CPR / EN 1090
Since 1 July 2014 the CE mark must be applied in compliance with the EN 1090 standard on metal structure products that are structurally part of or structurally “complement” the construction itself.
Field of application
The EN 1090 series are reference standards for the supply of metallic structures in steel and aluminium covering all aspects, from their engineering to their installation.
Like all regulations and standards, this one is of a voluntary nature, which becomes mandatory in cases when the metallic structure products are part of the structure of the work itself (or in other words, when they are incorporated in works that must be engineered and constructed in conformity with Italian legislation on civil and industrial constructions, in that “they ensure and/or contribute to the structural and/or geotechnical safety of the works themselves“).
Indeed structural products in steel and aluminium are considered, to all effects and purposes “Construction products“: as such they fall under the European Regulation 305/2011 which, through mandatory application of the Annex ZA of the same regulation, calls for the fulfilment of mechanical strength and stability of the works accompanied by the obligation of the Declaration of Performance (DoP) and of the CE mark of the products themselves for their free circulation on European territory.
The EN 1090 series of standards defines the operational methods beginning with the materials, their processing (cutting, shaping, welding etc.), to the installation and comprises:
- EN 1090-1:2009/2011, which defines the requirements for the conformity of the structural components;
- EN 1090-2:2008/2011, which defines the criteria and the operational methods in the construction of steel structures;
- EN 1090-3:2008, which defines the criteria and the operational methods in the construction of aluminium structures.
Execution of steel and aluminium structures
The harmonised standard EN 1090-1:2009/EC 1-2011 “Execution of steel structures and aluminium structures Part 1: Requirements for conformity assessment of structural components ” describes the requirements and the methods for applying the CE Mark, pursuant to the European Regulation (EU) n. 305/2011.
This Regulation establishes the conditions for the marketing of construction products, has been fully applicable since 1 July 2013 and abrogates the European Directive 89/106/EEC.
The regulation governs the conditions for releasing and making available construction products on the market and establishes:
- harmonised provisions for the description of the performance of such products in relation to their essential characteristics and for the use of the CE mark on the products in question;
- the obligation of the manufacturer to draft a Declaration of Performance (DoP) that accompanies any product in the field of application of the Regulation; this indication did not exist in the previous European Directive 89/106/EEC;
- five Assessment Systems and verification of the consistency of the performance: 1+, 1, 2+, 3 and 4;
Recipients
The CE mark pursuant to the EN 1090-1 standard is intended for manufacturers of structural components in steel or in aluminium.
According to this regulation, the organisations that manufacture welded structures, or parts of them, in steel or in aluminium, must carry out these activities in accordance with the relevant parts of the EN ISO 3834 series regulation. The relation between the classes of execution of the structures and the EN ISO 3834standards that can be applied is contained in the EN 1090-1 standard.
Other reference regulations
The EN 1090-1 standard does not directly contain regulations that govern the structural engineering and the calculations relative to the constructions but it makes specific reference to them. The engineering and calculation standards are established in the respective sections of the Eurocode Series 3 and Series 9.
Moreover UNI EN 1090 also makes reference to other standards that qualify welding procedures and operators, like ISO 14731, ISO 9606-1 and EN ISO 15614.
EN 1090 standard requirements
References for the mandatory construction requirements are standards EN 1090-2 for structures in steel and EN 1090-3 for those in aluminium. The requirements for the conformity assessment for all types of structures are defined according to a single standard, whether it be simple roofing of a large building or a beam of a bridge.
Regulation CPR 305/11
“The Regulation (EU) 305/2011 governs the emission and free circulation of construction products on the European market.”
Field of application
Regulation CPR 305/2011 concerns all the products (materials, manufactured goods, systems, etc.) created to become a permanent part of construction works (buildings and civil engineering works).
Such products must comply with requirements and performance standards in relation to the seven essential requirements of the work:
- mechanical strength and stability;
- safety in case of fire;
- hygiene, safety, and environment;
- safety during use;
- protection against noise;
- energy savings;
- sustainable use of natural resources in the construction of the structure;
Declaration of Performance
The concept at the base of the new Regulation 305/11, compared to the CPD 89/106/EEC Directive, is the Declaration of Performance (DoP) which replaces the previous Declaration of Conformity of construction products. While the latter certified the conformity of a product to the requirements of a technical regulation or standard (Art. 13 CPD), the Declaration of Performance:
- is obligatory for all products covered by a harmonised law;
- must contain information on the intended use;
- must list the essential characteristics pertinent to the intended use;
- must include the performances of at least one of the essential characteristics;
- the manufacturer assumes responsibility for the declared performances.
The new Regulation 305/11 modified the market access conditions and, since 2013, construction products covered by a harmonised law (and hence subject to the obligation to apply the CE Mark) or subjected to a European Technical Assessment (ETA), may enter the market only if:
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- the manufacturer has prepared the Declaration of Performance (DoP) for the product;
- The products for which the DoP was prepared are marked CE; the consistency of the product performance has been tested and certified.
The standards of the EN 1090 series
Since 1 July 2014 there has been the obligation of applying the CE mark in compliance with the EN 1090 standard on metal structure products that are structurally part of or structurally “complement” the construction itself.
The EN 1090 series are reference standards for the supply of metallic structures in steel and aluminium covering all aspects, from their engineering to their installation.
Like all regulations and standards, those of the EN 1090 series are generally voluntary, which become mandatory in cases when the metallic structure products are part of the structure of the work itself or when they are incorporated in works that must be engineered and constructed in conformity with Italian legislation on civil and industrial constructions, in that “they ensure and/or contribute to the structural and/or geotechnical safety of the works themselves“.
In order to pragmatically understand if a structural metal product is required to bear the CE mark according to EN 1090, one must consider if removing it from the work would compromise the strength and stability of the entire structure or a part of it or not, favouring the stability of the work in the analysis over personal safety (which is covered by other regulations and standards).
Other potential cases where the CE mark is required for Metallic Structural Products:
- if they fall under Regulation 305/2011, in that they are covered by other harmonised legislation, they must bear the CE mark with reference to those regulations and not to the EN 1090 series.
- if they DO NOT fall under Regulation 305/2011 (they are not classified as “construction products” pursuant to Regulation 305) they must bear the CE mark only if subject to other regulations and directives (like in the cases of structures, machine parts, pressurised tanks, lift towers, etc. that have a structural function in the product, but are not structural elements of the work that contain the same product) and not according to EN 1090.