CE marking
Materials must be shown to comply with the EU Directive on Construction Products (CPD 89/106/EEC)
if they are to be used on construction projects. CE marking of a product is a declaration by the manufacturer that it complies with all the appropriate provisions of, and the essential safety requirements embodied in the legislation implementing relevant European Directives. Although CE marking of products is not mandatory in all countries within the EU – Southern Ireland, Finland, Sweden and UK are the exceptions - it has been generally agreed that CE marking represents best practice and simplifies the process of material selection.
CE Marking of structural steel products
EN 10025, which defines the manufacturing standards to be achieved for structural steels, was officially added to the EC’s Construction Product Directive on 1st September 2005. Corus demonstrated its commitment to quality improvement by becoming the first steel maker to gain approval for the manufacture of plates and structural sections against the new standard within four days of its introduction. Approval is not easily achieved but the result is that we can now apply the CE mark to all products manufactured to EN 10025:2004 in grades and thicknesses approved by Lloyds Register Verification Services, the third party auditors.
Specification of products that are CE marked gives confidence to designers that the materials they are proposing to use are compliant with both the manufacturing standards and the relevant Eurocodes for building and construction and makes checking easier too. It is possible for manufacturers to demonstrate compliance on a case by case basis but this is both time consuming and inconvenient
The new harmonised standards for Structural Steels, which are CE compliant, offer technical advantages over their predecessors: -
-
CEV weldability information is now mandatory for all grades, and any chemical additions - which could affect the performance of the material when undergoing fabrication or welding - must be identified on the inspection certificate.
-
All grades now have guaranteed impact performance whereas some grades in preceding standards were not subject to specific performance limits.
-
In some of the new grades, steel quality has been improved by reducing the permissible levels of deleterious elements such as Sulphur and Phosphorus.
-
Certain steelmaking technologies such as open hearth production have now been prohibited from the manufacturing routes for structural steels as a result of their inability to produce consistent, homogenous steel.
The CE Mark itself can only be displayed on the inspection certificate once the manufacturer has undergone a thorough audit and inspection of the manufacturing and testing routes by an independent, approved third party inspectorate. The manufacturer has to prove complete compliance with all the requirements of the relevant manufacturing standard by submitting the product to a strenuous type-testing program prior to the product being approved for CE Marking and, in the case of new products, launched onto the market.
The documentation confirming that the product is CE marked must include the licence number of the third party inspectorate together with the Approval Certificate Number of the manufacturer in order that traceability is provided for customers. It will also combat fraudulent claims of compliance with the directive by less reputable suppliers.
Although not mandatory in UK at present, the entire range Advance sections from Corus are CE marked and as a result, specifiers of Advance products will have the comfort of knowing that the materials to be supplied are fully compliant with the European Construction Codes and Norms.
