CE Marking of construction products was heralded by the publication of the European Commission's Construction Products Directive in 1988. Nearly 20 years later CE Marking has not reached what could be considered as a critical mass in the UK construction industry, but some CE marked products are beginning to appear here. Some of these are for UK produced products, but far more are from overseas, where CE marking may well be a mandatory requirement, unlike the situation in the UK.

Although the UK has signed up to CE marking, many specifiers and others, including purchasers and building control personnel, are unsure of the link between CE marking, particularly for products from overseas, and the requirements of UK regulations, codes and building practice.

To overcome this problem, the BBA has launched a new series of documents, entitled CE Marking Application Guides (CEMAGs).

The first of these has now been awarded and covers Guaraply Pine Plywood, manufactured by Industria de Compensados Guararapes a, Brazil.

The CE Marking Application Guide held by Guararapes relates to the six Essential Requirements of the CPD and comments on how the ratings of the material square with UK requirements are identified by a BBA-logo-derived symbol against each of the relevant statements.

Notable among these are the comments on compliance with BS5268, the established code for timber in building.