Nowadays there are manufacturers of ceramic tiles from different countries on the domestic market. Of course, sellers of their products say that production meets all necessary standards. I propose to highlight and discuss the standards that regulate the production of ceramic tiles. And then add the texts of these standards in Russian to the website in the Standards .
I am confident that our discussion will provide visitors with useful information before examining these standards in detail.
The International Organization for Standardization has developed two standards for ceramic tiles:
1) ISO 10545. Describes test methods for determining the quality characteristics of tiles depending on the conditions of their use;
this standard consists of 17 parts (ISO 10545-1 to ISO 10545-17), each of which presents one test method. 2) ISO 13006. Contains definitions, classification criteria and requirements that ceramic tiles must satisfy.
EN ISO 10545, under the general title Ceramic tiles and slabs, includes the following parts:
10545-1 Sampling and acceptance rules
10545-2 Determination of dimensions and surface quality
10545-3 Determination of water absorption, open porosity, apparent density and bulk density
10545-4 Determination of flexural strength and breaking load
10545-5 Determination of impact strength by measuring coefficient rebound
10545-6 Determination of wear resistance - Unglazed tiles and slabs
10545-7 Determination of wear resistance - Glazed tiles and slabs
10545-8 Determination of linear thermal expansion coefficient 10545-9
Determination of thermal resistance
10545-10 Determination of moisture expansion
10545-11 Determination of glaze cracking resistance - Glazed tiles and slabs
10545-12 Determination of frost resistance
10545-13 Determination of chemical resistance
10545-14 Determination of stain resistance 10545-15
Determination of lead and cadmium release - Glazed tiles and slabs
10545-16 Determination of minor color deviations
10545-17 Determination of coefficient of friction
It is important to know that the tile manufacturer is not obliged to comply with certain standards that establish quality criteria for ceramic products. But the decision to produce according to standards demonstrates the responsibility of the manufacturer, his commitment to maintain a high standard of quality.
The European Committee for Standardization has fully adopted the ISO standards, incorporating them into the CEN standards, in particular:
1) The test methods are entirely consistent with the EN ISO 10545 , which is divided into 16 parts. Regarding slip resistance, it is simply necessary to clarify the test method used (there are: German methods for determining the coefficient R in accordance with DIN 51130 and classification A, B, C in accordance with DIN 51097; American method for determining the static coefficient of friction in accordance with ASTM C1028; English method determination of the dynamic coefficient of friction - now used almost exclusively in Italy - in accordance with BCR TORTUS, etc.);
2) EN 14411 contains a non-mandatory “normative” part, drawn entirely from the provisions of ISO 13006, and an “informative” part – annex Z – which contains mandatory instructions regarding the CE marking.
In accordance with the European Construction Materials Directive 89/106, CE marking for ceramic tiles is mandatory throughout the European Union.
The Italian standardization body, UNI, has also adopted ISO provisions. Thus:
1) the test methods were published in Italian as UNI EN ISO 10545 in 16 parts, which replaced the previous UNI EN standard in 2000;
2) the EN 14411 standard and therefore the ISO 13006 it contains, has been officially published in Italian as the UNI EN 14411 .
This solves the problems associated with the coexistence, since 2000, of the requirements of old standards ( UNI EN 87 and related UNI EN 176 , 177 , 159 , etc.) and new ones.
In the Russian Federation, the following standards apply to ceramic tiles, developed by JSC NIIstroymashkeramika, introduced by the State Construction Committee of Russia and adopted by the Interstate Scientific and Technical Commission for Standardization, Technical Standards and Certification in Construction (MNTKS):
1) GOST 6787-2001 : Ceramic tiles for floors. Technical specifications;
2) GOST 27180-2001 : Ceramic tiles. Test methods;
3) GOST 6141-1991: Glazed ceramic tiles for interior wall cladding. Technical specifications;
4) GOST 13996-1995: Ceramic facade tiles and carpets made from them. Technical conditions.
In our store, the share of sales of Italon porcelain tiles is very significant. I regularly communicate with representatives of this plant and end users of the products. So, I can confirm that Italon porcelain tiles comply with:
1) from the point of view of PRODUCTION, without fail, the requirements of GOST 6787-2001;
2) from a QUALITY point of view, voluntarily and ONLY IN THE CASE OF FIRST GRADE TILES, the requirements of EN 14411 (ISO 13006), Annex G.
The following should be noted:
1) Test methods described in EN ISO 10545 establish more stringent requirements compared to those described in GOST 27180-2001;
2) The technical conditions presented in Annex G of the EN 14411 (ISO 13006) standard are more restrictive than those presented in GOST 6787-2001.
Thus, the compliance of ITALON porcelain stoneware with the EN ISO standard indicates an undoubtedly higher quality of the material than if only the conditions of GOST standards were observed.
I agree with these conclusions.
This conclusion will be valid for ceramic tiles from any manufacturer whose products comply with the EN ISO standard, and not just for Italon porcelain tiles.