Type approval

An independent organisation, usually accredited by a national accreditation service, that assesses products, management systems or personnel against standards and issues certificates of conformity. Third-party certification gives specifiers confidence beyond a manufacturer's own declaration of performance.

A marking declaring that a product meets the applicable European Union legislation; for construction products it means performance has been assessed and declared against a harmonised European standard under the Construction Products Regulation. It is affixed by the manufacturer and supported by a Declaration of Performance and, where required, third-party assessment by a notified body.

Mechanical or physical testing of small standardised specimens, known as coupons, cut from a laminate, panel or production sample rather than testing the full component. Coupon results underpin material qualification, design allowables and batch quality control in composites manufacture.

The ability to trace a material or product back through its production history, linking finished items to raw material batches, process records and test results via batch or lot numbers. It is required by aerospace and marine quality systems and increasingly expected in construction supply chains, enabling targeted recalls and failure investigation.