A European Technical Assessment (ETA) is the document that records the assessed performance of a construction product for a stated intended use. For an anchor, it defines the product, the concrete and loading it is assessed for, the installation method, and the resistance and displacement data that a designer uses to verify a fastening.
Issuing bodies and assessment basis
An ETA is issued at the manufacturer's request by a Technical Assessment Body (TAB) designated for the product area. The assessment follows a European Assessment Document (EAD), which specifies the characteristics to be assessed and the test and assessment methods for a product family, such as EAD 330232 for mechanical fasteners or EAD 330499 for bonded fasteners in concrete. Anchors from different manufacturers assessed to the same EAD therefore have comparable data but different values and conditions of use. The European Organisation for Technical Assessment (EOTA) coordinates the TABs and the development of EADs.
Contents of an anchor ETA
The main document identifies the manufacturer, the product, the EAD and the assessed performance. The annexes contain the drawings, installation instructions and numerical data.
| Content | What it establishes |
|---|---|
| Product description | Anchor sizes, steel elements and material variants covered |
| Intended use | Base material, cracked or uncracked concrete, and actions: static or quasi-static, seismic, fatigue and fire exposure |
| Installation | Drilling method, hole cleaning, setting or curing, installation temperatures and hole conditions |
| Geometry | Embedments, fixture thickness, and minimum member thickness, spacing and edge distance |
| Performance | Characteristic resistances, design parameters and displacements |
Scope of the intended use
Every resistance value belongs to a defined configuration of anchor size, steel element, embedment, concrete condition, drilling method and, for bonded anchors, temperature range, hole condition, installation direction and working life. The scope can differ between these combinations within one ETA: an injection system may, for example, cover threaded rods in both hammer-drilled and diamond-cored holes, but internally threaded inserts only in hammer-drilled holes.
A value can therefore only be used for a fastening whose configuration matches the one for which it is given. See cracked vs uncracked concrete.
Use in design
The designer establishes the loads and the connection geometry: anchor layout, embedment, member thickness, edge distances and spacing. The ETA supplies the product data for that configuration, and the design method, usually EN 1992-4, combines them with the geometry to verify every relevant failure mode, including partial factors and edge, spacing and group effects. The resistance of the fastening is the result of this calculation; see characteristic, design and recommended loads.
The embedment, drilling method and setting or curing conditions used in the calculation define the installation required on site.
ETA, declaration and CE marking
For products not fully covered by a harmonised product standard, the ETA is the route to CE marking.
| Document or marking | Role |
|---|---|
| ETA | The TAB's record of the assessed performance and intended use |
| Declaration of performance | The manufacturer's statement of the declared performance, for which it is responsible |
| CE marking | The manufacturer's indication that the product conforms to its declared performance |
Under Regulation (EU) No 305/2011, the manufacturer issues a Declaration of Performance (DoP); Regulation (EU) 2024/3110 introduces the Declaration of Performance and Conformity (DoPC). Which applies during the transition depends on the regulatory basis of the product. CE marking also requires the specified assessment and verification of constancy of performance, including factory production control and third-party tasks. The design of the fastening remains the responsibility of the designer.
Document identification
The ETA number and issue date are recorded with the product specification, and the trade name, anchor variant and steel element are checked against the product supplied. A revised ETA can keep its number while changing its scope, installation conditions or data, so the complete document, including its annexes, is kept with the design.
The ETA database lists issued assessments. For the arrangement of fixture and anchor, see installation arrangements for concrete anchors.