The declaration of performance and the CE mark
Construction products must have a declaration of performance and be CE marked when made available on the European internal market. This applies to all construction products covered by a harmonised standard or for which a European Technical Assessment, ETA, has been issued.
The declaration of performance, DoP, is the carrier of the manufacturer's information about the construction product that has to be forwarded through the distribution chain to the end customer.
After the manufacturer has drawn up the DoP for the construction product, the product must be CE marked. The CE mark is basically a summary of the DoP, and shall include performance of all the declared essential characteristics in the DoP. Essential characteristics for which NPD has been declared must be in the DoP but may be omitted in the CE mark.
All harmonised standards are published in Nando, and EOTA is responsible for EADs and ETAs. You can find links to both in the related information.
How to present the DoP to the customer
The DoP can be made available to the customer in various ways, either in:
- physical form (printed), or
- electronic form (mail), or
- web based form (on the webpage of the economic operator).
Note that the manufacturers must keep the technical documentation and the declaration of performance for a period of ten years after the last product sold. This includes any minor changes and updates of the DoP.
Economic operators that place the DoP of the market have to meet the conditions on e-supply of DoP. This includes ensuring that the DoP is accessible to recipients of construction products free of charge for ten years after the last product was sold. You can find links to CPR and its delegated regulations in the related information.
How to present the CE mark to the customer
If possible, the CE mark shall be attached to the product. If this is not possible, it is acceptable to attach it to the packaging or to provide it as a document alongside the product.
Documentation that accompanies CE marked products sold in Sweden shall be in Swedish, according to national legislation (SEK, in related information). This requirement applies to the DoP, safety data sheet, chemicals information and installation manuals. There is also a recommendation to provide the information in the CE mark in Swedish.
Translations of essential characteristics
To avoid mismatching internet translations of essential characteristics, the Swedish CPR contact point provides help by offering acceptable suggestions to these often technically advanced terms.
An example of a commonly mismatched translation, is of the characteristic "durability". The incorrect translation of this term is "hållbarhet" which gives a misleading suggestion that it indicates how sustainable a product is. The preferable Swedish term would be "beständighet".
How to, and examples
The DoP shall be drawn up according to the European Commission delegated regulation on annex III (link in the related information). What data the CE mark shall include is presented in article 9.2 in the CPR. A CE mark example (in Swedish) can also be found in the related information.
