Notified laboratory to BS EN 14592

Exova is a Notified Test Laboratory (NB 2389) for testing dowel type fasteners for timber structures to EN 14592.


In accordance with Article 43 of the Construction Products Regulation (2011), Exova does not engage in any activity that may conflict with its independence of judgement and integrity related to the activities for which it has been notified. For instance Exova will not become directly involved in the design, manufacture or  construction, marketing, installation, use or maintenance of dowel type fasteners for structural timber, nor represent the parties engaged in those activities.

Results obtained from Exova's laboratory are recognised by member states of the EU and EFTA as a basis for manufacturers to CE mark their fasteners. EN 14592 fasteners are allocated to system 3 for the Attestation and Verification of Constancy of Performance (AVCP), which means that the manufacturer is responsible for the CE marking using test data from a Notified Laboratory.

Dowel type fasteners to EN 14592 include nails, staples, screws, dowels and bolts. The characteristics that are established by test for EN 14592 are as follows.
 
  Nails  Staples Screws Dowels
& bolts
Geometry compliance x x x x
Yield moment x x x x
Withdrawal resistance x x x  
Head pull-through
resistance
x x x  
Tensile capacity x   x  
Torsional strength     x  
Torsional resistance     x  

Dowel type fasteners to EN 14592 are made of steel of a minimum quality. Manufacturers must declare the grade of the parent material used for the fastener and the type and thickness of any coating, such as those used for  protection against corrosion.

The test results are used to calculate characteristic values that are included in the CE marking. Engineers use these values when they are designing joints as the values can be inserted directly in Eurocode 5 equations for joints made with dowel type fasteners.
Testing fasteners & connectors
UKAS accredited testing for a range of fasteners & connectors to EN 14592.
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UKAS accreditation