Construction Products Regulation & Standards

While the UK was a member of the EU, construction products were governed by Regulation (EU) No 305/2011, the EU Construction Products Regulation (EU-CPR 2011), (implemented in the UK by the Construction Products Regulations 2013), with harmonised, EU-wide product standards developed to enable trade of broad classes of products across the single market.  

On leaving the EU, the UK opted to adopt existing EU product standards as “designated standards”, while allowing for the possibility of new, UK-specific designated standards. Alongside this, a new UK Technical Assessment Route was developed for specific innovative products, which are outside the scope of these standards. These two routes place obligations on manufacturers, distributors, importers and retailers in terms of how products are tested, certified and marketed; relevant products must have a declaration of performance and have been affixed with either a “CE” mark (if tested by an EU conformity assessment body) or a “UKCA” mark (if tested by a UK conformity assessment body, which must in turn be accredited by UKAS).

Since EU exit, the UK has maintained close alignment with the EU product standards regime. While it had originally been planned that the UKCA mark would entirely replace the CE mark, this transition has been put on hold for construction products, meaning that products with both the CE and UKCA mark can be marketed and used in the UK.

N.B. the EU does not recognise the UKCA mark. For projects in the EU, products covered by a designated standard must be CE marked.

It should be noted that designated standards under the EU-CPR 2011 do not necessarily assess the safety of a product. Instead, they focus on enabling trade through consistency of products. CE and UKCA markings are not safety or quality marks and do not, by themselves, demonstrate that a construction product is suitable for a particular use. Professionals who are designing or specifying should consider the product’s declared performance and satisfy themselves that it is safe and appropriate for its intended use and the requirements for the project.  

Under current arrangements, CE marked construction products meeting the relevant EU requirements can continue to be placed on the market throughout the UK. In 2026, the government published a White Paper on Construction Products Reform. Under the proposals laid out in the White Paper, the UK would continue to recognise CE marking alongside UKCA marking as part of the future regime.

For product standards, the UK will maintain a twin track approach. First, the UK will maintain alignment with the EU, continuing to designate standards developed under the updated 2024 EU Construction Product Regulations as they are brought forward (with older standards maintained until then). This alignment should mean that additional pressures on supply chains are minimised. At the same time, a General Safety Requirement will apply to any product not covered by a designated standard or technical assessment route.

Although standards developed or revised under EU-CPR 2024 are expected to place a greater emphasis on safety, the process of transition from EU-CPR 2011 is not expected to be completed until 2040. CIAT and others have therefore raised concerns that this model leaves gaps in safety coverage for products covered by a designated standard under EU-CPR 2011. Government is yet to confirm how it will manage this risk, and CIAT will monitor this as the new regulatory landscape develops. As such, the onus remains on designers and specifiers to ensure that products are safe and appropriate for the intended use and the requirements of the project.