The European standardisation system
The European standardisation system related to construction is a comprehensive system of design standards that comprises the EN Eurocodes, along with material and product standards, as well as execution and test standards.
Within the CEN system, CEN/TC250 has the overall responsibility for "structural design rules" in the building and civil engineering field. If a CEN/TC (for products, execution, etc) has a need to use structural design rules, it is asked to refer to the relevant EN Eurocodes whenever it is possible.
CEN/TC250 has established liaisons with other CEN/TCs which are drafting provisions for materials and products used in the construction industry, as well as on the execution of different types of structures and testing methods. This set of consistent standards is to be used with the EN Eurocodes for the complete design and construction of buildings and other civil engineering works.
CEN has also set up Technical Cooperation with the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), in order to avoid duplication of work and to increase the speed of elaboration and maintenance of standards.
Execution Standards
Within the Construction domain, CEN is developing European Standards which cover a wide range of products, materials and structures. For the complete design and construction of buildings and other civil engineering works, the EN Eurocodes are intended to be used in combination with Execution Standards that cover, for example, concrete, steel and aluminium structures, special geotechnical works as well as laboratory and field testing of soil.
ENV 13670 | Execution of concrete structures |
EN 1090 | Execution of steel structures – Technical requirements |
EN 1536 | Execution of special geotechnical work – Bored piles |
EN 1537 | Execution of special geotechnical work – Ground anchors |
EN 14199 | Execution of special geotechnical work – Micro piles |
EN 12063 | Execution of special geotechnical work – Sheet–pile walls |
EN 12699 | Execution of special geotechnical work – Displacement piles |
EN 1011 | Recommendations for arc welding of steels |
EN 12732 | Gas supply systems – Welding steel pipe work – functional requirements |
EN 25817 | Arc–welded joints in steel: Guidance on quality levels for imperfections |
EN 30042 | Arc–welded joints in aluminium and its weldable alloys – Guidance on quality levels for imperfections |
Further information on the Construction Domain of CEN.
Product Standards
The EN Eurocodes provide design rules for structures considering a variety of materials. Within the CEN system, a number of standards covering the specifications, required physical and mechanical properties, test methods and classification for such materials have been developed. The materials characteristics are used in EN Eurocodes to determine factors and values for consistent use in design of products.
CEN/TC250 has established liaisons with other CEN/TCs which are drafting provisions for products intended for permanent incorporation into construction works. Product standards determine technical specifications, performance classes, testing methods, as well as requirements for factory production and quality control. The aim is to align these provisions with the EN Eurocodes to what concerns actions and structural design, for reasons of safety and consistency.
In the past, the standardization activities in the field of Iron and Steel were performed by the 12 Technical Committees (TCs) of the European Committee for Iron and Steel Standardization (ECISS). In 2018, under the approval of the CEN Technical Board, all ECISS TCs were integrated into one technical body - CEN/TC 459 - focusing on the definition, classification, testing, chemical analysis and technical delivery requirements of the products of the iron and steel industry.
The following list provides a not exhaustive reference of Product Standards related to the EN Eurocodes.
EN 206 | Concrete: Specification, performance, production and conformity |
EN 10080 | Steel for the reinforcement of concrete |
EN 10138 | Prestressing steels |
EN 10155 | Structural steels with improved atmospheric corrosion resistance |
EN 338 | Structural timber – Strength classes |
EN 313 | Plywood – Classification and terminology |
EN 12369 | Wood-based panels – Characteristic values for structural design |
EN 14545 | Timber structures – Connectors – Requirements |
EN 14592 | Timber structures – Fasteners – Requirements |
EN 622 | Fibreboards – Specifications |
EN 636 | Plywood – Specifications |
EN 771 | Specifications for masonry units |
EN 845 | Specification for ancillary components for masonry |
EN 998 | Specification for mortar for masonry |
EN 754 | Aluminium and aluminium alloys – Cold drawn rod/bar and tube |
EN 755 | Aluminium and aluminium alloys – Extruded rod/bar, tube and profiles |
EN 1592 | Aluminium and aluminium alloys – HF seam welded tubes |
EN 515 | Aluminium and aluminium alloys – Wrought products – Temper designations |
EN 1337 | Structural bearings |
EN 12811 | Temporary works equipment |
EN 12812 | Falsework. Performance requirements and general design |
EN 13001 | Crane safety |
EN 1317 | Road restraint systems |
Further information on the Construction Domain of CEN.
