Business sectors

In 2026, Technical Committees (TCs) will continue their work under Standardization Request M/601, focusing on the Pressure Equipment Directive (PED). A key focus of upcoming standardization and revision efforts will be on metals and materials, highlighting their critical role in supporting the PED sector and enabling the development of safe and durable pressure equipment across Europe.

Under the standardization request for structural metallic products, some Technical Committees, such as CEN/TC 459/SC 3 ‘Structural steels other than reinforcements’ and CEN/TC 132 ‘Aluminium and aluminium alloys’ will continue working on harmonized standards in support of the Construction Products Regulation (CPR).

IRON AND STEEL

CEN/TC 459 ‘ECISS – European Committee for Iron and Steel Standardization’ hosts 13 subcommittees that oversee standardization for a wide range of iron and steel products – such as wires, rods, tubes, sheets, castings, and forgings – used for different applications, ranging from electrical and machinery to construction.

CEN/TC 459/SC 3 'Structural steels other than reinforcements', CEN/TC 459/SC 11 'Steel castings and forgings', and CEN/TC 459/SC 13 ‘Stainless steels’ will continue to work on harmonized standards mandated by the Standardization Request for structural metallic products in support of the CPR, addressing a variety of products, such as sections, sheets, plates, and piles.

CEN/TC 459/SC 8 ‘Steel sheet and strip for electrical applications’ will continue working on EN 10342 ‘Magnetic materials – Classification of surface insulations of electrical steel sheet, strip and laminations’. This standard establishes a classification of surface insulations for electrical steel sheet, strip and laminations according to their general composition, relative insulating ability, and function.

CEN/TC 459/SC 9 'Coated and uncoated flat products to be used for cold forming' will continue its work on EN 10346 ‘Continuously hot-dip coated steel flat products for cold forming – Technical delivery conditions’.

ALLOYS

CEN/TC 132 'Aluminium and aluminium alloys' will continue working on the revision of EN 15088 ‘Aluminium and aluminium alloys – Structural products for construction works – Technical conditions for inspection and delivery’ in support of the CPR.

Furthermore, CEN/TC 133 'Copper and copper alloys' will continue to develop several standards in support of the PED, such as:

• EN 12451, which specifies the composition, properties, dimensional tolerances, and testing methods for seamless round copper and copper alloy tubes (6–76 mm OD, 0.5–3 mm wall) used in heat exchangers, condensers, evaporators, and desalination equipment.
• EN 12452, which specifies the composition, properties, dimensional tolerances, and testing methods for rolled, finned, seamless copper, and copper alloy tubes (6–35 mm OD, 1–3 mm wall, fin height ≤1.5 mm) used in heat exchangers.

CRITICAL RAW MATERIALS

CEN/TC 472 ‘Rare Earth Elements’ is responsible for standardization in the field of REE mining, concentration, extraction, separation, and conversion to useful REE compounds/materials which are key inputs to manufacturing and the further production process. In 2026, CEN/TC 472 will publish CEN/TS 18263 ‘Permanent magnet products – Procedure for declaring recycling-relevant information’. CEN/TS 18263 gives guidance on the labelling and information folder of potentially permanent magnet containing products in the context of information exchange between supply chain actors to improve the recyclability of permanent magnets.