Since 28 April 2026, every new laptop sold in the EU has to charge over USB-C, and its box has to carry a small label with two numbers and, sometimes, the letters "USB PD". Phones, tablets, headphones and cameras have carried the same label since December 2024. Most people walk past it. It is the most useful thing on the box.

The short answer: one charger can run your phone, tablet and laptop, if its wattage is at or above the biggest "maximum" number on your labels, it says USB PD, and the cable is rated for the job. Here is how to read the label and pick that charger once.

What changed, and for which devices

The EU common charger rules apply to handheld phones, tablets, digital cameras, headphones, headsets, portable speakers, handheld game consoles, e-readers, earbuds, keyboards, mice and portable navigation devices from 28 December 2024, and to laptops from 28 April 2026.

Anything in those groups that charges above 5 volts, 3 amps or 15 watts must support USB Power Delivery, the standard that lets a charger and a device agree on a safe power level. Ireland's regulator ComReg keeps a plain summary of the label and pictogram rules; the legal text is Directive (EU) 2022/2380.

Two things appear on the packaging and in online listings next to the price: a pictogram showing whether a charger is in the box, and a label with the device's charging needs.

How to read the label

The three items on the EU charging label and what to do with each

On the label	What it means	What to do
Minimum watts	The least power a charger must supply for the device to charge at all	Any charger below this number will not work, or will drain while in use
Maximum watts	The power needed to reach the device's fastest charging speed	Match or beat this number if you want full speed; more watts do no harm
"USB PD"	The device uses the standard fast-charging protocol	If it is missing, a fast charger may still only deliver a slow basic rate
Pictogram	A charger is included, or it is not	Decide before checkout whether you need to buy one

The label is small, at least 12.8 by 9.3 millimetres, and the same information must sit near the price in an online listing. If a shop page shows none of it, the listing is incomplete, not the product.

One charger for everything: the numbers

USB Power Delivery runs up to 100 watts in its standard range, and the 2021 revision added fixed voltages that take it to 140, 180 and 240 watts, as USB-IF describes. That ceiling matters only at the top end. Apple's iPhone 17 specifications quote a 50% charge in about 20 minutes from a 40-watt or higher adapter, and the 25-watt wireless rate we covered in our Qi2 guide wants a 30-watt adapter.

Typical maximum charging power by device class, and the charger that covers it

Device	Typical label maximum	Charger that covers it
Phone	20 to 45 W	30 W
Tablet	30 to 45 W	45 W
Thin laptop	45 to 65 W	65 W
Large or workstation laptop	90 to 100 W	100 W
Gaming laptop above 240 W	Keeps its own plug, must also charge over USB-C up to 240 W	140 to 240 W, with a 240 W cable

The practical rule: buy one charger rated at the largest maximum on your labels, usually 65 watts for a household with a thin laptop, and it will charge every smaller device at that device's own best speed. The figures in the table are typical ranges; your own label is the one that counts.

Three traps the label does not warn you about

1. The cable. USB-IF certifies USB-C cables at 60 watts or 240 watts; the old 100-watt category was dropped in December 2021. A thin 60-watt cable on a 100-watt charger quietly caps the laptop at 60 watts.
2. Maker-specific fast charging. Some phones hit their headline speed only with their own charger. The rule requires USB PD to keep working alongside, so a standard charger still fast-charges, just not at the advertised peak.
3. Heat. A charger at its limit runs hot, and a hot phone slows its own charging. If you charge three devices from one multi-port brick, the ports usually share the total.

Frequently asked questions

Will a 100-watt charger damage my phone?

No. USB PD negotiates the power down to what the phone asks for. The watt figure is a ceiling, not a push.

Does the label tell me how fast the device charges in minutes?

No. It tells you the power the device can take. Minutes depend on battery size, temperature and how full it already is; our 80% charging guide covers the last stretch.

I am outside the EU. Does any of this apply?

The label is required only for the EU market, but makers rarely print different boxes per region, so the same label increasingly appears everywhere. The USB PD numbers mean the same thing wherever you are.