Frequently Asked Questions about Construction Products Regulation (CPR)

1. Purpose of the CPR

The purpose of the Construction Products Regulation (CPR) is to provide reliable information on construction products, and it provides a "common technical language" with uniform evaluation methods, at the European level, as to the performance of construction products.
These methods are brought together in harmonized technical specifications.
This common technical reference is used by:

    Cable manufacturers such as General Cable that declare the performance levels of their products
    The authorities of the Member States, who specify levels of requirements concerning cables,
    The users (architects, engineers, construction companies, etc.) who select the products that best suit the planned uses in construction projects.


The table of classes covering Fire Reaction performance (point 12) takes into account all aspects of fire behaviour for cables, measured on full-sized samples.
This constitutes a major advance in the field of fire safety and enables national Authorities to deal with cables in the same way as the other construction products already covered by the CPR.
The table is a central element of the regulations governing the building sector in Europe.
Each country is free to choose the ways in which it wants to integrate the classes in its own construction standard and/or regulations. The ways in which the classes are taken into account will vary from one country to another in the European Union.


2. Performance levels for cables in compliance with the CPR and Cables concerned

The cable performance levels covered by the CPR concern:

    Their fire reaction
    Their fire resistance
    Emissions of hazardous substances during normal operation, or during dismantling and recycling.

The CPR covers all cables installed permanently in structures during construction:

    Cables intended for electricity supplies and communications in buildings and civil engineering structures, covered by performance criteria regarding fire reaction. For the moment, it is the only regulation implemented.
    And, in the future, cables intended for electricity supplies, communications, and fire detection and alarm systems in buildings and civil engineering structures, requiring a guarantee as to continuity of electrical power and/or signalling for safety installations, governed by performance criteria linked to fire resistance

3. Definition of the term "construction projects"

For cables, construction projects correspond to buildings or civil engineering structures covered by regulations concerning fire safety, with the objective of limiting production and spreading of flames and smoke.

4. Definition of the manufacturer within the meaning of the CPR

The manufacturer is the entity that markets the product in the European Union. This can refer to the manufacturer or an importer.

5. Start of marketing

The start of marketing refers to the first time a construction product is made available on the market in the EU, by the manufacturer within the meaning of the CPR as set out in question 3.

6. CPR requirements covering cables imported from countries outside the EU

The CPR requirements apply as from the start of marketing of the cable within the European Union.

7. Manufacturer's obligations within the framework of the CPR 

Before he can start marketing a product that comes under a harmonized standard, the manufacturer must draw up a Declaration of Performance (DoP) and put the CE marking on the product.

In practice, the CE marking is put on the packaging of the cables supplied

An CE marking obtained in one country is valid throughout the EU
All these obligations are defined by Art. 11 of the CPR.

8. Declaration of performance (DoP)

The DoP is a document in which the manufacturer clearly identifies a product and its performance levels regarding Fire Reaction, and via which he enters into an undertaking regarding his responsibility, with the following information:

    DoP number
    Product reference
    Product description
    System for evaluation and certificate of conformity
    Identity of the organization notified
    Planned product use
    The class in the light of the product's performance declared as to Fire Reaction
    The manufacturer's contact details with the signature of a person entering into the undertaking regarding responsibility on behalf of the Company

By drawing up his DoP, the manufacturer undertakes to guarantee the conformity of the construction product concerned with the performance declared initially and certified by an outside laboratory
On the basis of the information set out in the DoP, the user is informed of the characteristics of the cables regarding their Fire Reaction and decides to purchase a product that is suitable for the desired use, from among the products available on the market. The manufacturer informs, and the user selects and is responsible for his choice.

   9. Obtaining a DoP

Customers and users of our cables can easily obtain a DoP on our Web site.
We propose searches by:

    DoP No.
    Commercial family
    Commercial reference of a product
    Type of class

We manage the DoPs for our cables in English, French, Spanish and Portuguese as standard, and on request for another European language.

10. Contact address


11. The DoP regarding emission of hazardous substances

As yet, there are no harmonized European provisions (test requirements and methods) concerning emissions of hazardous substances applicable to cables. Standard EN 50575 imposes a reference to the national regulations if they exist.
When marketing starts for a cable in a Member State that has issued regulations of that type, the product's DoP and its label must mention the regulations.
For countries that have not issued national regulations (concerning cables), the mention "No Performance Determined (NPD)" must be shown on the DoP and there are no mandatory mentions on the CE marking label.

12. Suitable Fire Reaction Classes

Concerning fire reactions for cables, Decision 2006/751/EC sets out various performance classes. The table of fire reaction performance classes sets out seven classes (Aca, B1ca, B2ca, Cca, Dca, Eca and Fca).

The main classification criteria are heat emission and spread of flames.

Three further criteria, such as production of smoke, burning droplets and acidity, are taken into account.



13. System for assessment and Verification of Constancy of Performance levels

The user must have the following elements at his disposal:

    Knowledge of the class required under the national regulations for the buildings/construction projects considered
    The CE marking and the corresponding information concerning certification
    The manufacturer's Declaration of Performance

The higher classes (from Cca to Aca) undergo continuous monitoring of production by an outside entity, with initial type tests and factory inspections on samples taken by a notified organization and production control by a manufacturer: this is the "1 +" system.
The "3" system concerns the classes from Eca to Dca and includes initial type tests by a notified laboratory and production control by the manufacturer. Emission of hazardous substances is also linked to the "3" system.
The "4" system concerns the Fca class with type tests and production control carried out by the manufacturer.

