CE Marking FAQ

We answer the 15 most frequently asked questions about CE Marking

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The CE marking is a mandatory process for the manufacturer to be able to market a construction product. This process involves carrying out two necessary and inseparable "steps":

- Drafting of the Declaration of Performance 
- Affixing of the CE Mark: initials to be affixed visibly and indelibly to a product or its packaging or on the accompanying documents certifying that it has the essential requirements established by one or more Community legislation, to prevent it from causing damage to the health and safety of users or to the environment.

In summary, the CE marking is a "passport" that allows a construction product, regardless of its origin, to be legally and freely placed on the market of the member states of the EEA - European Economic Area.

The CE marking gives a product the right of free movement throughout the EEA territory (wider than the Community one, as it also includes Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway).

The CE marking is not intended to highlight all the technical characteristics of the product (it is not a quality mark). It assumes that the products presented are suitable for the intended use in relation to the verification of the seven essential requirements established by the Regulation: Mechanical resistance and stability, Safety in case of fire, Hygiene, Safety and environment, Safety in use, Protection against noise, Energy saving, Sustainability.

The affixing of the CE Marking is the responsibility of the Manufacturer (person who places the product on the EEA territory), who assumes responsibility for the conformity of the construction product with the performances declared by it in the Declaration of Performance (DoP).

Through the duly completed DoP, all the necessary requirements must be met to guarantee the conformity of a product with the essential requirements of the European harmonization legislation which provides for the affixing of the CE marking.

If an importer or a distributor places a product on the market under his own name or brand or modifies a construction product already placed on the market to an extent that could affect its compliance with the declaration of performance, they are considered to be a manufacturer and are subject to the same obligations.

The DoP is the legal document that describes the performance of construction products in relation to their characteristics, established by the harmonized European standards with specific reference to the seven essential requirements of construction works (referred to in Annex I of the CPR Reg.), with which the manufacturer assumes responsibility for the conformity of the product itself to the declared performance. This declaration must necessarily be drawn up by the manufacturer when the product is placed on the market.

The European Standards are technical standards developed by the CEN (European Committee for Standardization) on a mandate / request from the European Community. They are identified with the initials «EN» (for example: UNI EN 998-1: 2016. Specifications for mortars for masonry - Part 1: Mortars for internal and external plasters) and the harmonization can be deduced from two fundamental elements: the publication in the OJEU - Official Journal of the European Union - where the Harmonized Standards are periodically published pursuant to the European regulation CPR (EU) 305 / '11 and the presence of Appendix ZA which contains prescriptions and requirements of the material being examined.

The Manufacturer must affix the «CE» Marking in a VISIBLE, LEGIBLE and INDELIBLE way on the construction products or on a label applied to them or, if this is impossible or unjustified due to the nature of the products, on the packaging or on the transport document.

The obligation of the "CE" and PDO marking for construction products is directly connected to the publication in the OJEU of the references of the related Harmonized European Standard and to the expiry of the "coexistence period", and not to the transposition of the same by the regulatory bodies of individual Member States (in Italy the UNI - Italian Standardization Body).

Special cases and simplifications are envisaged in the following cases:

- Construction products made in a single copy or on the customer's specification
- Products installed on a single and specific work
- Products made on site to be incorporated in the respective works
- Products made through a non-industrial process (handmade product) or in the context of conservation and restoration interventions of the protected architectural heritage.
- Construction products, even if manufactured in series, but not covered by a harmonized European standard, are excluded from the obligation of the «CE» and DOP marking until the publication of said standard in the OJEU and the expiry of the coexistence period.

If the product you intend to sell is not subject to the mandatory CE marking, and therefore is not covered by any harmonized standard, it is still possible to affix the CE mark on a voluntary basis. First of all, it is necessary to check whether it is covered by an ETAG standard, a document drawn up by the EOTA (European Organization for Technical Assessment) containing guidelines for the voluntary CE marking of some products (e.g. ventilated facades, external insulation systems, etc.)

If your product does not fall under any of the published ETAG standards, you can check if it is covered by the current European Assessment Document (EAD). These documents represent harmonized technical specifications pursuant to the Construction Products Regulation no. 305/2011 (CPR), and contain a general description of the product and its intended use and the methods for evaluating its performance, based on the essential characteristics relevant to the intended use. In the event that there is no EAD applicable to this product, it is possible to request a Technical Assessment Body (TAB) to develop a specific one.

The adopted EADs are used by the TABs for issuing European technical assessments (ETA - European Technical Assessment) or European Technical Approval: a document that allows the manufacturer to obtain the CE marking of the product, as it represents the basis for the drafting of the Declaration of Performance. (DoP) by the manufacturer, to be issued by the manufacturer to the buyer in paper or electronic form, together with the construction products. 

It must be issued by the Manufacturer to the buyer in paper form or electronic medium, together with the construction products.

It must accompany the construction products during transport to the construction site. * It can also be made available by the manufacturer on its website (Delegated Reg. 157/2014). However, companies are advised to request a paper copy, in order also to simplify the acceptance of materials on site by the Works Management, pursuant to Ministerial Decree 14/1/2008 (NTC).

The DoP must be drawn up in accordance with Articles 4 and 6, as well as the model set out in Annex III of the CPR.

* If the procurement on site requires several trips for the same construction product, the DOP is required for the first delivery trip, while for subsequent trips it is sufficient to report the unique number of the initial DOP in the individual transport documents.

Annex ZA is an integral and common part of all harmonized standards. It contains the minimum requirements and prescriptions to demonstrate the conformity of the construction product to the reference standard, namely:

- the initial tests to be carried out necessary to identify the so-called "Product Type" (PTD - Product Type Determination)

- the periodic tests to be carried out and necessary to ensure product compliance over time (FPC - Factory Production Controls)

- the Evaluation and Verification System of Constancy of Performance (AVCP) provided for that specific product and for a specific intended use.

The System of Assessment and Verification of Constancy of Performance (AVCP) is a harmonized system that defines how to evaluate products and the constancy of their performance and in fact safeguards the reliability and accuracy of the Declaration of Performance (DoP).

The System (s) of Assessment and Verification of Constancy of Performance (AVCP) provided for a specific product and for a specific intended use make clear the individual responsibilities regarding the performance of PTD and FPC activities and provide for different degrees of severity of controls in relation to the essential requirements subject to verification (See explanatory table).

The initial type tests (PTD - Product Type Determination) are all the initial tests carried out by the Client or a Notified Body (depending on the product AVCP) necessary for the verification of conformity of the construction product in question.

The specific tests subject to PTD are indicated in Annex ZA of each harmonized standard and in the text of the same. They are the first step in obtaining conformity and therefore the CE mark.

Factory Production Controls (FPC) are periodic checks to be carried out by the Client or by a Notified Body (depending on the product AVCP) necessary to verify the constancy of the performance over time of the construction product in question. The specific tests subject to FPC are indicated in Annex ZA of each harmonized standard and in the text of the same. The frequency and number of tests to be carried out are also specified.

Ask our expert
Eng. Mattia Morganti
CE Marking - CPR Expert

Notified Body

Certimac is a Notified Body for the issue of Test and Qualification Certificates for the purposes of CE Marking. It operates on 30 harmonized technical specifications.

find out more

Iter Marcatura CE

Percorso Marcatura CE

L’iter della Marcatura CE per i materiali e i prodotti da costruzione

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