Last edited 16 Feb 2018

Manufacturer’s certificate

Manufacturer’s certificates can be used to ensure quality control, and to verify standards of construction products and workmanship. Third parties test quality characteristics of the manufacturer’s products and provide certification.

Below are a number of different types of quality certificates:

Certificate of origin: In this case, the certificate states that the product complies with some specifications.
Accredited laboratory test certificate: The sort of test is performed only on a small sample, and so cannot guarantee all production. They should be used with caution due to their limited scope.
Product type approval certificate: This approves a prototype and therefore does not guarantee the quality of the subsequent manufacturing process.
Standard compliance seal or mark: This covers continual production and so it is more reliable than other certificates. When the product is very new and there is no specific standard to regulate it, the certificate is issued in the form of technical suitability documentation.
The British Board of Agrément (BBA) is an independent UK organisation that offers an approval service for construction products, systems and installers. An agrément certificate is issued for a successful product or system following a detailed assessment including both laboratory testing and inspections. In addition, the manufacturer is audited to ensure they have an adequate quality management system. Repeated testing is undertaken for the duration of the certificate’s validity period.
The Construction Products Regulation (CPR) was introduced in 2011 to harmonise performance information on construction products across the European Economic Area (EEA). It is made most visible by the mandatory CE marking of regulated products.
A Kitemark indicates that the product has been independently tested by BSI to confirm that it complies with relevant British Standards, and that BSI have licensed the product manufacturer to use the Kitemark. Manufacturers have to pay to have their products and manufacturing processes tested, and these tests are repeated regularly to confirm continued compliance.