14. Authenticity of the CE marking

All the information provided by the DoP is obtained through strict implementation of the methods and criteria set out in the corresponding harmonized standard.
Suitable implementation of these methods and criteria is guaranteed by the manufacturer himself and by suitable involvement of a Notified Organization, in application of the Assessment and Verification of Constancy of Performance s (AVCP) system in force.
The CE marking placed on the packaging follows on from drawing up the DoP and certifies the fact that the manufacturer has applied all the required procedures when drawing up his DoP.
If they have doubts, professional users and consumers can obtain confirmation of the authenticity of an CE marking:

    By contacting the notified Organization mentioned on the DoP and on the packaging label
    By getting in touch with their national contact point for construction

15. Timing of the CE marking

The CE marking covered by the CPR for the fire reaction of cables has been possible since 10 June 2016 and will become mandatory at the end of the transition period on 1 July 2017.

The date of initial placing of the marking is the date at which the CE marking was placed on a given product for the first time. It does NOT correspond to the cable production date. The last two figures of the year of initial placing are displayed as a reminder on the label showing the CE marking.

No date has been determined as yet regarding fire resistance.

16. CE marking on the cables

Under product standard EN 50575, the CE marking must be applied in all cases on the label attached to the product at the time of delivery by the manufacturer.

17. Mark of local quality regarding the CPR

The CE marking is a necessary condition for the start of marketing concerning cables intended for construction projects. The objective of the CE marking within the meaning of the CPR is to set aside the technical obstacles linked to questions involving definition of the Fire Reaction between the Member States and to set up a single system providing guarantees as to the conformity and performance levels of cables

The national quality markings can now only cover performance levels that are different from those governed by the CPR, such as electrical, mechanical or material characteristics.

They are not brought into question; on the contrary, they are integrated in a more complete system for dealing with performance levels.

18. Compatibility of the CE marking within the meaning of the CPR and the Low Voltage Directive.

Conformity with all the regulations and directives in force must be certified by a single CE marking. Under the CPR, the CE marking must be accompanied, in the same spot, by a certain number of detailed information items that cannot be printed on the cable itself, for practical reasons.

Printing of the CE marking on the cable without the corresponding information can be considered illegal.

Standard EN 50575 requires showing the CE marking on the label.

19. Wholesalers/distributors regarding the CPR

In its article 41, the CPR sets out the general obligations for distributors. "Distributors of construction products should be aware of the essential characteristics for which there are provisions covering the market in the Union, together with the specific requirements in force in the Member States regarding the fundamental requirements applicable to construction projects, and they should use that knowledge in their commercial transactions".

The distributors are subjected to obligations set out in articles 14, 15 and 16 of the CPR.
When a distributor starts marketing a product under his own name, that distributor is considered as a manufacturer.

The importers are subjected to obligations set out in articles 13, 15 and 16 of the CPR.

20. Application of the CPR in Europe and elements specific to each country
​
The CPR is applied without any differences of interpretation by the EU Member States. The classification is the common language enabling the level of Fire Reaction to be determined for cables (and fire resistance at a later date). The CPR is used in the local regulations for the user requirements. The decisions as to the choice of the classes to be adopted for a specific application constitute a decision at a national level that can vary from one Member State to another.

There are large numbers of possible combinations: class + smoke + acidity + droplets provides the Member States with a wide range of freedom of action.
Some Member States do not regulate the fire behaviour of cables.

Our aim is to cover, with our DoPs, most of the requirements expressed by the main EU Member States, as regards the requirements known to us.


21. National regulations regarding the CPR

In the countries that have issued national regulations, the latter must be aligned with the performance levels set out in the classes covering Fire Reaction and subsequently Fire Resistance.

The Fire Reaction performance level required for a regulated application comes under the National competence of each Member State.

22. Will all the European cables be harmonized?

Only fire behaviour will be harmonized. The national types of cables will continue to exist as they stand, other than regarding the Fire Reaction.

This simplifies the tasks for the specifiers and users, who can continue to use the types they are accustomed to.

23. Technical modifications on cables

Some families of cables are undergoing modifications to bring them into line with the classes envisaged.

We will keep you informed about the availability of the DoPs as and when they are posted on our Web Site. We will send Newsletters to our customers.

24. Competent Authorities likely to ask the manufacturer to provide them with the information and documentation necessary to determine the conformity of a given construction product with the DoP

The expression "competent national authorities" refers to the market monitoring authorities, and all other authorities empowered, under the legislation of the Member State considered, to request information concerning the performance levels of construction products.

This can refer, for example, to the authority in charge of granting planning permission in a given region, and which is empowered to request information about the performance levels of the products installed in a building, as part of the checks covering conformity of a building under construction with the conditions set out in the planning permission.

The Notified Laboratories cannot carry out an activity linked to market monitoring, which lies within the field of responsibility of the national market monitoring authorities, or an activity linked to verification of the manufacturer's compliance with his obligations under the CPR.

The Notified Laboratories cannot check whether a manufacturer has drawn up his Declaration of Performance correctly or not, or whether he has placed the CE marking correctly.

25. Information about the requirements concerning a product in a Member State

Each Member State is required to set up a contact point enabling users to obtain this type of information. A list of the existing contact points is available via the You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login

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