Two approvals, and they are not the same approval
Australia puts two separate requirements in front of sanitary ware, and importers who treat them as one document lose time. WaterMark is the product approval: the National Construction Code requires most plumbing and drainage products to be WaterMark certified so that they are fit for purpose, and a licensed plumber cannot legally install a product that is not certified and listed. WELS is the water-efficiency label: it is about flush volume, it is administered separately, and it does not substitute for WaterMark.
WaterMark is a market-entry requirement, not a marketing extra
The certification scheme sits under the Australian Building Codes Board, and the requirement flows from the National Construction Code down into state and territory regulation. In practice that means a product must be certified before it can be installed — so the certificate is not something you chase after the container lands, it is something you check before you place the order.
The certificate is issued by an accredited certification body against the Australian standard that applies to the product type. It is written against a product and a model or range, which is why the useful questions are about scope rather than about whether a certificate exists at all.
- Which models does the certificate actually name, and does the model code you are buying appear on it
- The scheme tests products at different levels according to risk — ask which level your product falls under
- What invalidates it: a change of flush valve, of trapway or of supplier is a change to what was tested
- Whether the certificate is held in the manufacturer’s name, and what the importer has to do to rely on it
WELS is a separate register, and it is tied to the flush
WELS is the Water Efficiency Labelling Scheme: the label on the product that states how much water it uses. Our own label is registered to AS/NZS 6400 under licence 1383, at 3.5 litres average flush — 4.5 litres on the full flush and 3 litres on the half — and it is issued in the manufacturer’s own name. That last detail matters commercially: the registration belongs to the model as tested, so if your market asks for a different flush volume, that is a new conversation, not a new sticker.
Because the label states a tested figure, treat flush equipment as part of the specification rather than a component you can swap locally once the goods arrive. If the flush volumes on the label are the reason you chose the model, confirm the equipment in the order specification.
What to ask for, and when
Ask for the WaterMark certificate and the WELS label with the quotation, not with the shipping documents. Your plumbing merchant, your certification body and your customs broker may all need to check the listing before the goods move, and each of them can do that from a PDF. Waiting until the packing list exists turns a check into a delay.
Where our range stands
Our models for Australia and New Zealand are marked accordingly, and the WaterMark certificate is attached in our downloads section alongside the WELS water rating label. Both are free to download without a login. Tell us the exact model codes and the destination state, and we will confirm the certification position for each one before you commit to samples.
Related on this site
- Our Australia and New Zealand market file
- Our WaterMark certificate and WELS label
- The European equivalent: CE marking and the DoP
- Catalogue, technical drawings and the document set
- Ask for the WaterMark certificate with your quotation