UNI EN 1090 Certification: What Is It?

When does the EN 1090 certification apply?

With the introduction of mandatory certification from July 2014, manufacturing companies of steel and metal materials or structures must mark their products with CE and EN 1090 to introduce them into the European market.
Thanks to the EN 1090 certificate, construction material manufacturing companies can operate within the European Union, precisely from July 1, 2013, the date on which EU Regulation No. 305/2011 came into force.

It is important to specify that the EN 1090 regulation groups several technical standards regarding the execution of structures in steel or aluminum. It is divided into several parts:

• PART ONE, concerns the evaluation of conformity requirements for structural components
• PART TWO, contains the technical requirements for steel structures
• PART THREE, concerns the technical requirements for aluminum structures
• PART FOUR and FIVE, relate to specific applications for structural elements in steel and aluminum.

In detail, the CE UNI EN marking is to be applied to all steel or aluminum products and components such as:

• rolled products
• forged products used for coatings and surfaces
• steel products used in combination with concrete.

Consequently, the companies that must adhere to the certification obligation according to EN 1090 are those operating in the following sectors:

• steel for pre-stressed concrete;
• metal structures;
• cold-formed sheets and profiles;
• structural elements; metal carpentry;
• brackets, nails, and bolts, key items of structural bolting referring to the ISO EN 14399 and ISO EN 15048 standards.

Originally a voluntary standard, EN 1090 then became mandatory with the aim of guaranteeing the qualitative characteristics that products must adhere to.

Which products fall under the EN 1090 standard?

In general, it can be said that standard 1090 is a regulation that governs the entire world of construction. In order to work according to the law, it is necessary for the carpentry to be certified and therefore to use products compliant with the regulation and validated materials. Focusing on the world of bolts, for certified products, we refer to elements that refer to Certification 3.1 and DOP Certification (Declaration of Performance), the details of which are explained in the following paragraphs.

Certification 3.1 is a certificate issued by the manufacturer following specific tests on samples taken from production lots of a specific product.

The DOP Certification, on the other hand, attests to a certain qualitative standard of the products and is issued to manufacturers who maintain such standards throughout the production process. These manufacturers thus obtain the authorization to produce structural bolting articles, subject to CE marking, which allows for product traceability.

Therefore, to provide a more detailed idea of which products fall under the EN 1090 standard, below we list some examples of certified screws and bolts that can be used because they comply with the requirements demanded by the regulation:

• Partially threaded hexagon head screw ISO 4014
• Fully threaded hexagon head screw ISO 4017
• Non-preloaded Structural bolt ISO EN 15048
• Hexagon head screw for HV system ISO EN 14399-4
• Hexagonal nut for HV system ISO EN 14399-4
• Beveled plain washer ISO EN 14399-6
• Hexagon head screw for HV system ISO EN 14399-8

Products for structural bolting, therefore, require particular attention in their production.
It is fundamental to rely on trustworthy partners where you can purchase products that comply with the construction certification.

The Declaration of Performance: What It Is and What It Is For

As established in the EU Construction Products Regulation 305/2011, manufacturers are obliged to compile the Declaration of Performance (DOP). This document must be compiled for all products that, in accordance with the regulation, can be freely marketed in all European Union countries.

The Declaration of Performance must contain indications regarding:

• The intended use;
• Relevant essential characteristics for the intended use;
• The performance of at least one of the essential characteristics;
• The responsibilities assumed by the manufacturer.

Below, we report an excerpt from Chapter 4 of the aforementioned regulation, within which are listed the essential requirements for which the manufacturer (metal constructor) must declare performance:

"... omissions
4. Requirements
4.2 Dimensional tolerances
4.3 Weldability
4.4 Toughness
4.5 Structural characteristics
4.5.2. Mechanical resistance
4.5.3. Fatigue resistance
4.5.4. Fire resistance
4.5.5. Deformations at serviceability limit state
4.6 Reaction to fire
4.7 Emission of dangerous substances
4.8 Impact resistance (in correlation with point 4.4)
4.9 Durability
... omissions"

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