CE Certification for Building Materials - CPR Directive 305/2011/EU

According to the regulation, the requirements for the CE marking apply to:
"Any product or kit produced and placed on the market for permanent incorporation into a construction work or part thereof, whose performance has an effect on the basic requirements of the construction work."
To determine whether your product falls within the scope of CPR, it must comply with the intended use specified in the harmonized European standards published in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU).

A building product refers to any product permanently incorporated into a construction work, including buildings and civil engineering works. Examples of building products include fire detection and alarm systems, building hardware, tiles, building glass fibers, flooring, sanitary ware, etc.
The construction directive is numbered 305/2011/EU (CPR) (Construction Products Regulation).
Each EU member state follows basic requirements to ensure that buildings and civil engineering works within their territories do not pose threats to the safety of persons, livestock, or property during design and construction. These requirements also address other important factors related to public welfare, such as health, service life, energy conservation, environmental protection, economic factors, and more.

CPR applies to all building products sold and circulated in the European market, such as doors and windows, wallpaper, architectural pigments, steel fibers, geotextiles, thermal insulation materials (e.g., glass wool), flooring, roofing materials, asphalt mixtures, gypsum materials, concrete, cement, pipes, paving materials, sewerage equipment, glass, structural metal products, fasteners, waterproofing materials, structural timber, traffic signal indicators, fire protection equipment, heating equipment, etc.
About seismic isolation industry, seismic isolation device as high damper rubber bearing(HDR), Linear nature rubber bearing(LNR), Lead core rubber bearing(LRB), Friction pendulum system(FPS/FPB) and Viscous Fluid Damper are in this CPR scope. Pot bearing and spherical bearing is also in this scope.

The Construction Products Directive (CPD) is a mandatory certification directive for building materials established by the EU. Its purpose is to eliminate technical barriers among member states through unified technical information and promote free trade. Due to significant differences in the application of the Construction Products Directive among member states, the European Commission planned to replace the existing directive with the new Construction Products Regulation (CPR).

The "European Construction Products Regulation CPR 305/2011" covers building products and kits produced for incorporation into construction works (including buildings and civil engineering works). Annex I of Regulation 305/2011/EU specifies the basic requirements for construction works:
1. Mechanical resistance and stability
2. Safety in case of fire
3. Hygiene, health, and the environment
4. Safety and accessibility for use
5. Noise prevention
6. Energy economy and thermal insulation
7. Sustainable use of natural resources
These basic requirements are further elaborated in harmonized technical specifications (harmonized European standards). Depending on the application, the relevant requirements (performance) for building products used in construction works are expressed as performance levels, classes, or descriptions in the Declaration of Performance, which states the performance of the basic characteristics of building products.

1. "Building product" means a product or kit produced and placed on the market for incorporation into a construction work or part thereof, whose performance affects the performance of the construction work in relation to its basic requirements.
2. "Kit" means a set of at least two component products placed on the market by a single manufacturer, which need to be combined for incorporation into a construction work.
3. "Construction work" means buildings and civil engineering works.
4. "Basic characteristics" means the characteristics of a building product related to the basic requirements of construction works.
5. "Performance of a building product" means the performance related to the relevant basic characteristics, expressed as levels, classes, or descriptions.
6. "Level" means the result of evaluating the performance of a building product in relation to its basic characteristics, expressed as a numerical value.
7. "Threshold level" means the lower or upper limit of a basic characteristic of a building product.
In other words, CPR applies to building products that affect the basic requirements of construction works and are subject to harmonized European standards or European Technical Approvals.

Each type of economic operator (manufacturer, importer, distributor) has different obligations, as specified in the Construction Products Regulation. The following six-step plan relates to manufacturers and their obligations:
1. Product classification: Define whether the product falls within the scope of the Construction Products Regulation and the relevant harmonized European standards.
2. Classification of economic operators: Determine the role of the economic operator in accordance with the Construction Products Regulation.
3. Conformity procedures: Divided into the following parts:
a. Conduct sample testing of building products.
b. Maintain the declared performance in mass production.
c. Provide product identification methods and complete manufacturer information.
d. Provide instructions (user manuals) and information.
e. Establish procedures for corrective actions.
4. Documentation: Prepare documentation (including user manuals) based on which product conformity can be assessed.
5. Declaration of Performance: Prepare a declaration stating the relevant performance of the building product.
6. CE marking: Once the product complies with Regulation 305/2011 and the relevant harmonized standards, the CE marking can be affixed.

If you produce or import products within the scope of this regulation, you must declare that the products comply with the regulation and display the CE marking before selling them in the UK and Europe. Currently, CPR covers more than 400 harmonized standards (EN), such as EN 15129 and EN 1337.

1. EN 15129
EN 15129-2009 focuses on dampers for seismic-resistant equipment, covering various types such as rigid connecting devices, displacement-dependent devices, velocity-dependent devices, and isolation devices. It specifies general design criteria, including performance, seismic impact, and conceptual design requirements. It also details material properties, testing (type testing, factory production control testing, etc.), conformity assessment, and inspection during installation and operation to ensure the devices function effectively in earthquakes and enhance structural seismic capacity.

2. EN 1337

EN 1337 is a series of harmonized standards developed by the European Committee for Standardization (CEN) for the design, manufacture, and performance requirements of structural bearings. The main content is summarized as follows:
1) Standard structure and coverage
EN 1337 consists of 11 sub-parts, each targeting different types of structural bearings:
(1). Part 1 – General design rules: Specifies universal design principles for all structural bearings, including material selection, load calculation, and durability requirements.
(2). Part 2 – Sliding elements: Covers design, materials (e.g., PTFE composites), and friction coefficient requirements for sliding surfaces, applicable to sliding components combined with pot bearings, spherical bearings, etc.
(3). Part 3 – Elastomeric bearings: Specifies performance parameters, size limits (maximum 1200×1200 mm), and environmental adaptability of rubber materials (e.g., laminated rubber).
(4). Part 4 – Roller bearings: Applicable to horizontal roller designs, requiring combination with sliding elements to accommodate displacement and rotation.
(5). Part 5 – Pot bearings: Specifies temperature range (-40°C to 50°C), materials (steel pot, rubber pad), and rotation angle limits (≤0.03 rad).
(6). Part 6 – Rocker bearings: Used for unidirectional or multi-directional rotation, requiring combination with sliding elements to control degrees of freedom.
(7). Part 7 – Spherical and cylindrical PTFE bearings: Defines sliding surface angle limits (spherical 2θ≤60°, cylindrical 2θ≤75°) and lubrication requirements.
(8). Part 8 – Guided and restrained bearings: Specifies design criteria for guiding devices to ensure displacement direction control.
(9). Part 9 – Protection: Requirements for anti-corrosion, dust-proof, and other protective measures for bearings.
(10). Part 10 – Inspection and maintenance: Periodic testing methods and maintenance cycles.
(11). Part 11 – Transport, storage, and installation: Logistics and installation specifications to avoid damage to bearing performance.

2) Core requirements and testing

 Material properties:
Steel must comply with standards such as EN 10025 and EN 10083; rubber materials must pass tensile strength and compression stiffness tests (refer to EN ISO 527).
 Design verification:
Includes long-term load testing, rotation testing (e.g., Appendix E for pot bearings), and reset moment calculation.
 Environmental adaptability:
Temperature classes (-25°C or -40°C) are divided based on climate zones, with design adjustments considering factors such as altitude and shelter.
 Safety assessment:
When bearing failure may affect structural safety, certification must be obtained through Mode 1 (high risk) or Mode 3 (low risk).