protection against moisture. Later, the test clauses show what was actually applied: dust protection, water protection and any humidity conditioning.
In the example the description table states IP65, and the test records show IP5X for dust and IPX5 for water jets, with a humidity test result. IP65 means protection against dust ingress at the IP5X level plus protection against water jets. It is not a claim of immersion protection. That distinction belongs in your specification: a surface that receives rain and washdown is a different case from a low point that could sit in standing water.
The same pages classify the product for indoor and outdoor use. That classification is part of the coverage, not a marketing line. A report written for indoor use only cannot be stretched to an exposed fa莽ade, and even a report covering both conditions does not cover every site. For the difference between jet and immersion protection, see our guide to IP65 vs IP67 festoon lights, which separates the two test levels and the checks that follow.
Finally, a single test item does not upgrade the final code: IP5X dust protection is not IP6X. The final code is the one the report states, for the models it lists.
Why a bulb's IP is not the string's IP
A bulb and an assembled string are different products. A G45 bulb may carry its own IP rating in a separate report, while the string it fits is covered by a different report. The bulb's rating describes the bulb as tested on its own; the string's rating describes the assembled chain with lampholders, cable, connectors and end cap.
Water can enter between a bulb and a holder even when both parts are individually rated, and cable entry points are a separate risk. A bulb rated to one IP level plus a holder rated to another does not add up to a system rating; only a test of the complete assembly supports one. Ask which unit a number describes: the bulb, holder, driver, connection set or finished string.
Why a driver certificate is not a string certificate
Low-voltage systems add another layer. The driver is a power supply, and its certificates cover the driver models named in them. A driver certificate does not certify the string, the bulbs or the complete installation. This matters for 24V projects, where the paperwork naturally splits into two tracks: the driver model and its certificate, and the string model and its test report.
The same logic applies to any claim built on a component. A connector report covers connectors. A lampholder report covers that lampholder. A declaration for a driver covers the driver. None of them replaces the string report, and none of them should appear in a quotation as if it covered the whole system.
Report coverage versus catalogue coverage
Catalogue pages show product families. Reports cover configurations. The gap between the two is where procurement mistakes happen.
A catalogue may list twenty lengths built from the same lampholder and cable family while the report lists four. The others may be covered by the same construction, but you need to see how that is stated, not assume it. Put your quotation line and the model list side by side. If the exact model is listed, record the report number in the purchase file. If not, ask for an updated model list, a written family or equivalence statement, or a new test. Any of these is reasonable; vague reassurance is not.
Where EMC fits
Safety and EMC evidence answer different questions. A safety report looks at electrical construction, heating, insulation and protection; an EMC report looks at emissions and immunity. A CE technical file normally needs both, plus RoHS evidence and a declaration.
When a supplier sends a bundle of documents, check each cover page: which standard, which model, which date. A common gap is a full safety file with no matching EMC report, or an EMC report for a different model. For UKCA, check that the file includes a UK declaration and designated-standard evidence as well.
A ten-minute checklist
- Record the report number, laboratory, issue date and applicant.
- Match your exact model, voltage, cable and length against the model list.
- Confirm the IP figure appears in both the description table and the test clauses.
- Confirm the indoor/outdoor classification fits the installation.
- Check that the standard versions are current for the destination market.
- Confirm safety, EMC and RoHS evidence are all present and model-matched.
- Keep bulb, holder, driver and connector documents separate from the string report.
- Get any gap answered in writing and file it with the purchase order.
If a supplier cannot answer these points for the configuration you are buying, treat the claim as unverified. That is not an accusation; it is a normal procurement position.
Frequently asked questions
Is a test report the same as a CE certificate? No. CE marking is based on the manufacturer's declaration of conformity, and test reports are supporting evidence for that declaration. Some product categories use notified-body certificates, but for festoon lighting the usual file is a declaration plus test reports.
Does one report cover the whole festoon range? It covers the models in its model list and any similar constructions the report explicitly says it covers. Ask for the model list page and compare it with your quotation before you order.
Can WENDADECO send a report for the exact model I am buying? We share the documents that cover the configuration in your enquiry and state clearly when a model falls outside a report. Send the model, voltage, cable and destination market through the certificates and test documents on our Downloads page, and we will match the file.
A report is not the most exciting part of a lighting order, but it answers questions later: after installation, during an inspection, or when a client asks for proof. Reading it properly takes ten minutes and protects both buyer and supplier.
Date: 23 October 2026
Author: Jacky Gong, Sales Manager, WENDADECO
