Definition
Inspection certificate 3.1 (EN 10204:2004)Inspection certificate 3.1 is a document type defined in EN 10204:2004, “Metallic products – Types of inspection documents”. Its results come from specific inspection: tests on the products supplied, or on the test unit they belong to.
How does a 3.1 certificate differ from 2.1, 2.2 and 3.2?
| Type | Document | Test results from | Validated by |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.1 | Declaration of compliance with the order | None given | The manufacturer |
| 2.2 | Test report | Non-specific inspection: same-specification products, not necessarily those delivered | The manufacturer |
| 3.1 | Inspection certificate 3.1 | Specific inspection of the products supplied | The manufacturer’s inspection representative, independent of production |
| 3.2 | Inspection certificate 3.2 | Specific inspection of the products supplied | The manufacturer’s inspection representative plus the purchaser’s representative or an inspector designated by official regulations |
Today’s 3.1 replaces the older 3.1.B; the former 3.1.A and 3.1.C are covered by 3.2, and the old 2.3 specific test report was dropped.
What is on a mill test certificate?
Layouts vary; steel mills often follow the field list in EN 10168.
- Issuer: the mill, certificate number, date and document type.
- Order: the purchaser and order number, usually your purchase order.
- Product: standard and grade (S355J2+N, 1.4404), delivery condition, dimensions, mass.
- Heat or cast number: what ties the paper to the material in your racks.
- Results: chemical composition and mechanical tests (yield and tensile strength, elongation, impact energy if ordered).
- Validation: the statement of compliance and the inspection representative’s stamp or signature.
How do stockholders handle mill test certificates?
Stockholders sit between mill and end user, and EN 10204 lets an intermediary pass on the manufacturer’s document only unchanged: the original or a traceable copy, with at most the quantities adjusted. Processors that cut or machine the material usually add their own certificate, with the mill’s behind it.
Most certificates now arrive by email, usually one PDF per delivery holding several certificates, some of them scans. Each must be filed against its purchase order line and the heat received: a fabricator working to EN 1090 may ask for the certificate of their heat long after delivery. Done by hand, that splitting, matching and filing takes time from purchasing or quality on every delivery.
How do you check a mill test certificate?
A 3.1 excerpt for stainless round bar, and what each field is checked against.
Inspection certificate 3.1 to EN 10204:2004 (excerpt)
- Certificate no. 2219-0457 · Your order: PO 31877, item 2
- Round bar EN 10088-3 1.4404, solution annealed, Ø50 mm × 6 m
- Heat no. 54871A · 1,212 kg
- Chemical analysis (%): C 0.018 · Cr 16.8 · Ni 10.1 · Mo 2.04
- Tensile test: Rp0.2 285 MPa · Rm 590 MPa · elongation A (%) 48
| Field | Read from the certificate | Checked against |
|---|---|---|
| Purchase order | PO 31877, item 2 | Your purchase order line |
| Product | 1.4404 round bar Ø50 | That line’s product, your code RB50-4404 |
| Heat number | 54871A | Heats booked in at goods receipt |
| Test values | Chemistry and tensile results | The grade’s limits, by your quality team |
Illustrative example: the certificate number, order, product code, heat and values are made up for this page.
Can mill test certificates be processed automatically?
Yes. ERP Agent takes the first three checks above off your team, from the supplier’s PDF to your archive, with no template to set up per mill:
- Splits the bundle. One PDF per delivery becomes one row per certificate; a collective certificate gives one row per line item, and scans are read with OCR.
- Reads every certificate as written. Certificate number, heat number, grade, dimension, supplier and your purchase-order number, under German or English headings alike.
- Finds your order line. The agent fetches the purchase order from your ERP and puts each certificate on the right line, under your own product code rather than the mill’s.
- Checks the heat. Each heat is compared with the heats your ERP has booked in on that order at goods receipt; a heat that contradicts those receipts, or turns up on another line than the matched product, is flagged before anything is filed.
- Files it. Each certificate reaches your document archive as its own PDF and XML pair, so when a fabricator asks for the certificate of their heat, it is already on the right order.
Your quality team stays in control
ERP Agent does the splitting, reading and matching, so your quality team spends its time on chemical and mechanical values instead of paperwork. By default, nothing reaches the archive until a person sends the batch, with every row, heat check and source page in view.
Which ERP systems does it work with?
ERP Agent reads your purchase orders from your ERP, so every certificate is checked against the order it belongs to. It integrates with Business Central, SAP, NetSuite, Visma, IFS, Sage and any other ERP or CRM, and we set up the connection for your company during onboarding. The full workflow, step by step, is on material certificate automation.
The same agent compares supplier order confirmations with your purchase orders line by line. On the sales side, it prepares quotes and sales orders for steel stockholders and fittings distributors, identifying the right products from the customer’s own shorthand, and your team reviews them before they land in your ERP, CRM or other system. ERP Agent is live with steel, HVAC and fastener distributors.
