Products (or models) are registered using a model name, model code and brand. The registered model name must be provided on the packaging and must match exactly the model name on the registration. The product can also only be supplied under the Brand on the product registration. A registration number will be assigned once the product has been registered.

WELS issues both licence numbers and WELS registration numbers.

Licence Number:
The licence number is issued to a person or company that registers WELS products (known as the WELS registrant). It applies to all models registered by that registrant. The licence number and the name of the WELS registrant must appear on the WELS label.

WELS Registration Number:
This is a unique number assigned to each specific product model at the time of registration. It identifies the particular model registered under the WELS scheme.

Registered – The WELS registration is current and available for sale in Australia.

Ceasing – The WELS registration was not renewed and the product will expire on 22 July of the current year. The product is still valid for sale in Australia in Ceasing status.

Expired – The WELS registration has expired and the product can no longer be offered for sale in Australia.

All products regulated under the WELS scheme must be registered and labelled with the correct water rating information.

You can find more information about the Water Rating label, including how to read the label at Water Rating label.

If you are looking for a product, use the WELS registration number. The WELS registration number must appear on online store pages or in brochures/catalogues.

The WELS registration number consists of a letter prefix that represents the WELS product type (e.g. C, CM, D, DM, F, FM, L, LM, S, SM, T, TM, U or UM), followed by 5 digits. For example, WELS registration numbers that start with T are Tapware where numbers that start with L are Lavatories.

The WELS registration number is not required to be printed on product packaging or the Water Rating (WELS) label and therefore you may not find it on the packaging of the product. Due to the size of flow controller packaging, text may appear in lieu of the minimum size WELS label.

If you do not have the WELS registration number, you can search using the Model name, Model code or Brand name. The more information you input into the search criteria the more refined your search results will be.

If you cannot find the product you are searching for, we recommend that you start and refine your search using the following filters. The more filters you use, the more refined your search result will be:

• Product type (tap, shower etc.)
• Registration number (if known)
• Brand
• WELS licence number (the 4 digit number that appears on the WELS label)
• Model name
• Model code

Note, each product is registered with an image. You can compare the image to the product you are searching for to confirm it’s the correct one.

The information on the WELS Product Register is different to my product.

You may find that a product has multiple entries in the WELS Product Register.

This could be because the WELS registrant has the same product set as different configurations to use less/more water (is issued with different star ratings).

Or it may be that the product’s registration expired but has been re-registered and is now available again on the Australian market. If a product has been re-registered a new registration number will be assigned.

Registration and labelling requirements are outlined in the Australian/New Zealand Standard 6400:2016 Water efficient products — Rating and labelling (WELS Standard). The labelling requirements allow WELS registrants to choose which water consumption value appears on their labelled products. As long as one of these values appear on the WELS label then it complies with the WELS Standard.

To determine the water consumption value to appear on the label, the standard specifies the rounding of the tested water consumption figure to be rounded up to the nearest half litre or to the highest value in the star rating range for taps, showers and flow controllers. For lavatories, the flush figure can be rounded up to the nearest one decimal place or to the highest value in the star rating range.

For example, a 3 star rated showerhead is tested in a certified laboratory and the tested flow rate is 7.7 litres per minute. The WELS Standard allows the WELS registrant to label their product as 8 litres per minute (rounded to nearest half litre) or 9 litres per minute (top of the 3 star range).

Rounding the tested values to half or whole numbers makes it easier for consumers to compare products.

The WELS Standard permits only one option for water consumption values for clothes washing machines, dishwashers and urinals.

The registration details in the WELS Product Register must match the product being supplied.

If you find that the product is being advertised using a different brand, then it is not considered WELS registered.

Products registered with WELS are the “parent model”. A variant model has different aesthetic features to the parent model but has the same water consumption and star rating. For example, when a tap is supplied in different colour ranges (e.g. chrome, black, gold) or with different handles the WELS registrant can add variant models to the registered model.

The registered model is considered the parent and the different colour/handle options are variants of the parent model. A variant has the same WELS registration number as the parent model.

You can view a list of variants to each model on the WELS Registration Certificate.

The WELS Product Register is updated approximately every 30 minutes.

You can check when the last change was made to a model by downloading the WELS Certificate and viewing the “Certificate information current as of” date.

The date will change when there has been any change to the model.

You can download an Excel file of your search results when you search for a specific product type (like taps, showers, or clothes washing machines).

• The file will include only the products shown on your screen, based on the filters you use.
• The file is limited to 5,000 results.

You can also download an Excel file of all WELS products by choosing Product Type: All.

• It includes all WELS products, including Registered, Ceasing and Expired.
• The filters used on your screen do not affect this file.
• This file is updated overnight.