EN 442 Radiators and Convectors

The “EN 442 Radiators and convectors” standard, which is a European standard, consists of the following sections published under the same title:

• The standard "EN 442-1 Part 1: Technical specifications and requirements" describes the technical specifications and requirements for radiators and convectors to be installed in heating systems in buildings, including the assessment and verification of continuity of performance. This standard covers radiators and convectors permanently installed in construction works, fed with water or steam at temperatures below 120°C and powered by a remote energy source. This standard does not apply to stand-alone heating appliances. This standard also defines additional common data that manufacturers must provide with the product to ensure its correct application.

For the purposes of this standard, the following terms and definitions apply:

• Heating device: It is a device that aims to transfer heat in order to provide certain temperature conditions inside buildings.
• Standalone heating appliance: A standalone heating appliance that does not need to be connected to a remote energy source (e.g. a boiler) because it contains its own energy source (e.g. gas-fired appliances, electric appliances, air-to-air heat pump appliances).
• Radiator: It is a heating device manufactured from different materials (e.g. steel, aluminum, cast iron) and with different designs (e.g. plate type, column type, pipe type, finned tube type), which radiates heat by free convection and radiation.
• Sectional heating devices (mostly applied to radiators): A heating device manufactured and marketed in sections of the same design, which can be combined into modular assemblies to achieve the desired output.
• Free convection heating device: A heating device that does not contain a fan or similar device to activate air flow over the heat emitter.
• Convector: A heating device that radiates heat almost entirely by free convection. It consists of at least one radiator and a casing that provides an unheated convective chimney at a specified height.

Dimensional deviations must not exceed the tolerances in the manufacturer's drawings. In any case, they must not exceed those specified in the table provided in this standard. The manufacturer must implement a quality control system to ensure that products comply with the tolerances specified in the drawings submitted to the laboratory for type testing. The wall thickness of cast iron, cast aluminum, or extruded aluminum radiators is equal to the nominal drawing dimensions minus the tolerance in the table provided in EN 442-2.

The material properties and wall thickness of the wet heating surface are determined as follows:

• Steel radiators (radiators made from sheet steel or coil): The wet heating surface materials of steel radiators must be made of low-carbon steel sheet, free of scale and rust, and in accordance with EN 10130 and EN 10131 standards. The thickness of the steel sheet used on wet surfaces must not be less than 1,11 mm.
• Cast iron radiators: These radiators must be manufactured from grey cast iron complying with ISO 185. The wet wall thickness must not be less than 2,5 mm.
• Die-cast aluminium alloy radiators: These radiators must be manufactured from alloy EN AB 46000 or EN AB 46100. The wet wall thickness must not be less than 1,5 mm.
• Extruded aluminium alloy radiators: These radiators must be manufactured from EN AW-6060 wrought aluminium alloy in accordance with EN 573-3. The wet wall thickness must not be less than 1,1 mm.
• Tubular radiators: The material properties and thickness of the pipes used in their production should depend on the pipe size, profile, and installation process. The wall thickness of the pipe used should not be less than 0,8 mm.
• Finned tube convectors: The pipe wall thickness must not be less than 0,8 mm for steel pipes and 0,3 mm for copper pipes.
• Other materials of different quality and thickness may be used provided they are tested and declared as specified in this standard.

This standard specifies the laboratory regulations and test methods to be adopted, acceptable tolerances, criteria for selecting samples for testing, and for verifying the conformity of existing production with the samples tested in the initial test. It also defines additional common data that manufacturers must provide with the product to ensure proper application. This standard does not apply to fan radiators, fan convectors, trench convectors, or stand-alone heating appliances.

Heating appliances must be divided into groups and types according to the definition in this standard. A group may contain different types. For the purpose of determining catalogue outputs, a group must be divided into several distinct types (for example, a radiator family may contain single or double panels with or without convector surfaces, using the same basic components). The output power of each model must not exceed 3500 W, and the minimum thermal output of the selected model must not be less than 200 W at the standard overtemperature. At the manufacturer's request, lower thermal output may be tested, and any deviation from the previous requirements must be recorded in the test report.

To determine the thermal outputs of a type, the models to be tested are selected as follows:

• For the selection of models to be tested when the variable characteristic dimension (overall height) and the variable part cross-section are constant, if a type includes only models with heights of 300 mm or more, models to be tested within that type should be selected. If the type also includes heights below 300 mm, the minimum height below 300 mm should also be tested in addition to the models above. For a type where all heights are below 300 mm, only the minimum and maximum heights should be tested.
• The minimum number of models to be tested within a type is determined by the height range shown in the table.
• The minimum length of finned coils for the models to be tested must be 1 m or the closest equivalent. For convectors with skirting boards only, the finned coil length must be the closest equivalent to 3 m. For section radiators with a height of up to 1 m, the minimum number of sections must be 10 or the minimum length must be 0,8 m. For section radiators with a height of more than 1 m, the minimum length must be 0,45 m.
• If the height is 1 m or less, there must be three models to be tested: the minimum and maximum height of the range and an intermediate height that will ensure that the height has an equal or greater value.
• If the height is between 1 m and 2,5 m, there should be four models to be tested: the minimum and maximum height of the range and two intermediate heights such that the height is the closest to the values ​​given in the standard.

This standard stems from the recognition that the heating devices covered below are evaluated according to their thermal output. Therefore, to evaluate and compare different devices, it is essential to refer to a single prescribed value, hereinafter referred to as the standard thermal output.

The compliance of the radiator/convector model or type with the EN 442-1 standard must cover:

• Fire response class
• Release of hazardous substances
• Pressure sealing
• Rated thermal output
• Thermal output under different operating conditions
• Durability (corrosion resistance of pretreatment and paint)
• Catalog data
• Marking and labeling

Eligibility includes:

• Initial evaluation of radiator / convector samples
• Maintaining compliance with the radiator/convector production

Our organization, which has been operating for many years and meticulously follows global developments in science and technology, employs a skilled team and extensive infrastructure to conduct testing, measurement, and analysis in a wide range of areas for businesses across all sectors. In this context, we also provide testing services in accordance with the EN 442 Radiators and Convectors standard.