What is CPR?
Directive 305/2011, commonly known as the Construction Products Regulation (CPR), is a European Union regulation on construction products and aims to provide reliable information on construction products regarding their performance. The regulation introduces a "common technical language" offering uniform methods for assessing the performance of construction products, gathered in harmonized standards. This "common technical language" must be used by:
- Manufacturers of construction materials declaring the performance of their products
- Member State authorities when defining requirements for individual construction products and clarifying national regulations concerning their use
- Users (primarily designers, engineers, and installers) who select products most suitable for their intended use in construction works, in accordance with national requirements established by Member State authorities.
The regulation officially entered into force on July 1, 2013. With regard to fire safety for cables and wires, the implementation date was set for 1 July 2016 and the requirements were set out in the harmonized European standard EN 50575:2014
What changes from July 1, 2017?
Which cables and wires are covered by CPR?
According to the EC Regulation, a product covered by the CPR is considered to be "any product or assembly manufactured and placed on the market for the purpose of permanent incorporation into construction works or parts thereof, the performance of which influences the quality of the construction works in relation to the essential requirements of the construction works." Below is a quote from the EN50575:2014 standard regarding the scope of coverage:
"This European Standard applies to: - power cables – insulated conductors and cables for use, for example, in electricity supply; - control and telecommunications cables – conductors, symmetrical cables, and coaxial cables with metallic conductors for use, for example, in telecommunications, data transmission, radio frequency, video communication, and signaling and control equipment; - optical fiber cables – for use, for example, in telecommunications, data transmission, radio frequency, video communication, and signaling and control equipment."
and the exclusion: "Cables and wires intended for the supply of electricity, telecommunications applications, and fire detection and alarm in buildings and other construction works where the primary purpose is to ensure the continuity of power and/or signal to safety installations, such as alarm, evacuation, and fire protection systems, are not covered by the scope of this standard."
How should products be labeled according to CPR?
Detailed rules for CE marking and labeling are described in EN 50575.
All cables covered by the CPR and placed on the EU market must be CE marked.
The CE marking symbol must comply with the rules set out in Article 30 of Regulation (EC) No. 765/2008 and be affixed in a visible, legible, and indelible manner on the labels and outer sheath of the cable.
In addition to the CE mark, other information must be provided, such as:
- class of declared performance, e.g. Eca,
- manufacturer identification (name and address of the manufacturer or an identification mark enabling the name and address of the manufacturer to be clearly identified),
- DoP (Declaration of Performance) number,
- identification number of the notified body (CPR certifying body),
- cable type and size (unique code identifying the product),
- number of the standard according to which the product was manufactured,
- last two digits of the year in which the first CPR declaration was issued for the labeled cable and the cable was marked,
- intended use of the cable, as specified in the harmonized technical specification.
An example of a cable label containing the required CPR information can be found in EN 50575.
Information on the fire class should also be placed directly on the cable sheath.
Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
What is a DoP Declaration?
A Declaration of Performance (DoP) is a document issued by the manufacturer for cables and wires covered by the harmonized European standard EN 50575:2014 or compliant with a European Technical Assessment issued for them.
A copy of the declaration is available on our website at https://www.eltrim.com.pl/cpr-tabela.
It can be provided in paper format upon request.
What is the classification of cables and wires according to CPR?
The current CPR directive defines the division into seven classes, which are: Aca, B1ca, B2ca, Cca, Dca, Eca, Fca, where class Aca is the class of "non-flammable cables", and class F is classified as "does not meet the requirements of class E".
Does the manufacturer have to issue a DoP declaration for each cable/wire type offered?
The manufacturer is not required to issue a Declaration of Performance for each cable/conductor type offered.
The manufacturer decides which of the offered cables/conductors can be used as a "construction product" and certifies only those products in accordance with the CPR requirements and issues a Declaration of Performance for them.