Building products

Products are processed, finished items that are offered for sale. That is, they are manufactured combinations of materials and perhaps other products, processed to create items such as doors, windows, light fittings, and so on.

They are generally distinguished from ‘materials’ which are raw, unprocessed substances such as sand, salt, and so on, and from ‘services’ which are activities such as consultation, maintenance, installation, or sometimes the provision of accommodation.

See Products v goods v materials for more information.

The Construction Products Regulation defines a ‘construction product’ as; ‘…any product or kit which is produced and placed on the market for incorporation in a permanent manner in construction works or parts thereof and the performance of which has an effect on the performance of the construction works with respect to the basic requirements for construction works.'

BSI Flex 8670 V3.0, Built environment – Core criteria for building safety in competence frameworks – Code of practice, April 2021 Version 3, published by The British Standards Institution in 2021, defines a construction product as a: ‘…product, substance or collection thereof that has been manufactured, refined or processed and declared by its manufacturer for an intended end use for temporary and/or permanent inclusion in building or civil engineering works, refurbishment or maintenance.’

The Code for Construction Product Information, Version 1.0, published by CCPI in September 2021 defines a construction product as “a product, substance or collection thereof, that has been manufactured, refined or processed and declared by its Manufacturer for an intended end use for temporary and/or permanent inclusion in a building or civil engineering works, whether as part of new construction, refurbishment or maintenance.”

Redefining value, The manufacturing revolution, Remanufacturing, refurbishment, repair and direct reuse in the circular economy, published by the United Nations Environment Programme in 2018, suggests that the word product: ‘Refers to an article, object or substance that is manufactured or refined for sale, that is the final output of a process.’

PAS 9980:2022, Fire risk appraisal of external wall construction and cladding of existing blocks of flats – Code of practice, published by BSI Standards Limited in 2022, defines a product as: ‘a item that is formed of one or more materials… For example, painted aluminium or timber, ACM and manufactured boards which have a complex internal structure or densities which differ across their thickness, are all non-homogenous products. For the purpose of reaction to fire testing, only the surface material (such as paints/coatings, the aluminium sheet of ACM where this is not painted, or the portion of a product that is essentially the same as what is exposed at the surface) is deemed to be the surface. Some products are homogenous.’

For a list of all Designing Buildings articles about building products, click here.

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