EN 10204 3.1 vs 3.2: Which One You Actually Need
Two characters on a certificate, and they mean different things about who checked the steel.
The difference in one table
| Type | Who issues it | What it certifies | Independence |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.1 | Manufacturer | Compliance with the order | No test results |
| 2.2 | Manufacturer | Compliance, with non-specific test results | Not from your batch |
| 3.1 | Manufacturer's authorised inspection representative | Specific test results from your material | Independent of the production department |
| 3.2 | Manufacturer and buyer's representative or independent inspector | Specific test results, countersigned | Independent of the manufacturer |
When to insist on 3.2
When the material is going into something where failure is expensive or dangerous, when your own customer requires it, when the project specification says so, or when you don't know the mill. Otherwise 3.1 is the industry norm and 3.2 adds cost and lead time for no additional information about the steel.
What we issue
3.1 as standard on all supplied steel, at no extra charge. 3.2 on request — tell us at enquiry stage, because it has to be arranged before the material is rolled, not after it arrives.
A warning worth reading
A 3.1 certificate certifies the steel. It does not certify what we did to it. Those are separate records — welding logs, heat treatment charts, NDT reports and the dimensional report — and they come as a separate pack. If a supplier offers you "3.1 certification" for a finished weldment, they are describing the material certificate, not the part.
Every shipment leaves with the paperwork trail: EN 10204 3.1 mill certificates, documented melt-and-pour origin, welding records, a first-article dimensional report, and the coating and packing record.
Send us the drawing
Acknowledgement within 4 working hours. Full quotation within 48 hours when the drawing package is complete.