What is CPR?

The Construction Products Regulation (CPR), EU Regulation No 305/2011, lays down the harmonized conditions for the market of construction products. As a regulation to be applied throughout the European Single Market, it refers to the harmonized standards of CENELEC EN50575: 2014 and EN50575: 2014 / A1 which establish the criteria for the reaction to fire of electrical cables and telecommunications.

Any company that want to introduce Copper and Fiber cable in the European market should test, classify and label one product as the standard define. The CE marking is mandatory for all cables and cables assemblies that belongs to the fixed cabling installation.

PURPOSE

The main purposes of the CPR elaboration are the people and installations safety in case of fire, as well as the protection of the environment.

CPR came to create more transparency in the purchasing and selling products of construction used in buildings and projects of civil engineering. Any product that is intended to be permanently incorporated in construction works, subject to fire safety regulations, is considered to be a construction product.

WHY THE DENOMINATION LSZH IS NO LONGER ENOUGH?

In addition to the behavior of the cables during the combustion and potential propagation of the same combustion and release of dangerous substances, it was necessary to redefine methods of classification.

CPR adds criteria and test procedures to promote harmonized standards regarding to fire resistance.

WHICH ARE THE 7 EUROCLASSES?

WHO IS RESPONSIBLE?

Manufacturers :

• Ensure that all cables are tested and classified.
• Guarantee that the Declaration of Performance (DoP) is available for the buyer.
• Guarantee that the label is correctly identified.

Distributors:

• Ensure that the cable have all the necessary documents.
• Ensure that doesn’t supply any cable that is outside the standard.
• Ensure that the cables that doesn’t comply are removed from the market.
• Store and transport the cables making sure that doesn’t affect the performance.

Specifiers:

• Declare in a transparente way the minimum class defined by the country. You should check the minimum standard for your country.

Installers:

• Ensure that all cables installed are correctly labeled and have the correct DoP.
• Ensure that all used cables comply to the minimum defined classes.

WHICH ARE THE ESSENTIAL DOCUMENTS?

• Declaration of Performance (DoP)

IN THE LABEL IS MANDATORY THIS INFORMATIONS:

• CE logo;

• Last two digits of the year that the product was certified;

• Factory data;

• Number of Declaration of Performance (DoP);

• Product code;

• Use of the product;

• Performance declared;

• Code of the lab.