Lintels like virtually all other building products undergo rigorous testing before being available to UK and EU markets, but is there a difference between steel and concrete lintels? The generic lintel has to do a certain job and so must reach a certain level regardless of the material used, however, the properties of steel and concrete lintels are obviously different, and so the manufacturing, testing, and load assessment standards can differ.
Here we go through the standards that lintels have to meet in order to be supplied and used in the UK market.
CE Marking and the CPR
Concrete and steel lintels have to adhere to many of the same BS standards, but there are a few differences in some standards that each lintel type has to achieve.
With the Brexit negotiations currently ongoing, for the next two years or so, the current EU law remains but it is prudent to keep in mind the impact that Brexit will have.
As of 1st July 2013, construction products must carry a declaration of performance (DoP) in order to be CE marked, and thus be available on European (including UK) markets. This is mandatory for any construction product that is covered by a harmonised European Standard (hEN) like lintels.
Because of the nature of the product, lintels are subjected to the highest form of this standard, and therefore must be independently tested. The figures in our brochure have been tested and verified by an independent testing house.
It is worth noting that the CE Marking is not in itself a quality standard rather it is a ‘mark’ that shows the product is manufactured to a certain performance standard, defined by the characteristic of said product.
Further information on CE Marking and CPR.
Main quality codes
CXHD and CH type lintels are tested compositely in accordance with BS EN 846.
There are three main codes that relate to lintels that must be adhered to:
BS EN 845-2:2013+A1:2016 Specification for ancillary components for masonry. Lintels. This is in relation to all lintels (concrete and steel) for opening up to 4.5 metres. Any lintels over this length are therefore not covered by this code.
BS EN 1992-1-1:2004+A1:2014 Eurocode 2: Design of concrete structures. General rules and rules for buildings. This obviously relates to concrete lintels only, and more specifically to the design of concrete lintels.
BS 5977-1:1981 Lintels – Part 1: Method for assessment of load. This is the code used to determine the loads being carried by the lintel and so determine which would be the most appropriate.
Steel lintel quality codes
BS EN 10346:2015. This is in relation to the quality of the galvanised steel used for our steel lintels. All of our steel lintels (except rolled steel) are manufactured from DX51D grade steel to this specification code.
BS EN 10025-2:2004. Our rolled steel lintels (RS and RSC) are manufactured from structural steel plate of grade S275 to this code.
BS EN 846-9:2016. – The load span tables within the steel lintels section are achieved according to BS EN 845-2 and then tested according to this standard.
Concrete lintel quality codes
BS 5896:2012. This code relates to the steel wire and strands within our prestressed concrete lintels.
The prestressed concrete lintels are manufactured to BS EN 845 and tested to BS EN 846 as per the steel lintels.
The loadings are assessed to BS 5977 again, as per the steel lintels.
BS EN 206:2013+A1:2016. This relates to the concrete lintels and specifically to the materials used in the manufacturing of prestressed concrete lintels.
Management Systems
The final code that as a manufacturer of lintels we adhere to is the BS EN ISO 9001:2015. This is not product related but more to ensure that our quality assurance systems are up to date. This ensures that any testing we carry out is subject to this quality standard.
For more information on the quality standards of our lintels or for any specification and technical queries please contact our technical department at technical@stressline.net.