EN 10204 type 3.2 certificates
Specific inspection, joint validation, traceability and the limits of EN 10204 type 3.2 material certificates.
Tags: sourcing, inspection, material-certificates, traceability
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Meaning and scope
An EN 10204 Type 3.2 certificate declares order compliance and reports results from specific inspection. The manufacturer's authorized inspection representative, independent of manufacturing, validates it jointly with the purchaser's authorized representative or an inspector designated by official regulations. Inspection covers the products to be delivered or the test units they belong to. EN 10204:2004, clauses 2.2 and 4.2, public SIST preview
Validation depends on who is authorized and what the inspection covered. Converting Type 3.1 evidence requires checking both the inspection scope and the authority of the second validator. Bureau Veritas describes a service that includes the manufacturer's independent representative and its own inspector, with inspection scoped to the purchase requirements. Bureau Veritas Japan, 13 February 2018, Q2–Q5
Compare the validation arrangements in all four EN 10204 document types.
What distinguishes 3.2
LRQA offers both Type 3.2 certification and an “intent of” Type 3.2 service for some material initially certified to Type 3.1. Whether the latter satisfies a purchase requirement depends on the terms of the order and the certification delivered. LRQA, Type 3.2 certification services
Traceability and inspection scope
A manufacturer may transfer relevant results from incoming material if it can trace them to the material and provide the supporting documents. An intermediary passes on the manufacturer’s documents with product identification and traceability. A copy for a partial shipment may show the actual quantity delivered. EN 10204:2004, clauses 4.2 and 6, public SIST preview
Worked example: results and represented material
Suppose an order for 100 bars requires a Type 3.2 certificate and a tensile strength of at least 500 MPa. A validated certificate reports 540 MPa for test unit H17. Seventy bars are traceable to H17. For the other 30, the connection is unresolved.
The measured result exceeds the minimum by 40 MPa. Under the assumed test-unit rules, that result represents the bars linked to H17. The other 30 have an evidence gap. Their strength remains undetermined by this certificate.
Related Type 3.1 certificates, Certificates of conformity and Supplier documents and evidence.