EN 1090-1 EXC3: what the certification means
EN 1090 comes up on almost every structural steel quote in Ireland, usually as a line nobody explains. It is worth understanding, because it is the difference between steel that can be signed off and steel that cannot.
The standard in plain terms
EN 1090-1 is the European standard governing the fabrication of structural steel and aluminium components. A fabricator working to it must operate a documented factory production control system, employ qualified welders working to approved procedures, control the traceability of the steel it buys and be audited by a notified body.
The outcome for the customer is a declaration of performance and CE marking issued with the steel. That document says what the component is, what standard it was made to and who is responsible for it.
Execution classes EXC1 to EXC4
The standard defines four execution classes reflecting the consequences of failure. EXC1 covers the simplest low risk work and EXC4 covers structures where failure would be catastrophic. Most building steelwork in Ireland sits at EXC2 or EXC3.
EXC3 requires more rigorous welding procedures, more non destructive testing of welds and tighter inspection and documentation than EXC2. A workshop certified to EXC3 can also produce EXC2 and EXC1 work, so specifying a fabricator at EXC3 never limits you.
Why it matters at sign off
Under Irish building control procedures the assigned certifier has to demonstrate that materials and workmanship comply. Structural steel without EN 1090 documentation is a gap in that evidence, and it is the sort of gap that surfaces late, when the steel is buried in the build.
We have been asked more than once to supply retrospective paperwork for steel someone else made. That is not something any certified fabricator can do, because the control has to be in place during fabrication.
What to ask your fabricator
Ask for the certificate number and the notified body, and ask what execution class it covers. Churchtown Steel is certified to EN 1090-1 EXC3 under OMNI-00174-FPC and operates an ISO 9001:2015 quality system under OMNI-00174-QMS.
Every structural job leaves our workshop with its declaration of performance, so the paperwork is in the file before anyone asks for it.
Want this priced for your own job? Send us your drawings or a photo and we will come back with a fixed price, usually within one working day.
Common questions
Need this done properly? Talk to the workshop.
Send us drawings, a sketch or a site photo. We come back with a fixed price and a firm lead time, usually within one working day.