CONSTRUCTION PRODUCTS This directive applies to “construction products”, meaning all products manufactured for permanent incorporation in construction works, including buildings and civil engineering works. One of the aims of the regulation is to establish rules for declarations of performance relating to the essential characteristics of construction products and to define the principles for affixing the CE marking to construction products. Manufacturers are required to affix the CE marking to construction products covered by a product-specific European Technical Assessment. The Construction Products Directive requires continuous control of the declared performance of construction products. For example, the performance of construction products under fire conditions is important for ensuring product conformity. Construction products must meet the essential health and safety requirements.

The basic requirements of the Regulation set out the following general objectives for construction works in relation to health and safety: 

• Mechanical resistance and stability
• Safety in case of fire
• Hygiene, health and the environment
•  Safety in use
• Protection against noise
• Energy economy and heat retention

The Construction Products Directive was prepared to remove trade barriers created by technical specifications and to ensure the free movement of construction products within the European Union. It establishes uniform assessment methods for the performance of construction products in the European Economic Area. These methods are used by public authorities, architects, engineers and contractors when describing product performance, presenting products to consumers and selecting products suitable for use in construction works.

A declaration of performance or an EU declaration of conformity is a prerequisite for affixing the CE marking to the product. To issue a declaration of performance, the manufacturer must rely on a report from an authorized laboratory or a report from an approved third-party organization. By signing the declaration of performance, the manufacturer assumes responsibility for the performance of all production.

Where products are required to bear the CE marking, the following information must also accompany it:

• The name or trademark of the manufacturer
• Where required, the last two digits of the year in which the CE marking was affixed
• The number of the EC certificate of conformity
• The identification number of the notified body involved in the production-control process
• Information on the product characteristics specified in the technical specifications.

The manufacturer may adapt the CE marking on the product on the basis of the Construction Products Directive or other directives. For example, the CE marking for low-voltage cables may be based on the requirements of the Low Voltage Directive.
Initial inspection, continuous surveillance, type tests and inspection tests are among the duties of the notified body, while factory production control, type testing for certain product levels and the declaration of performance are among the duties of the manufacturer.

Conformity Assessment Process

For CE marking to be affixed to equipment falling within the scope of the Construction Products Regulation, the relevant European Technical Approval Guidelines must be in force. Without standards and ETAGs, CE marking cannot be applied even if the product is a construction product. Under the Construction Products Regulation, all conformity assessment systems are defined by Council Decisions according to product groups. In these systems, the duties of manufacturers and notified bodies are separately defined under four systems.

Certification of Conformity

Products at SYSTEM 1 & 1+ level: Initial type testing of the material; initial inspection of the factory and FPC; continuous surveillance of FPC; testing of samples taken.

Products at SYSTEM 2 & 2+ level: Certification of FPC; continuous surveillance, assessment and approval of FPC.

Products at SYSTEM 3 level: Initial type testing of the material by an approved laboratory.

Products at SYSTEM 4 level: No notified body is required; all duties belong to the manufacturer.

Decisions issued by the European Commission describe the mandatory procedures to be followed in conformity assessment for each product or product group. A manufacturer may produce a construction product in accordance with harmonized European standards or accepted national standards and then follow the conformity assessment procedure specified for that product.

Conformity Assessment Procedures

• Initial type testing of the product by the notified body or manufacturer.
• Testing of samples taken from the factory according to a predefined test plan by the notified body or manufacturer.
• Inspection and testing of samples taken from the factory, products placed on the market or the construction site by the notified body or manufacturer.
• Testing of samples taken from batches ready for dispatch or already dispatched by the notified body or manufacturer.
• Implementation of Factory Production Control by the manufacturer.
• Initial inspection of the factory and factory production control by the notified body.
• Continuous surveillance, inspection and evaluation of factory production control by a notified body.