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Execution classes welding coordination and the factory's own control.
When a blacksmith shop manufactures load-bearing steel structures—balconies, steel stairs, beams, columns, or frames to be incorporated into a building—it's not enough that the welding looks good. The product is a building material, and it's covered by a harmonized EU standard, EN 1090, which places requirements on both the construction and the company that manufactures it.
EN 1090-1 establishes how load-bearing steel and aluminum components are CE-marked, while EN 1090-2 describes the technical requirements for the execution of steel structures. For a company to CE-mark load-bearing structures, it must have a certified factory production control (FPC) system, and the certification must be performed by a notified body.
The current edition of part 2 is EN 1090-2:2018 with amendment A1 from 2024 (EN 1090-2:2018+A1:2024).
Regulation (EU) 2024/3110 replaces the old Construction Products Regulation. It applies from 8 January 2026; some articles already applied from 7 January 2025. EN 1090-1 must be adapted to the new rules. Keep up to date with your certification body on what it means for your CE marking.
Structures are divided into four execution classes, EXC1 to EXC4, according to how serious the consequences of failure would be. Requirements are tightened stepwise: the higher the class, the stricter the requirements for welding procedures, welder qualifications, inspection and documentation. The majority of ordinary building's steel work falls into class EXC2.
| Class | Typical application (indicative) |
|---|---|
| EXC1 | Simple constructions with low consequence for failure |
| EXC2 | Common construction – the class most steel work lands in |
| EXC3 | Larger, more heavily loaded constructions |
| EXC4 | Structures with very serious consequences if failure occurs |
The higher the class, the more comprehensive a quality system for welding according to ISO 3834 is required. The exact link is in EN 1090-2, which is a paid standard.
From EXC2 onwards, the standard requires that the company have a welding coordinator with documented knowledge and experience who supervises the welding processes. The welding coordinator ensures, among other things, that welding is done according to approved procedures (WPS), that welders are qualified, and that materials and filler materials are traceable.
A key characteristic of working under EN 1090 is that the work must be documented. Material certificates welding procedures welder qualifications and inspection results must be presentable. Traceability means that for a given structure you can show which material was used who welded and which procedure was followed.
The company's quality system also matters for the welder's certificate. According to the draft of the new ISO 9606, a welding certificate can only be valid without an end date (route c) if the welder stays with the same company and the company's quality system has been verified according to ISO 3834-2 or ISO 3834-3.
For the individual metal fabricator EN 1090 means structural welding is not a free craft but regulated work with procedures qualification requirements and paperwork. Understanding the system — and why it exists — makes the difference between a metal fabricator who can execute a seam and a metal fabricator who can deliver a structure that a building legally can take in.