Since 28 April 2026, the EU’s USB-C mandate also applies to laptops and notebooks. New devices charge via USB-C Power Delivery, across manufacturers. For IT procurement, this is more than a detail about connector types. When devices ship without a power supply, responsibility for the charging infrastructure shifts to the company. This article explains what the regulation requires, where its limits lie, and which points matter for procurement.
What does the EU’s USB-C mandate require?
The basis is the Radio Equipment Directive 2014/53/EU, amended by Directive (EU) 2022/2380. The regulation prescribes USB-C as the standardised wired charging port and requires support for USB Power Delivery where fast charging is offered.
The mandate takes effect in two stages. Since 28 December 2024, it has applied to small mobile devices such as smartphones, tablets, headphones, cameras, keyboards, and mice. Since 28 April 2026, laptops and notebooks are also covered. This means a standardised charging port is now required across nearly the entire device landscape in a business environment..
Does the USB-C mandate apply to all laptops?
A closer look is worth it here, because the mandate has a clear limit. It applies to notebooks with a charging requirement of up to 100 watts via USB-C Power Delivery. Devices that draw significantly more power — for example, certain gaming notebooks and high-performance workstations — may still be shipped with a conventional barrel-connector power supply.
In practice, this means most office notebooks, ultrabooks, and business devices will charge via USB-C going forward. For power-hungry models, the proprietary connector remains an option. Anyone planning a mixed device fleet should be aware of this exception to avoid building a charging infrastructure on the wrong assumption.
What changes for procurement?
Alongside the technical standardisation, the regulation brings a second change that weighs more heavily on purchasing: the decoupling of device and charger. Manufacturers are allowed to place notebooks on the market without a power supply, and they are increasingly doing so. This reduces electronic waste and packaging, but shifts the procurement of chargers and cables to the company.
For purchasing, this creates a line item of its own. Chargers and cables become products that are calculated, documented, and tendered separately. In mixed fleets with models from Apple, Dell, Lenovo, and HP, this opens up the opportunity for standardisation. A well-designed setup based on a few defined power classes is easier to manage than an inventory of manufacturer-specific power supplies that has grown over the years. Anyone who plans the right charging solutions for businesses early on avoids reactive purchases later:
Which USB-C power supply does which device need?
USB-C says nothing about the available charging power. A 30-watt charger will reliably power a smartphone, but won’t get a mobile workstation onto the grid. A 140-watt power supply on a smartphone, on the other hand, ties up budget without any benefit. The power class therefore needs to be planned to match the device type.
- As a rough guide:
- • Smartphones and Headsets: 15 to 30 watts
- • Tablets: 20 to 45 watts
- • Business notebooks and Ultrabooks: 45 to 65 watts
- • Performance notebooks (16-inch, powerful processor): 90 to 100 watts
- Mobile workstations: 100 to 140 watts
One detail helps with the selection: USB Power Delivery negotiates the charging power between charger and device automatically. A 65-watt charger will not damage a notebook that actually draws 100 watts. The device is simply supplied with a maximum of 65 watts. Under full load, however, the battery may then slowly discharge despite the power supply being connected. For workstations with high processing loads, the output should match the actual demand. An overview of matching USB-C chargers and cables by wattage class helps with the assignment.
Why the cable determines the charging power
A frequently underestimated point in the rollout is the cable. Charging powers above 60 watts are only transmitted via cables with an eMarker chip. If this chip is missing, the Power Delivery system limits the current to 3 amperes. At 20 volts, that is a maximum of 60 watts, regardless of how much power the charger provides.
For procurement, this means in concrete terms: a 100-watt charger connected to a notebook via a cable without an eMarker will deliver only 60 watts. In terms of existing cables with unknown properties, it is worth checking the power class before reusing them in new setups. For tender documentation, datasheets with a clearly stated wattage class are useful here, as they provide evidence of the guaranteed power.
Individual power supply or central charging station?
Not every workstation needs its own power supply. Conference rooms, training rooms, and hot desks can often be equipped more cost-effectively via multi-port charging stations. A station with intelligent load balancing distributes the available total power dynamically across the ports in use. In practice, users rarely all charge at full load at the same time.
When selecting such stations, one specification matters more than the maximum output: the power per port at full occupancy. A station whose datasheet only lists the total wattage says little about what actually arrives at each individual port when every slot is occupied.
FAQs
No. The regulation only affects devices that are newly placed on the EU market. Existing devices may continue to be used. In mixed device fleets in particular, this creates planning requirements.
Increasingly, yes. Manufacturers are allowed to ship notebooks without a power supply and are doing so more often. A standardised charging setup is easier to manage and document than manufacturer-specific individual power supplies.
For charging powers above 60 watts, the cable needs an eMarker chip. Without it, Power Delivery limits the output to 60 watts, regardless of the charger.
No. Power Delivery negotiates the output automatically. An underpowered charger charges more slowly or fails to sustain the battery under full load, but does no damage.
Conclusion
The USB-C mandate simplifies the connector landscape and, at the same time, shifts responsibility for chargers and cables to the company. Those who structure procurement now can use the transition as an opportunity for standardisation: a few defined power classes, documented cables with the appropriate eMarker labelling, and a clear concept for central versus decentralised charging points.
Which combination fits a specific device fleet depends on the actual devices, workstations, and rollout plans involved. The Lindy team offers a free consultation on charging infrastructure and provides the relevant datasheets for your procurement documentation.