How to check a construction product AVCP route
Match the product and intended use to the applicable standard, identify the AVCP system for each relevant characteristic, then check the evidence and assessment body against the chosen marking route. Connect the documents to the actual manufacturing plant and ordered configuration. Cambridge China Bridge can help gather factory evidence in China.
Start with the product and applicable standard
Ask the manufacturer to identify the standard, its edition, the product type and intended use covered. For a UKCA route, compare that reference with the government's designated-standards publication. Read the scope before accepting a match based on a similar product name.
If the product is not covered or not fully covered by a designated standard, government guidance says it may be covered by a technical assessment document. Ask for the assessment relied on rather than choosing the nearest standard yourself. Our construction materials guide covers the wider purchasing checks.
Map the system to the evidence
The designated standard sets the appropriate AVCP system for each essential characteristic, subject to final determination by the Secretary of State. Ask the manufacturer to show the relevant provisions and explain how they apply to your intended use. Record the system beside each characteristic rather than accepting an unexplained system label.
Use the distinctions below to request evidence for the UKCA route. These are document checks, not a substitute for reading the applicable standard.
| AVCP system | Evidence to request |
|---|---|
| 1+ and 1 | Product certification and supporting assessment evidence from the approved body. |
| 2+ | Factory production control certification and surveillance evidence; the manufacturer's performance assessment records. |
| 3 | Approved-body testing evidence where testing is required; the manufacturer's factory production control records. |
| 4 | The manufacturer's performance assessment and factory production control records; external-body involvement is not required. |
Verify the body and certificate scope
Where third-party assessment is required, UKCA uses a UK approved body and CE uses an EU recognised notified body. Check the route before reviewing the certificate. For UKCA, use the government conformity-assessment-body database and inspect the body's scope for the relevant standard and task.
Contact the issuing body to confirm the document's authenticity and current status. Match the holder, manufacturing plant, product family, standard and stated assessment activity to the order. A genuine certificate for another plant leaves your supplier's production unexplained. Our marking and certification guide explains the broader distinctions.
Check production records at the actual factory
Ask the factory to demonstrate its production controls using records from the product you intend to buy. Useful records include incoming-material checks, production checks, equipment calibration, sample identification, test results and corrective actions. Trace a finished batch back through those records.
Where the route involves factory production control certification, ask for the supporting surveillance evidence and unresolved findings. Compare the recorded plant and process with the proposed production location. Use our factory audit guide to organise the visit, and record how each finding relates to the assessment evidence.
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Make an evidence decision before ordering
Keep a route record containing the product specification, standard reference, characteristic-to-system mapping, declaration of performance, assessment documents and factory evidence. Record who checked each document and what remains unresolved. Our declaration of performance guide covers preparing that document.
As a purchasing control, pause the order if the standard, system, plant or document scope does not match. Ask the manufacturer or relevant assessment body to resolve the discrepancy in writing. Cambridge China Bridge's staff in China can gather factory records and check production arrangements against the agreed specification.
Frequently asked questions
How do I find the right AVCP system?
Ask the manufacturer to show the relevant provisions in the applicable standard and map the system to each essential characteristic and intended use. Do not choose a system from the product name alone.
Does every construction product need a third-party certificate?
No. The evidence depends on the applicable system. System 4 does not require external-body involvement, but ask for the manufacturer's assessment and production-control records.
Is a factory production control certificate product certification?
They cover different tasks. System 2+ involves certification and surveillance of factory production control. Systems 1+ and 1 involve product certification. Check which evidence your route calls for.
What if the certificate names a different factory?
Pause the purchasing decision and ask the issuer to confirm whether the actual production plant is covered. Match the plant, product and standard before accepting the document for your order.