CE Marking of Structural Steel: A Complete Guide to EN 1090-2 and ISO 3834-2
Load-bearing steel and aluminium components cannot lawfully be placed on the European market without CE marking — and CE marking rests on a documented Factory Production Control system, controlled welding, and Notified Body assessment. This guide explains how the documentation required by EN 1090-1, with fabrication and welding controlled to EN 1090-2 and welding quality managed under ISO 3834-2, enables structural steel fabricators to demonstrate conformity and reach the market. It is written for quality managers, Responsible Welding Coordinators, and inspection personnel in fabrication and welding businesses.
What is CE marking for structural steel?
CE marking of structural steel demonstrates that load-bearing components are consistently manufactured to their declared performance characteristics, enabling lawful placement on the European market. It is built on a chain of harmonized standards:
- EN 1090-1 — the standard under which the Factory Production Control (FPC) system and conformity assessment sit, enabling the Declaration of Performance and CE mark.
- EN 1090-2 — the technical requirements for the execution (fabrication and welding) of steel structures.
- ISO 3834-2 — the comprehensive quality requirements for fusion welding that underpin the welding elements of EN 1090-2.
Together they prove that fabricated structural steel meets harmonized European standards and contractual specifications. ISO 9001 can serve as a compatible overarching quality framework.
Who needs it and where it applies
This documentation set is intended for organizations that fabricate load-bearing steel and aluminium components:
- Steelwork fabricators and steelwork contractors.
- Welding shops producing structural components.
- Manufacturers seeking lawful market access across the European Economic Area.
Within those organizations it is directly relevant to quality managers, Responsible Welding Coordinators, and inspection and testing personnel. The scope covers material traceability, execution class determination (EXC1 to EXC4), welding procedure specifications and qualifications, welder and welding operator certification, inspection and testing, tolerance control, corrosion protection, and equipment calibration.
Key benefits of compliance
Establishing an EN 1090 FPC system delivers benefits well beyond a mark on a component.
- Legal market access across the European Economic Area.
- Reduced structural risk through controlled fabrication and welding.
- Improved traceability of materials and processes.
- Fewer weld defects and less rework through disciplined welding control.
- Stronger client confidence in structural integrity.
What's inside the FPC system
The documentation establishes the Factory Production Control system that EN 1090-1 requires. Its core components include:
- A documented FPC manual setting policy, scope, and responsibilities.
- Execution class determination (EXC1 to EXC4) driving the rigor of control.
- Welding procedure specifications and qualifications (WPS/WPQR).
- Welder and welding operator certification records.
- A competent Responsible Welding Coordinator with defined technical knowledge.
- Inspection and testing regimes — non-destructive and destructive — proportional to execution class.
- Material traceability, tolerance control, corrosion protection, and calibration records.
- Consistent issuing of Declarations of Performance.
The structure of the requirements
EN 1090-2 organizes execution requirements around themes such as constituent products, preparation and assembly, welding, mechanical fastening, erection, and inspection and testing — with the depth of control scaled to the execution class. ISO 3834-2 supplies the full quality requirements for fusion welding: welding coordination, personnel qualification, procedure qualification, inspection and testing, and control of equipment and consumables. The FPC manual binds these together and links each requirement to the record that evidences it, giving the Notified Body a clear trail from material receipt to Declaration of Performance.
The road to CE marking
Achieving and maintaining CE marking follows a defined route:
- Determine the execution class (EXC1 to EXC4) for the products in scope.
- Establish the FPC system — the manual, welding documentation, and inspection regimes.
- Appoint a competent Responsible Welding Coordinator and qualify welders and procedures.
- Operate the system, generating traceability, inspection, and testing records.
- Notified Body assessment — the Notified Body audits the FPC system and the initial type calculation or testing.
- Certificate of Constancy of Performance — issued upon successful assessment, after which the manufacturer may affix the CE mark and issue Declarations of Performance.
- Ongoing surveillance by the Notified Body to ensure continued conformity.
Only after Notified Body assessment may the CE mark be affixed — making disciplined, maintained documentation essential to both initial approval and continued market access.
How AGS can help
Assembling an EN 1090 FPC system and the underpinning ISO 3834-2 welding documentation is exacting, specialist work. The AGS CE Mark Documents for Steel Structure toolkit gives you a professional, ready-to-customize foundation. As a Standard tier solution, it provides editable documentation establishing the Factory Production Control system for CE marking to EN 1090-1, with fabrication and welding controlled to EN 1090-2 and welding quality managed under ISO 3834-2. The documents are structured for material traceability, execution class control, welding qualification, and inspection — and are fully editable to your products, processes, and facilities. The toolkit streamlines implementation and audit-readiness, giving you the evidentiary basis to satisfy Notified Body assessment, affix the CE mark, and demonstrate that your fabricated structural steel meets harmonized European standards and contractual specifications.