EN 10204

The standard applies to manufacturers of metal products—steel mills, rolling mills, foundries, and forges—as well as to all companies along the downstream supply chain that must provide material certificates for the materials they use or require them from their suppliers. Virtually every industry involving metal fabrication is affected: automotive suppliers, metal fabricators, plant manufacturers, aerospace suppliers, and the steel construction industry.

• Certificate 2.1: Simple declaration of conformity by the manufacturer without test results

• Certificate 2.2: Declaration of conformity with test results from non-specific, ongoing tests

• Certificate 3.1: Acceptance test report with specific test results for the delivered product, confirmed by a person from the manufacturer who is independent of the production department

• Certificate 3.2: Acceptance test report as in 3.1, additionally countersigned by an independent body of the purchaser or a notified body

• Traceability: Unambiguous assignment of the certificate to the specific batch or melt

• Chemical and mechanical properties: documented analytical values and test results depending on the type of certificate

The key difference lies in the relationship of the test to the specific product and in the degree of independence: Certificates 2.1 and 2.2 are based on general, non-product-specific tests of the ongoing manufacturing process and are issued by the manufacturer itself. Certificates 3.1 and 3.2, on the other hand, refer to specific tests performed on the actual product delivered—in the case of 3.1, confirmed by an independent person within the manufacturer’s facility, and in the case of 3.2, additionally confirmed by an external body designated by the customer. Which type of certificate is required is usually determined by downstream standards such as EN 1090, PED, or customer-specific specifications, not by EN 10204 itself.

If the required type of certification is missing or cannot be fully traced back to a batch, the component may not be accepted during certification audits in accordance with EN 1090, PED, or AS9102—with immediate consequences for construction acceptance and series production approvals. In safety-critical applications, such as pressure equipment or load-bearing structures, a lack of material certification further complicates the root cause analysis in the event of damage and can exacerbate liability consequences.

• EN 1090 – Execution of Steel and Aluminum Structures

• ISO 3834 – Quality Requirements for Fusion Welding

• PED 2014/68/EU – Pressure Equipment Directive

• AS9102 – First Article Inspection