Certification (CE marking)

About the service

Certification is the procedure by which a certification body, independent of either the manufacturer or supplier of a product or the user (buyer), certifies that a product, process or service complies with specified requirements.

This confirmation is usually made in the form of a document called a certificate.

Certification may be voluntary or regulated by relevant legislation. In Lithuania, construction products are regulated by the Ministry of the Environment. For a list of regulated construction products, see the section below: Legislation and documents.

Certification is sometimes mistakenly identified with licensing. However, they are different: licensing refers to the authorisation (or right) to carry out an activity, while certification deals with the conformity of a product or service with specified requirements.

CE marking is a compulsory procedure for marking products to ensure their compliance with EU legal standards, safety in use and greater flexibility of movement within the EU single market. The marking indicates that a product complies with the applicable requirements of the European Directives and has undergone the relevant conformity assessment procedures.

The CE marking of construction products is governed by Regulation (EC) No 305/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 9 March 2011 (+ amendments No 568/214 and No 574/214).

The CE marking is explained in detail in the Guide to CE marking of construction products.

European countries where CE marking applies

EU Member States: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden.
EFTA members: Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway.
EU candidates: Macedonia, Turkey.

CE marking is mandatory for construction products covered by Regulation 305/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 9 March 2011 and intended for the market of the European Union and the European Economic Area. This applies whether the construction products are manufactured in Member States or in third countries.

The constancy and assessment of the performance of construction products shall be carried out according to the following systems: 1+, 1, 2+, 3, 4. Which system is assigned and which the manufacturer may choose is specified in the technical specifications for construction products.

Declarations of performance of construction products in accordance with Regulation 305/2011 shall be drawn up and submitted by the manufacturer in accordance with the requirements of the technical specifications. The requirements of other directives, regulations or legislation may also apply to construction products. Other EU Directives and Regulations must also be complied with in order to comply with all the provisions of Regulation 305/2011 and to be able to affix the CE marking.

Benefits of the service

While it is good to have a wide range of products on offer, it is not uncommon for businesses or ordinary consumers to find that a product they have purchased is not reliable and does not meet their requirements. Losses could be avoided if the right product is chosen. But how do you know how to tell the difference? After all, all sellers praise their product, but not all buyers have the knowledge, time, experience or technical ability to properly assess the product's features. In such a situation, an independent opinion is usually sought, which is based on objective evidence or experience and gives confidence before making a decision to purchase a product. Certification is precisely the service that can give the buyer confidence in the product, as the conformity of the product is assessed in an objective and competent manner.

The SPSC certificate specifies the requirements of a construction product and entitles the certified product to bear a special mark(PSZ-1), which helps consumers to distinguish certified products from non-certified products on the market.

Why SPSC?

SPSC is a certification body for construction products, whose impartiality and technical competence is confirmed by the accreditation of the Lithuanian National Accreditation Bureau ( NAB ), granted since 1999. The scope of accreditation can be found on the NAB website.
SPSC is accredited for the following flexible scope: Current flexible scope of accreditation.

SPSC certified products:
Mineral aggregates - Cement and other binding materials - Concrete and mortar products - Bricks, blocks and other products for envelopes - Thermal insulation materials and products - Concrete and reinforced concrete products - Windows and doors - Wood products and structures - Glass and glass products - Roof coatings - Flooring, wall and ceiling coatings - Waterproofing materials and products - Sealing materials and adhesives - Paints, varnishes, putty -geosynthetics - heating and plumbing equipment - metal products.

Price of services

The cost of certification of construction products is determined individually. The price of the service is determined not only by the type of product or the number of modifications, but also by the extent and cost of the tests, the distance to the factory, etc. A specific financial offer is therefore made to the client after the evaluation of the application.

The cost of the certification service is composed of the following components:

• the application registration and product requirements analysis fee, which is indicated on the application form and must be paid before the application is registered;
• the cost of the initial certification work, which shall be provided to the client in a service estimate attached to the draft certification agreement and shall be paid before the start of the certification work;
• maintenance fees for certified products and internal production control, which shall be set before the certificate is issued and shall be included in the ongoing certification maintenance contract. The maintenance fees for certified products shall be payable during the validity of the certificate (within 3 years) prior to each periodic maintenance in accordance with the terms and conditions of the contract.

