In recent years, demand for prefabricated buildings in the European market has been on a steady rise, and green, efficient, and eco-friendly Chinese light steel villas have gradually become a sought-after choice in overseas markets. With years of expertise in the light steel construction industry, Hanliang Ruijie has established a comprehensive production system and rigorous quality control measures, extending its business to over 60 countries and regions worldwide—with the European market as its core export segment. To successfully penetrate the European market, CE certification, a mandatory access threshold set by the European Union, is the key prerequisite for the legal circulation of products. Through professional certification preparation and standardized process execution, Hanliang Ruijie has successfully obtained CE certification for its light steel villas, enabling the smooth export of its products to Germany, France, and Bosnia and Herzegovina (aligned with EU standards), while accumulating a set of practical, replicable experience for industry peers.
When Hanliang Ruijie first ventured into the European market, it faced numerous market access challenges. The EU Construction Products Regulation (CPR, EU No.305/2011) imposes strict controls: as a construction product, light steel villas must obtain CE certification and meet multiple harmonized standards to pass customs clearance and enter local markets legally. Additionally, detailed requirements for construction products vary significantly across European regions. For instance, Bosnia and Herzegovina, situated on the Balkan Peninsula, features cold winters, hot summers, and a seismic zone, demanding extremely high standards for building structural safety and thermal insulation. In contrast, EU member states like Germany and France have more stringent additional specifications for environmental indicators and fire resistance performance.
Initially, due to its unfamiliarity with the CE certification process, Hanliang Ruijie encountered issues such as non-compliant document submission and unqualified welder credentials, which directly delayed the certification progress. To overcome these hurdles and develop the European market, Hanliang Ruijie quickly formed a professional certification team. Leveraging the core features of its products—including high-strength aluminized zinc light steel keels and customized thermal insulation solutions—the team systematically identified key certification requirements, addressed challenges in a targeted manner, and ultimately successfully obtained CE certification. This achievement not only laid a solid foundation for exporting products to Europe but also fully demonstrated the company’s strong capabilities in product compliance and quality assurance.
Hanliang Ruijie’s CE certification process fully adhered to the EU CPR Regulation and the core EN 1090 series standards. By integrating the unique advantages of its export products, the certification was carried out in an orderly, phased manner—effectively avoiding rework and inefficiencies caused by blind declaration. The entire process was efficient and streamlined, offering a clear, actionable reference model for other export enterprises in the industry.
In the preliminary preparation phase, Hanliang Ruijie first clarified its product positioning. Combining the structural characteristics of light steel villas with the actual needs of the European market, the company classified its products as Class 3 (medium-risk), which requires Factory Production Control (FPC) certification conducted by an EU-authorized Notified Body (NB). The team then systematically compiled a complete set of certification documents, including enterprise qualifications, product design drawings compliant with the EN 1993-1-3 standard for cold-formed thin-walled steel structures, anti-corrosion test reports for high-strength aluminized zinc keels, and welding procedure documents (WPS, WPQR). Additionally, Hanliang Ruijie organized centralized training for welders, enabling them to uniformly obtain the EN ISO 9606 EU welder certificate—completely resolving the issue of domestic welder certificates being non-transferable in Europe. The company also enhanced its FPC system documents and established a full-process raw material traceability mechanism to ensure production processes are controllable and traceable.
In the phase of institution selection, audit, and testing, Hanliang Ruijie evaluated several EU-authorized NB institutions, including SGS and TÜV Rheinland, ultimately selecting TÜV Rheinland for its profound experience and professional expertise in steel structure CE certification. With TÜV Rheinland’s professional technical guidance, the certification cycle was significantly shortened. Upon submitting the documents, the institution promptly conducted a pre-audit. In response to the audit feedback, Hanliang Ruijie quickly supplemented and improved the EN 12667 thermal conductivity test report for thermal insulation materials and the EN 13501 fire resistance test report, ensuring all documents were complete and compliant. During the on-site audit, auditors focused on verifying the welding process, welder qualifications, raw material management, and FPC system operation. To address incomplete raw material batch tracking records, Hanliang Ruijie immediately implemented rectifications, establishing a refined traceability system and successfully passing the on-site audit. In the type test phase, all core product indicators—including structural bearing capacity, fire resistance, and welding quality—passed on the first attempt, fully meeting relevant EU standards.
In the certification and labeling phase, after successfully passing the audit and testing, TÜV Rheinland officially issued the CE certification certificate. In strict compliance with EU regulations, Hanliang Ruijie standardized the application of the CE mark on products and packaging, clearly indicating the product’s classification and the NB institution number to ensure compliance with European market circulation requirements. During the certificate’s validity period, the company undergoes annual supervision and audits to maintain certification validity, providing long-term support for exporting products to Europe.
Drawing on Hanliang Ruijie’s practical certification experience, many common misunderstandings that plague similar enterprises during CE certification can be effectively avoided through targeted preparation—this is the key reason Hanliang Ruijie achieved certification efficiently. The pitfalls and solutions summarized by Hanliang Ruijie are highly practical and can help industry peers avoid unnecessary detours.
First, avoid the misunderstanding of "replacing CE certification with domestic certification". Initially, Hanliang Ruijie attempted to use domestic steel structure certification as a substitute for CE certification, which was rejected by the audit institution. The company then quickly adjusted its approach, strictly preparing for certification in accordance with the EU CPR Regulation and EN 1090 series standards, clarifying the differences between domestic and CE certification, and refraining from blindly applying existing qualifications. Second, avoid non-compliant welder credentials by arranging for welders to obtain the EN ISO 9606 EU welder certificate in advance—ensuring the welding process fully meets certification requirements and preventing on-site audit delays. Third, strengthen production consistency control: Hanliang Ruijie established a comprehensive inspection mechanism to ensure certified samples are identical to actual shipped products. For projects exported to Bosnia and Herzegovina, in particular, the company optimized thermal insulation and seismic design to align with local climate and geological conditions, meeting both CE certification requirements and local usage needs. Fourth, stay updated on standard revisions: assign dedicated personnel to track updates to EU regulations and relevant standards. After the EN 1090-1 standard added digital technical document requirements in 2023, Hanliang Ruijie promptly adjusted its documents to maintain certification compliance and avoid invalidation.
After obtaining CE certification, Hanliang Ruijie’s light steel villas successfully broke through European market access barriers, smoothly passing customs clearance in various countries and quickly gaining recognition from local distributors and consumers—resulting in steady growth in export orders. Currently, the company’s light steel villas are exported to multiple countries and regions, including Germany, France, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. In the Bosnia and Herzegovina project, Hanliang Ruijie provided a full-chain supply service, covering everything from light steel keels to decoration materials, realizing "ready-for-installation upon arrival". This significantly improved construction efficiency, earned high praise from local owners, and further expanded the company’s market reach in Central and Eastern Europe.
Furthermore, CE certification has enhanced Hanliang Ruijie’s brand competitiveness. With its excellent compliance, high quality, and customized solutions, the company’s products have established a strong brand image in the European market. After certification, Hanliang Ruijie continued to prioritize compliance management: translating product manuals and labels into local official languages to meet the requirements of different EU member states, properly storing relevant documents (including CE certificates, test reports, and Declarations of Performance (DoP)), and successfully passing multiple market inspections. These efforts have laid a solid foundation for the company’s long-term development in the European market.
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