Specifying and installing a product
What the decree governs
Section titled “What the decree governs”Government decree 275/2013 (VII. 16.) sets out the detailed rules for specifying and installing a construction product in construction works and for verifying its performance in doing so. It is what connects EU product regulation to Hungarian building practice.
The basic proposition is simple: a construction product may be installed if its performance is verified by a declaration of performance.
The designer’s task
Section titled “The designer’s task”The designer has to determine in the drawings what performance is needed at a given location: what strength, what fire class, what thermal characteristic, what sound insulation.
That is an important distinction: the designer primarily specifies performance, not a brand. Naming a particular product can help, but what binds the contractor is the requirement.
It follows that substitution is not prohibited — but it is only lawful if the declared performance of the substitute covers the specified requirement.
The contractor’s task
Section titled “The contractor’s task”To verify that a product meeting the specified performance was installed. In practice that means collecting the declarations and documenting them against the place of installation.
It also covers observing the product’s installation conditions: the fixing, substrate and temperature range prescribed by the manufacturer. A good product badly installed does not deliver the declared performance.
Where there is no harmonised standard
Section titled “Where there is no harmonised standard”Where there is no harmonised standard for the product, verification of performance rests on technical assessment: an NMÉ for placing on the Hungarian market, an ETA at European level.
The link with fire
Section titled “The link with fire”For light gauge steel buildings this decree and the OTSZ read together give the picture: the verification of the products comes from here, the fire resistance verification of the structure from the OTSZ and the fire design. When no system document is required.
The transition
Section titled “The transition”The decree operates within the framework of EU regulation, so the gradual application of the new construction products regulation feeds through here too. On a specific question check the text in force in the National Legislation Database.
This is not legal advice
Section titled “This is not legal advice”The summary above reflects a September 2026 reading of government decree 275/2013 (VII. 16.). The regulation changes; on a specific project the text in force governs.