EN 10204 does not tell you what to test. It tells you who is allowed to sign the result, and how independent that signatory must be from the people who made the material. Understanding that distinction prevents most of the arguments that erupt at goods inward.
EN 10204 does not tell you what to test. It tells you who is allowed to sign the result, and how independent that signatory must be from the people who made the material. That is the entire scope of the standard, and understanding it prevents most of the arguments that erupt at goods inward.
The standard defines four document types. Two of them — 2.1 and 2.2 — are non-specific, meaning they attest to the production run in general rather than to the material you received. The other two — 3.1 and 3.2 — are specific, meaning the results reported belong to the actual heat and the actual pieces you have been sent.
| Type | Name | Signed by | Traceable to your material? |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.1 | Declaration of compliance | Manufacturer | No — statement of conformity only, no test data |
| 2.2 | Test report | Manufacturer | No — results from non-specific production testing |
| 3.1 | Inspection certificate 3.1 | Manufacturer's authorised inspection representative, independent of the production department | Yes |
| 3.2 | Inspection certificate 3.2 | As 3.1, plus the purchaser's representative or an independent third party inspector | Yes |
A Type 3.1 certificate is issued by the manufacturer, but crucially it must be signed by an inspection representative who is organisationally independent of the manufacturing department. That independence is the point. It is not merely a production print-out with a stamp on it.
A properly issued 3.1 will carry: the manufacturer's name and works, the purchase order reference, the specification and grade, the heat or cast number, the product description and dimensions, the full ladle chemical analysis, the mechanical test results (tensile, yield, elongation and impact where applicable), the delivery condition and heat treatment, any supplementary test results such as hydrostatic or ultrasonic examination, and the name, title and signature of the authorised inspector.
For the large majority of industrial procurement — process piping, structural steel, general fabrication, most ASME B31.3 work — a 3.1 certificate is exactly the right document and is what Sarovar Tube Industries supplies as standard on every order.
A Type 3.2 certificate is a 3.1 that has been counter-signed by a second, genuinely independent party: either the purchaser's own nominated inspector, or an accredited third party agency such as TUV, SGS, Bureau Veritas, Lloyd's Register or DNV. That inspector must have been present to witness the testing, not merely review the paperwork afterwards.
You need a 3.2 when:
The decision to buy 3.2 must be made before the material is manufactured. An inspector cannot witness a test that has already happened, and no amount of goodwill after despatch can convert a 3.1 into a 3.2.
A project specification calls for 3.2. The buyer, working to a tight schedule, orders from stock. Stock material carries 3.1 because it was produced against a general stocking order with no inspector present. At goods inward the certificate is rejected, the material cannot be used, and the line stops.
There is no retrospective remedy. The only options are to source new material with inspection arranged in advance, or to obtain a formal concession from the end client — which on a code-stamped vessel is rarely granted. Flagging the certification requirement at enquiry stage costs nothing; discovering it at delivery costs weeks.
State the certification type on the enquiry, on the purchase order and on the drawing title block. Where third party inspection is needed, name the agency and confirm who pays for the visit. Ask for the certificate in advance of despatch so any discrepancy is resolved while the material is still at the works. And keep the certificate with the fabrication records — on a plant that will be audited in twenty years, that piece of paper is the only proof that the metal in the wall is the metal you specified.
Custom fabrication, special sizes and complete export documentation are handled in house. Send us your drawing or specification and our technical team will come back with a detailed offer, usually within one working day.
