What the CE marking verifies

CE is not a quality award

The CE marking indicates that the product has a declaration of performance and that the manufacturer placed it on the market under the applicable EU rules. It does not mean the product is good; it means its performance is declared and verified.

What that means for an LGS profile

In practice this is at least as important as any system document.

The capacity of a thin-walled profile comes from the geometry of the cross-section and the grade of the steel. During cold forming the edge of the sheet can crack, the flange or lip dimension can drift, the material thickness can vary. If that happens, the section is not the one the calculation assumed.

The CE marking and the declaration of performance behind it verify exactly that: the section made from the coil was made properly, so the design really can work with the cross-section we call it.

Without that there is no ground under the calculation — however right the model is, if the member installed is different.

What CE does not verify

• It does not verify the system. The fire resistance, sound insulation or capacity of a wall does not come from the CE marking on a profile.
• It does not replace the design. The product is given; designing the structure is a separate task.
• It does not verify the installation. Whether it went in the right place and was fixed properly is another question.

What to look at when buying profile

• Whether the steel grade and the yield strength match what the design assumed.
• Whether the coating (zinc coating mass) suits the intended corrosion environment.
• The nominal material thickness and its tolerance.
• The geometric characteristics as declared.

CE and the system document

Where there is no NMÉ or ETA, the CE marking on the profile is one of the documents that must be looked at — the second is the fire verification, the third the designer’s signature. When no system document is required.

The point

CE is the least spectacular piece of paper and one of the most important. It is what ties the structural model to the steel actually installed.