EU Sets Construction-Product Assessment And Verification Systems From September

EU Construction Product Assessment Systems Follow A Three-Level Hierarchy

Annex I applies system 4 where a separate delegated act allows a product to be deemed to satisfy a performance level or class without testing, calculation or further testing. When a manufacturer uses that route, it prevails over the horizontal and product-specific systems.

Where deemed-to-satisfy treatment is unavailable or unused, Annex II assigns systems for horizontal essential characteristics. Those horizontal rules take priority over the product-family systems in Annex III. Product-specific systems then apply to the remaining essential characteristics and product requirements, taking account of intended use.

This ordering matters because a single product may encounter different verification routes for different characteristics. It is not enough to assign one number to an entire catalogue without checking the applicable characteristic, intended use and technical specification.

Dangerous Substances And Sustainability Receive Horizontal Systems

Annex II applies system 2+ to releases of dangerous substances from products in contact with soil or groundwater, system 3 to emissions into indoor air, system 2+ to dangerous-substance content, and system 3+ to environmental sustainability. Power, control and communication cables in reaction-to-fire classes A, B or C use system 1+.

Annex III then allocates systems across a wide range of product families. Examples include precast concrete, cement, masonry products, protective coatings for metallic elements, structural connectors, floorings, insulation, adhesives, sealants and chemical anchoring products. The system can vary by structural or non-structural use and by the characteristic being assessed.

Higher-numbered and plus-designated systems do not simply mean that every manufacturer must order a fresh test on 17 September. Regulation (EU) 2024/3110 defines the tasks for manufacturers and notified bodies, while the relevant harmonised technical specification or European assessment document identifies the characteristics and methods for a product.

What Changed And What Remains Unchanged

The new measure supplies a necessary allocation table before technical specifications under the new Construction Products Regulation become applicable. It considers continuity with the earlier Regulation (EU) No 305/2011 framework while aligning with the newer regime's product requirements and sustainability characteristics.

Existing declarations, CE-marking duties and applicable specifications are not automatically replaced on publication. The main near-term risk is classification drift between regulatory, engineering and procurement records. If teams store only a product-family label, they may miss that different intended uses or characteristics require different third-party involvement.

Practical Stakeholder Actions

Map product families, categories, intended uses and claimed characteristics to Annexes I, II and III. Identify where notified-body tasks may change and confirm contracts, testing budgets and technical-file ownership. Do not launch universal retesting. Instead, monitor the harmonised specifications and European assessment documents that activate the architecture for each product.