What the grade means

The grade from A to F answers how complete the passport is. But the grade is not what decides whether it may be published — the mandatory fields are.

A pass is not a grade. It is two conditions. A passport is ready to publish when both are met — whatever the letter says.

Every mandatory field filled in

The fields the regulation requires for the product's category. If one is missing the passport may not be published, however high the grade.

The standards checks passed

That the passport can be reached and read by a machine: EN 18216 access, EN 18219 identifier, EN 18221 versions, EN 18223 header fields.

The grades

90–100

Everything mandatory, and at least two thirds of the optional.

75–89

Everything mandatory, and some of the optional.

60–74

Everything mandatory, but little or none of the optional.

—

Mandatory fields are missing. The passport cannot be published.

—

More is missing than is present.

How the score is calculated

The score is the share of fields filled in, weighted. Mandatory fields carry 70 of 100, optional ones 30. If a category has only mandatory fields they carry the whole hundred.

All mandatory, all optional

Score 100 · May be published: Yes

All mandatory, two thirds optional

Score 90 · May be published: Yes

All mandatory, half optional

Score 85 · May be published: Yes

All mandatory, no optional

Score 70 · May be published: Yes

One mandatory missing, all optional

Score 96 · May be published: No

Outcome	Score	Grade	May be published
All mandatory, all optional	100	A	Yes
All mandatory, two thirds optional	90	A	Yes
All mandatory, half optional	85	B	Yes
All mandatory, no optional	70	C	Yes
One mandatory missing, all optional	96	D	No

Example: ESPR Base — 17 mandatory and 47 optional fields.

The last row is why the letter is not the answer: a passport can be almost complete and still be missing the one thing that is required.

The two numbers on the result page

Fields

What the passport contains, measured against the category's field list. That number gives the letter.

System conformance

How the passport is delivered, not what it contains: address, content negotiation, versions, header fields. Each check points at a clause in an EN standard.

What counts as mandatory

It depends on the product. A battery is measured against Annex XIII of the Battery Regulation, a jumper against Article 7 and Annex III of the Ecodesign Regulation. Every field carries the reference to the provision that requires it.

A field is mandatory when a provision requires it. Product name, brand and model number are: the regulation requires the product to be identifiable. Size and colour are required by no provision — they exist so a person recognises their own item, and count as optional.

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