EN 1090-1

On January 1, 2010, a new standard came into effect: EN 1090. This European standard deals with the minimum quality requirements that must be respected for all steel structures placed on the market within the European Union.

Since August 2011, this standard has been legally mandatory. This standard is a result of the European Construction Products Directive 89/106/EEC of December 21, 1988. This directive prescribes six fundamental requirements applicable to all construction products for buildings and civil engineering works:

1. Mechanical resistance and stability
2. Safety in case of fire
3. Hygiene, health, and the environment
4. Safety in use
5. Protection against noise
6. Energy saving and thermal insulation

To concretely fulfill these requirements, EN 1090 was developed and implemented for steel structures. VBSC was the first steel constructor in Belgium to receive a certificate of conformity.

An annex to the standard imposes the obligation on every steel constructor, from August 2011, to mark each component of a steel structure placed on the European market and manufactured in a workshop with a CE marking.