The Construction Products Regulation was put in place to ensure that the sales conditions for construction products on the internal market are uniform.
This is not an aspiration, but a legal requirement that all active operators (manufacturers, importers, distributors) must comply with. You, as a downstream user, have an obligation to consult the DoP in order to be able to determine whether the product properties correspond to its prescribed performance, eg. B-s1, d0. It is a requirement that you take part in the Declaration of Performance for assessment when you buy a product to use for permanent construction works.
These are the requirements for construction products
- It is mandatory to CE mark construction products that are subject to a harmonized standard, e.g. EN14915: 2013 or EN13986: 2004, or an issued ETA. There are only a limited number of exceptions.
- There must be a Declaration of Performance (DoP) and the regulation should specify what information it should contain. Link to DoP template in related information (Appendix III).
- It is not possible to CE mark a construction product so that it corresponds directly with the regulation. The CE marking is done in accordance with a harmonized standard or an issued ETA.
- The Member States' requirements for buildings and other installations, as well as for the performance of the construction product, underpin whether or not a product is suitable for its intended use. The building regulations of the Member States are not harmonized by the Construction Products Regulation.
- The CE marking shows that the performance of the construction product has been assessed in accordance with the methods and criteria of a harmonized technical specification, and that the manufacturer has prepared a Declaration of Performance with the data from this assessment.
- Chemical information, according to the REACH Regulation, must be provided together with the DoP.
- There should be instructions for use and safety information available about the product.
- It should be possible to trace the technical documentation to the product at all stages — from manufacturer to end customer.
- There are some simplified CE marking procedures, in particular for micro enterprises.
European assessment documents (EAD) are harmonized technical specifications which can be used as a basis for assessment when issuing a European technical assessment (ETA).