Test Standards
Test standards are part of the comprehensive system of European standards relating to construction. They are intended to be used for the determination of material and product properties required for the design of buildings and other civil engineering structures with the EN Eurocodes. In particular, test standards related to the EN Eurocodes comprise testing for materials, e.g. concrete, masonry, timber and metallic materials, non-destructive test methods as well as fire tests.
EN 12350 | Testing fresh concrete |
EN 13791 | Testing concrete |
ENV 13381 | Fire tests on elements of building construction |
EN 1365 | Test methods for fire resistance of load bearing elements |
EN 10002 | Metallic materials – Tensile testing |
EN 10045 | Metallic materials – Charpy impact test |
EN 594 | Timber structures – Test methods – Racking strength and stiffness of timber frame wall panels |
EN 1075 | Timber structures – Test methods. Testing of joints made with punched metal plate fasteners |
EN 1380 | Timber structures – Test methods – Load bearing nailed joints |
EN 1381 | Timber structures – Test methods – Load bearing stapled joints |
prEN 12512 | Timber structures – Test methods – Cyclic testing of joints made with mechanical fasteners |
EN 772 | Methods of test for masonry units |
EN 846 | Methods of test for ancillary components for masonry |
EN 1015 | Methods of test for mortar for masonry |
EN 1052 | Methods of test for masonry |
EN 571 | Non-destructive testing – Penetrant testing |
EN 13068 | Non-destructive testing – Radioscopic testing |
EN 444 | Non-destructive testing – General principles for radiographic examination of metallic materials by X and gamma rays |
Further information on the Construction Domain of CEN.
Technical Cooperation between ISO and CEN
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is an independent, non-governmental organization made up of members from the national standardisation bodies of 163 countries. There are three member categories:
- full members (or member bodies) influence ISO standards development and strategy by participating and voting in ISO technical and policy meetings;
- correspondent members observe the development of ISO standards and strategy by attending ISO technical and policy meetings as observers;
- subscriber members keep up to date on ISO's work but cannot participate in it.
CEN works closely with ISO following the Agreement on Technical Cooperation between ISO and CEN (Vienna Agreement), formally approved in 1991.
The Agreement recognises the primacy of international standards, but also recognises that particular needs (of the Single European Market for example) might require the development of standards for which a need has not been recognized at the international level. The prioritization of ISO work is also such that in some instances CEN needs to undertake work which is urgent in the European context, but less so in the international one.
As a result, the agreement sets out two essential modes for collaborative development of standards: the mode under ISO lead and the mode under CEN lead, in which documents developed within one body, are notified for the simultaneous approval by the other.
The benefits expected from the use of this agreement include:
- avoidance of duplication of work and structures, thus allowing expertise to be focused and used in an efficient way;
- increasing the speed of elaboration, availability and maintenance of standards.
ISO 2394 | General principles on reliability for structures |
ISO 3898 | Basis for design of structures – Notations – General symbols |
ISO 13822 | Bases for design of structures – Assessment of existing structures |
ISO 10137 | Basis for design of structures – Serviceability of buildings against vibrations |
ISO 12494 | Atmospheric icing of structures |
ISO 9000 | Quality management and quality assurance – Vocabulary Quality management systems – Fundamentals and vocabulary |
ISO 2631 | Mechanical vibration and shock – Evaluation of human exposure to whole-body vibration |
ISO 4355 | Bases for design of structures – Determination of snow loads on roofs |
ISO 13847 | Welding steel pipeline |
ISO 18273 | Welding consumables – Wire electrodes, wires and rods for arc welding of aluminium and aluminium alloys – Classification |
ISO 11003 | Adhesives – Determination of shear behaviour of structural adhesives |
EN ISO 13501 | Fire classification of construction products and building elements |
EN ISO 1363 | Fire resistance tests |
EN ISO 17760 | Permitted welding process for reinforcement |
EN ISO 15630 | Steel for the reinforcement and prestressing of concrete: Test methods |
EN ISO 12944 | Paints and vanishes. Corrosion protection of steel structures by protective paint systems |
EN ISO 28970 | Timber structures. Testing of joints made with mechanical fasteners requirements for wood density |
EN ISO 14688 | Geotechnical investigation and testing – Qualification and description of soil |
EN ISO 14689 | Geotechnical investigation and testing – Description of rock |
EN ISO 15630 | Steel for the reinforcement and prestressing of concrete: Test methods |