What is CPR （cable）?
CPR stands for Construction Products Regulation.
According to the regulation, CPR for cable products (fixed installation) is a legal requirement from 1st July, 2017.
From 1 July 2013, under the Construction Products Regulation 2011 (CPR), it will become mandatory for manufacturers to apply CE marking to any of their products which are covered by a harmonized European standard (hEN) or European Technical Assessment (ETA).
The CPR builds upon the CPD and aims to break down technical barriers to trade in construction products within the European Economic Area (EEA). To achieve this, the CPR provides for four main elements:
1. A system of harmonized technical specifications
2. An agreed system of conformity assessment for each product family
3. A framework of notified bodies
4. CE marking of products
The CPR harmonises the methods of assessment and teset, the means of declaration of product performance and the system of conformity assessment of construction products, but NOT national building regulations. The choice of required values for the particular intended use is left to the regulators and public/private sector procurers at the national level. However, such required values must be expressed in a consistent manner (technical language) as used in the harmosied technical specifications.
Construction products should meet seven basic requirements for construction works. These cover:
1. Mechanical resistance and stability
2. Safety in case of fire
3. Hygiene, health and environment
4. Safety and accessibility in use
5. Protection against noise
6. Energy economy and heat retention
7. Sustainable use of natural resources.
Cables are directly involved in this, since they are an essential part of safety in the event of fire.All cables permanently installed in buildings, whether power cables or data cables, of any voltage and with any type of metal or fibre optic conductor, must be classified according to the class of their installation environment.
Under the CPR, Cables are classified into 7 fire-reaction classes, Aca, B1ca, B2ca, Cca, Dca, Eca and Fca. Main classification criteria are flame spread and heat release.
On top of this, are defined 3 additional criteria: smoke production, flaming droplets/particles and acidity of the combustion gasses.
CPR classes from A to F, where A implies that the product is non-combustible and F where the fire performance characteristics can not be determined. In this new classification B, C, D and E classes will be mainly used for cables.
If you need a cable with improved fire performance, you should choose a cable type within Euroclasses B2ca, Cca, Dca or Eca.
Assessment and Verification of the Constancy of Production （AVCP）
To ensure that a manufacturer puts a CPR-compliant construction product on the market and continues to do so, we must under the CPR apply a rigourous quality process: this is the AVCP or Assessment and Verification of Constancy of Performance.
For cables three AVCP systems have been retained: System 1+, System 3 and System 4. Systems 1+ and 3 impose the implication of a 3rd party control by the so-called "Notified Body”.
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AVCP systems per Euroclass |
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Euroclass |
AVCP |
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Aca |
System 1+ |
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B1 |
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B2 |
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C |
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D |
System 3 |
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E |
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F |
System 4 |
Furthermore, there are additional criteria that establish requirements on the amount of smoke produced, the fall of droplets and flamed particles during combustion, and acid content or toxicity of smoke produced.
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Euroclass (ca) |
Main Classification |
Additional Performance Declared |
Assessment System and Notified Body or Testing Lab Involved |
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Aca |
EN ISO 1716 Gross heat of combustion |
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System 1+ initial type testing and initial inspection audit (IIA) and continuous surveillance audit (CSA) of factory production control (FPC) by 3rd party notified body |
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B1ca |
EN 50399 Heat release Flame spread
EN 60332-1-2 Flame propagation |
Smoke production (s1a, s1b, s2, s3) EN 50399/ EN 61034-2
Acidity (a1 , a2, a3) EN 60754-2
Flaming droplets (d0, d1 , d2) EN 50399 |
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B2ca |
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Cca |
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Dca |
System 3 initial type testing by 3rd party notified testing laboratory; FPC by manufacturer |
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Eca |
EN 60332-1-2 Flame propagation |
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Fca |
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System 4 initial type testing and FPC by manufacturer |
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Euroclass (ca) |
EN ISO 1716 (Gross heat of combustion) |
EN 50399 (Heat release Flame spread) |
EN 60332-1-2 (Flame propagation) |
EN 61034-2 (Smoke production)
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EN 60754-2 (Acidity) |
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Aca |
x |
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B1ca |
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x |
x |
# |
# |
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B2ca |
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x |
x |
# |
# |
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Cca |
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x |
x |
# |
# |
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Dca |
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x |
x |
# |
# |
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Eca |
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x |
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Fca |
Not passed will be in this part |
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x |
need passed |
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# |
Additional criteria |
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DoP : Declaration of Performance
The Regulation states that no product may be placed on the market unless its manufacturer has drawn up a Declaration of Performance (DoP) for it, it is CE marked and the constancy of its performance has been assessed and verified. The Declaration of Performance (DoP) is mandatory for all products covered by a harmonised standard, and the manufacturer assumes responsibility for declared performance concerning intended use, essential characteristics relating to intended use and the performance of at least one of the essential characteristics. The manufacturer is also under obligation to produce a guarantee of traceability of the products in the event that they are withdrawn from the market if deemed not to meet the specifications set down in the CE marking.
CE MARKING
CPR itself doesn‘t define products‘ performance requirements. This remains the responsibility of the national fire safety authorities. CPR does introduce harmonized declarations of performance (DoP) along with the respective CE marking applied on the product or its packaging.