Documentation
Certificates and documentation for steel
The material certificate is the part of the delivery that can still be read in five years. We do not charge for EN 10204 3.1, and the certificate is not an extra – it belongs to the product. Here is what a 3.1 and a 3.2 cover, how traceability fits together, and what we need to know from you to provide it.
EN 10204 3.1 – the mill's own certificate
A 2.2 document contains results from non-specific testing. A 3.1 certificate contains results from specific testing and is validated by the manufacturer's authorised inspection representative, who is independent of the production department. The certificate type is determined by the basis of testing and the validation – not by the document layout or the number of columns. A 3.1 ties the delivered heat to measured values: the analysis, yield strength, tensile strength, elongation and the tests the standard requires for the grade. The heat number on the certificate is the same as on the material. We do not charge a fee for 3.1. Whether the certificate can be provided depends on material, mill and the specific delivery – we clarify that on the enquiry.
- 2.2 – results from non-specific testing
- 3.1 – specific testing, validated by the manufacturer's independent inspection
- 3.2 – same basis of testing, but one more party signs
EN 10204 3.2 – one more party signs
The difference between 3.1 and 3.2 is not more figures but more eyes. On a 3.2, an independent third party or the customer's authorised representative also validates and signs – when the requirement is in the specification and has been agreed. We have delivered orders with that kind of documentation: the two spool pipes and DN800 flanges in P355NH for HOFOR and a Copenhagen power plant went out with EN 10204 3.2 TÜV on everything. Timing is decisive. A 3.2 must be agreed before we secure the material at the mill, because the third party has to be present while the tests are taken. A certificate cannot be upgraded afterwards.
Traceability from heat to delivery
Documentation and traceability are an important part of the delivery when the material goes into components or structures with specific material requirements. The chain is short when it holds: the mill melts a heat, gives it a number, marks the material and issues the certificate for that number. We buy on that number, and when we ship, paper and marking must match the piece you are holding – grade, condition, dimension and heat. The options for marking, traceability and documentation depend on the material and the specified requirements for the delivery, so state the requirements on the enquiry. Then they follow the order from the start instead of having to be found afterwards.
Marking on cut pieces
Sawing does not change the condition of the material. A +QT certificate also applies to the cut piece, and a sawn face does not make rolled material into something else. But a short piece does not necessarily carry the mill's marking if it was on the end that was cut off. If the marking is to be transferred to the individual pieces, it belongs on the enquiry – what is possible depends on dimension, quantity and the procedure the order requires. We do not apply a marking we cannot match against a certificate.
Small quantities – without minimum charge
A small quantity is not the same as missing paperwork. You do not have to buy a whole merchant length to get steel with documentation: we supply from single cut pieces to larger lots, without minimum charge, and cut the material to the sizes you need. On relevant materials even a small delivery can be accompanied by a material certificate to EN 10204. Which level is possible depends on the material and on what the mill has issued for the heat the piece comes from – state the requirement, and we tell you before you order.
What we do not sign
We do not invent a certificate the mill has not issued, and we do not write a trade name or a different grade on the paper than the one delivered. If only a 2.2 exists for the material, we say so rather than calling it 3.1. Certificate and marking are part of the delivery and not an extra – that is why we do not charge for 3.1.
Frequently asked questions
- What is an EN 10204 3.1 certificate?
- A 3.1 certificate contains results from specific testing and is validated by the manufacturer's authorised inspection representative, who is independent of the production department. It ties the delivered heat to analysis and mechanical values and to the heat number the material is marked with. The certificate type is determined by the basis of testing and the validation – not by the document layout or the number of columns.
- What is the difference between a 2.2 document and a 3.1 certificate?
- A 2.2 document contains results from non-specific testing. A 3.1 certificate contains results from specific testing and is validated by the manufacturer's authorised inspection representative, who is independent of the production department. The number of columns or the layout on the paper does not determine the type.
- What is the difference between a 3.1 and a 3.2 certificate?
- The tests are the same. On a 3.1 it is the manufacturer's own independent inspection that certifies them. On a 3.2 an independent third party or the customer's authorised representative also signs – which requires the agreement to be in place before the material is secured at the mill.
- Can INDUSTRISTÅL supply steel with a 3.1 certificate?
- Yes, on a wide range of the materials we sell, and at no charge. Whether 3.1 can be provided for your specific item depends on mill, grade and dimension, so state the requirement on the enquiry – we confirm it before you order.
- Can INDUSTRISTÅL supply a 3.2 certificate?
- Yes, on request. It must be agreed before we secure the material at the mill, because the third party has to be present while the tests are taken. Among other things we have delivered spool pipes and DN800 flanges in P355NH with EN 10204 3.2 TÜV.
- What does traceability mean for steel?
- That the piece you are holding can be traced back to a specific heat at a specific mill. The link is the heat number: it is on the certificate and in the marking on the material, and that is why grade, condition and dimension can be documented for the specific delivery.
- Does the certificate follow the delivered material?
- Yes. The certificate belongs to the heat the material is taken from and accompanies the delivery – also when we have cut the bar, because sawing does not change the condition. If the marking is to be transferred to the individual pieces, this must be agreed on the enquiry.
- Can I buy small quantities of steel from INDUSTRISTÅL?
- Yes. We supply from single cut pieces to larger lots. You do not have to buy a whole merchant length when you only need a small piece.
- Is there a minimum charge on small orders?
- No. We do not apply a minimum charge to small quantities, and we do not charge for the 3.1 certificate. The price follows the material, the machining and the freight.
- Can INDUSTRISTÅL cut round bar to size?
- Yes. Round bar is cut on a band saw to the fixed lengths you need – from a single piece to a series. How tightly we can hold the tolerance depends on dimension and material, so state Ø, length and quantity on the enquiry.
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