Factory Production Control for Rebar

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Standards & Certification

Factory Production Control for Rebar: How FPC Underpins CE Marking and Quality Assurance

Q: How often does the notified body audit the mill's FPC?

Under System 2+, industry practice typically results in annual surveillance audits. More frequent audits may be triggered by significant production changes, non-conformance events, or customer complaints. A certificate more than 18 months old without evidence of recent surveillance should prompt the buyer to request clarification.

Q: What happens if a heat fails the tensile test during FPC?

When a tensile test result falls below specification, the FPC procedure requires immediate quarantine of the affected material. A root-cause investigation is initiated. Options include retesting, downgrading the material, or scrapping. The heat cannot be shipped with a B500B MTC until the investigation concludes and either confirms compliance or the material is reclassified.

Factory Production Control (FPC) is the continuous quality management system that rebar manufacturers must operate to maintain CE marking under EN 10080. Understanding FPC helps buyers assess supplier reliability before placing a purchase order.

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EN 10080 FPC Compliant Notified Body Audited DIN 488 · B500B

What Is Factory Production Control?

Factory Production Control (FPC) is a documented, permanent, internal quality management system through which a manufacturer controls and assesses the production of a construction product against a defined standard. For reinforcing steel, the obligation to operate FPC arises from the EU Construction Products Regulation (CPR) and is specified within the harmonised standard EN 10080.

FPC is not a one-off audit or a paper exercise — it is an ongoing system that operates every day in the mill. It covers raw material inputs (scrap selection, alloying additions), in-process checks at the rolling mill, final product testing, labelling and traceability, and corrective action procedures. Without a functioning FPC, a manufacturer cannot legally affix the CE mark to rebar destined for the EU market.

FPC Requirements Under EN 10080 and the CPR

Under AVCP System 2+ (the conformity assessment level for reinforcing steel), the FPC system must cover all of the following elements:

Personnel and responsibilities: Designated quality personnel with defined authority to stop production or reject non-conforming material
Equipment calibration: Regular calibration and maintenance records for testing equipment (tensile testing machines, vernier gauges, weighing scales)
Raw material control: Documented incoming inspection of scrap or billet, including chemical composition checks and heat records
In-process control: Rolling mill checks on diameter tolerance, rib geometry, and surface condition at defined frequencies
Final product testing: Tensile testing (yield strength R_e, tensile strength R_m, elongation A_gt) and bend/rebend tests per EN ISO 15630-1, at frequencies defined in EN 10080
Traceability: Heat numbers linked from the ladle to bundles to Mill Test Certificates
Non-conforming product procedure: Written procedures for quarantining, investigating, and disposing of out-of-spec material
Corrective actions: Documented root-cause analysis and corrective measures when test results fall outside specification
Records: Retention of FPC records (typically ≥5 years) for notified body review

The Role of the Notified Body

Under System 2+, an accredited notified body (NB) must audit and certify the manufacturer’s FPC system. The NB issues a Factory Production Control Certificate after an initial audit demonstrating that the FPC system meets EN 10080 and CPR requirements. Thereafter, the NB conducts regular surveillance audits — typically annually — to verify ongoing compliance.

The NB certificate number appears in the manufacturer’s Declaration of Performance (DoP), allowing buyers to trace which body certified the FPC. If the NB withdraws the FPC certificate (e.g. following a failed surveillance audit), the manufacturer must cease CE marking until compliance is restored.

Buyers conducting supplier qualification should request a copy of the current FPC certificate, check its issue date, and verify the issuing NB on the EU NANDO register.

Testing Frequencies Required by EN 10080

EN 10080 Annex B specifies minimum testing frequencies for FPC. The following gives a representative picture of the lot-based requirements for B500B bars:

Test	Standard reference	Minimum frequency (indicative)
Tensile test (Re, Rm, Agt)	EN ISO 15630-1	Per heat / per rolling campaign
Bend and rebend test	EN ISO 15630-1	Per heat or lot
Geometry check (diameter, rib height)	EN 10080 Annex C	Each shift / coil change
Weight per metre check	EN 10080	Each shift
Chemical analysis	EN ISO 14284 / OES	Per heat (ladle sample)
Weldability (Ceq calculation)	EN 10080 formula	Per heat (from chemistry)

These test results form the basis of the EN 10204 Type 3.1 Mill Test Certificate issued for each specific heat or lot supplied. The MTC is the customer-facing output of the FPC system’s per-heat testing.

What Buyers Should Ask About a Supplier’s FPC

When qualifying a new rebar supplier — especially for international export sourcing — the following FPC-related checks are prudent:

Request the current FPC certificate (not just a copy from two years ago)
Confirm the NB name and number match the DoP and are listed as active on NANDO
Ask for a sample MTC from a recent production run to assess completeness and format
Clarify what non-conforming product procedure is in place — how quickly is an out-of-spec heat quarantined?
For critical projects, consider specifying third-party witness testing (EN 10204 Type 3.2) at the mill

Steel Rebar Germany sources from mills operating full EN 10080 FPC systems with current NB certification. Documentation is available on request. For further detail on the full documentation package, see our Export & Delivery page, or request a quote to discuss your project.

Frequently Asked Questions — Factory Production Control for Rebar

Is FPC the same as ISO 9001 certification?

No — FPC and ISO 9001 are related but distinct. FPC under EN 10080 / CPR is a product-specific quality system mandated by the harmonised standard and enforced by a notified body. ISO 9001 is a generic quality management standard for organisations, assessed by accreditation bodies. A mill may hold both, but ISO 9001 alone does not satisfy the CE marking requirement for rebar. Some manufacturers use their ISO 9001 QMS as the framework on which they build their product-specific FPC, but the NB audit is what provides legal backing for CE marking.

How often does the notified body audit the mill’s FPC?

Under System 2+, the CPR does not prescribe a fixed interval, but industry practice and the relevant hEN (EN 10080) typically result in annual surveillance audits. More frequent audits may be triggered by significant production changes, non-conformance events, or customer complaints. The NB certificate will show the issue date and the scope of the audit. A certificate more than 18 months old without evidence of recent surveillance should prompt the buyer to request clarification.

What happens if a heat fails the tensile test during FPC?

When a tensile test result falls below specification — for example, Agt below 5.0% for B500B — the FPC procedure requires immediate quarantine of the affected material. The non-conforming product must be clearly identified and segregated. A root-cause investigation is initiated. Depending on the nature of the failure, options include retesting from a different sample location, downgrading the material to a lower grade (e.g. B500A), or scrapping. The heat cannot be shipped with a B500B MTC until the investigation concludes and either confirms compliance or the material is reclassified.

Can I request FPC records for a specific heat that was supplied to my project?

In principle yes, though the extent to which a mill will release internal FPC records beyond the standard MTC varies. The EN 10204 Type 3.1 MTC is the customer-facing FPC output for a specific heat. For projects requiring deeper traceability (e.g. nuclear or bridge contracts), an EN 10204 Type 3.2 certificate — where a third-party inspector witnesses and co-signs the testing — is the appropriate route. This should be specified at order stage, not retrospectively.

Does FPC apply to rebar coils as well as straight bars?

Yes. EN 10080 covers weldable reinforcing steel in both bar and coil form. Coils — typically B500A or B500B, 6–16 mm, used in automated stirrup and mesh machines — are subject to the same FPC requirements as straight bars: chemical analysis per heat, tensile and bend testing per lot, geometry checks per shift, and full MTC documentation. The applicable test frequency may vary slightly for coil due to continuous rolling, but the quality assurance framework is the same.

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