7 Fast-Track Moves to Ship Certified Hardware in 2025

Hardware teams are under pressure to hit launch dates while clearing an ever-growing list of regulatory gates. Here is the playbook we use with high-growth brands to keep certification off the critical path.

1. Lock Your Market Map Before Engineering Freeze

Every certification journey begins with a brutally honest target market list. Before the product hits engineering freeze, agree internally on the countries (and sub-regions) you plan to ship into during the first 18 months.

This drives the directives, labeling, documentation, and lab partnerships you will ultimately need. We see teams lose 6-8 weeks simply because marketing quietly added Australia or Mexico after the design was already frozen. A single new geography can trigger rework on batteries, radios, plastics, or packaging.

The cost of late market additions compounds exponentially. What starts as a simple "let's also sell in Japan" request can cascade into new radio certifications (TELEC), electrical safety retesting (PSE), and chemical compliance documentation (J-MOSS). Each of these requires dedicated lab time, sample preparation, and documentation that should have been planned months earlier.

Smart hardware teams build a three-tier market strategy: Tier 1 markets (must-have for launch), Tier 2 markets (nice-to-have within 6 months), and Tier 3 markets (future expansion). This framework helps product, engineering, and compliance teams align on what certifications to pursue in parallel versus sequentially.

Key Actions:

• Define launch, follow-on, and "nice to have" markets with stakeholders from product, sales, and engineering
• Map mandatory certifications (CE, FCC, RCM, NOM, etc.) against your product categories and risk profile
• Identify any region-specific requirements (e.g., battery regulations in EU, CPSC filings in US, energy efficiency in California)
• Document market-specific labeling requirements early—some require physical etching, others accept printed labels
• Build buffer time for unexpected market additions (typically 8-12 weeks for a new major geography)

2. Parallel-Path Your Testing Strategy

Traditional compliance flows run tests sequentially: EMC, then safety, then radio. That approach adds months to your timeline and creates unnecessary bottlenecks. Instead, coordinate with labs that can handle multiple test domains in parallel—or at least overlap sample prep and documentation work.

For connected devices, you can often run FCC Part 15 (unintentional radiators) and Part 18 (intentional radiators) concurrently with IEC 62368-1 safety testing. The key is having enough pre-production samples and a lab partner who understands how to schedule chamber time efficiently across different test domains.

The parallel testing approach requires upfront coordination but can cut your testing timeline by 40-60%. Here's how it works: while your product is in the EMC chamber for emissions testing, another unit can be undergoing safety testing for electrical hazards, and a third can be in the RF chamber for wireless performance validation.

This strategy demands more samples (typically 6-8 units instead of 3-4) and tighter project management, but the time savings are dramatic. A sequential approach might take 16-20 weeks; parallel testing can compress that to 8-12 weeks. For hardware startups racing to market, those extra months can mean the difference between leading a category and playing catch-up.

Key Actions:

• Identify which test domains can run simultaneously based on your product architecture
• Allocate 6-8 pre-production samples for parallel testing (vs. 3-4 for sequential)
• Choose labs with multi-domain capabilities or coordinate between specialized labs
• Build a shared project timeline showing all test activities and dependencies
• Plan for quick-turn sample modifications if one test domain requires design changes

3. Build a Living Compliance BOM

Your bill of materials is not just a procurement doc—it is your compliance roadmap. Every component (battery cells, RF modules, power supplies, plastics, adhesives) carries its own certification burden and regulatory requirements.

Maintain a compliance-aware BOM that tracks: supplier declarations of conformity, material certifications (RoHS, REACH, California Prop 65), radio approvals (FCC/CE modular grants), battery certifications (UN 38.3, IEC 62133), and safety agency approvals (UL, TÜV, CSA). When a supplier changes a part mid-production, you will know immediately if it breaks a certification.

The compliance BOM should be a living document that evolves with your product. Every time engineering makes a component substitution—even something as simple as changing a capacitor supplier—the compliance team needs visibility. A seemingly minor change can invalidate existing test reports or trigger new regulatory requirements.

Key Actions:

• Create a master compliance BOM template tracking: part number, supplier, certifications, test reports, and expiration dates
• Establish a change control process requiring compliance review for any BOM modifications
• Maintain digital copies of all supplier declarations, test reports, and certificates
• Set up automated reminders for expiring certifications (many radio approvals expire after 3-5 years)
• Document approved alternate suppliers with their compliance status to enable quick pivots

4. Front-Load Your Documentation Strategy

Most hardware teams treat compliance documentation as a post-testing activity. That's a mistake. The technical files, declarations of conformity, user manuals, and risk assessments should be drafted in parallel with product development, not after testing completes.

European CE marking requires a comprehensive Technical Construction File (TCF) that documents your entire compliance journey: design rationale, risk assessments, test reports, supplier declarations, and manufacturing quality controls. Assembling this file retroactively takes weeks and often reveals gaps that require additional testing.

Key Actions:

• Create a documentation roadmap aligned with your product development milestones
• Draft user manuals and safety warnings during the design phase, not after testing
• Maintain a running risk assessment document that evolves with design changes
• Document design decisions that impact compliance in real-time
• Have your testing lab review draft documentation before final testing begins

5. Leverage Modular Approvals for Radio Components

If your product contains wireless connectivity (WiFi, Bluetooth, cellular, LoRa), using pre-certified radio modules can save 8-12 weeks and $15,000-$30,000 in testing costs. FCC and CE both offer modular approval programs that allow you to incorporate pre-tested radio designs into your product.

The key is understanding the conditions under which modular approvals remain valid. Generally, you can use a module's existing certification if you don't modify the module's RF circuitry, follow the manufacturer's integration guidelines, your enclosure doesn't degrade performance, and you properly label the product.

Key Actions:

• Choose radio modules with FCC modular approval (look for FCC ID on the datasheet)
• Verify the module has CE certification under the Radio Equipment Directive (RED)
• Request integration guidelines and reference designs from the module manufacturer
• Budget for host testing to verify your product doesn't degrade the module's performance
• Ensure your product labeling includes the module's FCC ID and CE marking

6. Plan for Pre-Compliance Testing

Formal compliance testing at accredited labs is expensive ($20,000-$50,000+ per test domain) and time-consuming (8-12 weeks). Worse, if you fail, you're back to square one with design changes, new samples, and another round of testing.

Pre-compliance testing—informal testing at your facility or a non-accredited lab—can catch 80% of issues before formal testing begins. For EMC testing, a basic pre-scan costs $2,000-$5,000 and takes 1-2 days. That investment can reveal emissions problems, grounding issues, or cable shielding deficiencies that would cause expensive failures in formal testing.

Key Actions:

• Budget $5,000-$15,000 for pre-compliance testing across EMC, safety, and radio domains
• Conduct pre-compliance testing on EVT units before DVT
• Use pre-compliance results to guide design optimizations before formal testing
• Partner with labs that offer pre-compliance services at discounted rates

7. Build Relationships with Notified Bodies Early

For high-risk products (medical devices, industrial machinery, pressure equipment), CE marking requires third-party assessment by a Notified Body. Notified Bodies are notoriously backlogged, with lead times often exceeding 6-12 months.

Don't wait until your product is ready for certification to engage with Notified Bodies. Reach out during the design phase to understand their assessment process, documentation requirements, and timeline expectations.

Key Actions:

• Identify required Notified Bodies based on your product category and risk classification
• Engage with Notified Bodies 6-12 months before you need certification
• Request pre-assessment services to validate your compliance approach
• Ask for references and compare turnaround times across multiple Notified Bodies
• Build relationships with testing labs and compliance consultants during the design phase