How to order

1) Read the certification procedure - Information for certification customers (PDF).

2) Complete the certification application and the manufacturer's questionnaire and submit the originals of these documents to the SPSC.

Document forms

Application forms for assessment and verification of constancy of performance:

• English language form
• English language form
• Form in Russian

Manufacturer's questionnaire forms:

• Lithuanian language form
• English language form
• Form in Russian

When completing the application, please indicate the products and their types in the relevant fields. If the list of products does not fit in the space provided, or if you wish to certify products from several different manufacturers, then the list of products, types and manufacturers can be submitted on a separate sheet.

Do not forget to indicate whether the product meets all the essential or mandatory requirements of the technical specification.

In the case of mandatory certification, the products must meet the values of the mandatory indicators set by the Ministry of the Environment according to the requirements of the relevant technical specification. In this case, the conformity of the product is assessed in accordance with the requirements of a standard or other normative document in force in Lithuania.

In the case of voluntary certification, the product must meet all or essential requirements of the chosen technical specification. In this case, the document does not necessarily have to be valid in Lithuania, but it is important that the SPSC and the testing laboratories have the capacity to carry out testing and assessment according to the chosen standard.

Register of SPSC certificates

The SPSC publishes information on certificates issued for Construction Products.

Legislation and documents

Laws

• Law onConstruction
  This Law establishes the essential requirements for buildings constructed in the Republic of Lithuania, the procedure for the investigation, design, construction, reconstruction, repair, commissioning, use and demolition of such buildings, the relations between legal and natural persons involved in the construction process and the principles of the activities of state authorities in this area.
• Law on Conformity Assessment
  This Law establishes the structure of the system for conformity assessment of products, processes, services, quality systems and the qualifications of natural persons, the main duties and rights of the authorised bodies, the National Accreditation Bureau, certification bodies, testing and calibration laboratories, inspection bodies and suppliers, and the other foundations of this system.
• Law on standardisation
  This Law establishes the main objectives and principles of national standardisation, the procedure for the development and application of Lithuanian standards, the relationship between standards and technical regulations, the basic provisions for the establishment and operation of the Lithuanian Standards Association, and the sources of funding for national standardisation. The purpose of the Law is to establish the legal framework for the implementation of the main objectives and basic principles of national standardisation.

Building Technical Regulations

• STR 1.01.04:2015
  "Assessment, verification and declaration of constancy of performance of construction products without harmonised technical specifications. Designation of testing laboratories and certification bodies. National technical assessments and designation and publication of technical assessment bodies".
  This Building Regulation lays down the requirements for the assessment, verification and declaration of constancy of performance of construction products without harmonised technical specifications, the procedures for the designation of testing laboratories or certification bodies to carry out third-party tasks for the assessment and verification of constancy of performance of construction products.

Orders, Decisions

• Order No D1-15 of the Minister for the Environment (24 January 2022)
  "On approval of the list of regulated construction products".
  This order approves the list of construction products regulated by the Ministry of the Environment.
  Prior to its approval, all EU Member States are informed by publishing the draft list on the European Commission's website Technical Regulations Information System (TRIS).

Others

• Construction Products Regulation - Regulation (EU) No 305/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 9 March 2011 laying down harmonised conditions for the marketing of construction products and repealing Council Directive 89/106/EEC.
• Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 568/214 (18/02/2014) amending Annex V to the Construction Products Regulation.
• Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 574/214 (21.02.2014) amending Annex III to the Construction Products Regulation.
  
  
• European Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 157/2014 (30.10.2013) on the conditions for the publication of the Declaration of Performance of construction products on the website. Manufacturers may publish the Declarations of Performance on their organisation's website in accordance with the provisions of this document.
  
  
• New Approach Notified and Designated Organisations(NANDO) information system.
  
  
• List of harmonised European standards (for construction products).
  
  
• Search for valid European Technical Assessments.