Direct Answer: Under EN 10204, both Type 3.1 and Type 3.2 inspection certificates report actual chemical, mechanical, and non-destructive test results from the specific production heat (melt batch) poured for your castings. An EN 10204 3.1 certificate is validated and signed by the foundry’s own inspection representative independent of the production department, whereas an EN 10204 3.2 certificate is co-signed by both the foundry’s independent QC inspector and an authorized third-party inspection agency (such as TÜV, Lloyd’s Register, DNV, or BV) or the purchaser’s designated representative after witnessing mechanical testing and heat-number verification.
Direct Foundry & CNC Manufacturing — Pingdu, Qingdao
Qingdao Yucheng Machine (YCUMETAL) operates a 34,000 m² integrated casting and CNC machining facility in Pingdu, Qingdao (approx. 50 km from Qingdao Port). We pour and finish-machine stainless steel, carbon & alloy steel, ductile/grey iron, aluminum, and copper/bronze alloys across silica-sol investment casting, sand casting, lost foam, gravity, and low-pressure casting.
✓ IATF 16949 & ISO 9001 Certified | ✓ EN 10204 3.1 MTR + Spectrometer, Industrial CT & CMM Inspection | ✓ 24h Engineering DFM & Quote
1. Side-by-Side Comparison: EN 10204 Type 2.1, 2.2, 3.1, and 3.2 for Castings
When sourcing pressure-retaining valve bodies (ASTM A216 WCB, ASTM A351 CF8M), pump casings, or structural brackets (ASTM A536 ductile iron), specifying the correct EN 10204 certification level on the purchase order prevents customs or PED compliance rejections:
| Certificate Type | Basis of Inspection | Heat-Specific Test Values Included? | Validating Signatory | Typical Casting Application |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EN 10204 Type 2.1 | Non-specific inspection | No (Statement of compliance with PO only) | Manufacturer | Non-critical architectural hardware, decorative covers |
| EN 10204 Type 2.2 | Non-specific inspection | Typical / historical statistical values (not from actual heat) | Manufacturer | General hardware where heat traceability is not required |
| EN 10204 Type 3.1 | Specific inspection per melt heat & heat-treatment lot | Yes — actual OES chemistry, tensile, yield, elongation, hardness & impact values from the poured heat | Foundry’s authorized inspection representative (independent of melting/production) | Standard for industrial automotive, construction, automation, and PED/AD 2000-W0 qualified foundries |
| EN 10204 Type 3.2 | Specific inspection with independent witness | Yes — actual heat test values witnessed from stamped test bars | Foundry QC inspector PLUS third-party Notified Body (TÜV, DNV, LR, BV) or buyer’s inspector | Offshore subsea manifolds, nuclear/critical refinery valves, non-PED-certified foundry pressure parts |
2. What Must Appear on a Compliant Casting EN 10204 3.1 Mill Test Report (MTR)?
A legally valid EN 10204 3.1 certificate for metal castings is far more than a one-page summary. At YCUMETAL, every shipment’s 3.1 MTR package documents:
- Unique Heat Number & Lot Traceability: Directly linking the physical heat code cast or laser-etched onto the component to the induction furnace melt log and keel-block test coupon.
- Ladle Chemical Analysis (OES): Mass percentages of all specified elements and maximum residuals (e.g., C, Mn, Si, P, S, Cr, Ni, Mo, Cu, V; plus carbon equivalent CE for ASTM A216 WCB or ferrite balance for CF8M).
- Heat Treatment Furnace Chart Reference: Solution annealing temperature and water-quench record (e.g., ≥1,040 °C for austenitic stainless per ASTM A351/A743) or normalizing/tempering cycle.
- Mechanical Properties from Separately or Integrally Cast Keel Blocks: Ultimate tensile strength (Rm, MPa), 0.2% offset yield strength (Rp0.2, MPa), elongation (A, %), reduction of area (Z, %), Brinell/Rockwell hardness, and Charpy V-notch impact energy (Joules at -29 °C, -46 °C, or -101 °C when specified).
- NDT & Hydrostatic / Dimensional Supplements: Radiographic / Industrial CT soundness level, dye penetrant (PT), magnetic particle (MT), and CMM dimensional report references.
3. How Heat Traceability & 3.2 Witnessing Work at YCUMETAL
In our 34,000 m² Pingdu facility, we pour keel-block test bars alongside every production heat across lost-wax investment casting and sand casting. Every batch receives an EN 10204 3.1 MTR as standard. When a project requires EN 10204 3.2 certification, we stamp the keel blocks in the presence of the third-party surveyor (TÜV, SGS, BV, DNV, or Lloyd’s), heat-treat the test coupons in the same furnace basket as the castings, and perform tensile, Charpy impact, and spectrometer verification under live witness. Contact our quality team via /contact/ to review sample 3.1/3.2 MTR packages.
Frequently Asked Questions (Engineering FAQ)
Can an EN 10204 3.1 certificate be upgraded to 3.2 after the castings are already machined?
Only if retained, heat-stamped keel blocks or sacrificial castings from the exact same melt heat and heat-treatment batch are available for witness testing by the third-party inspector (or by cutting specimens from a production casting). It is always faster and more economical to specify EN 10204 3.2 before pouring so the inspector can stamp the test coupons prior to heat treatment.
Does YCUMETAL provide EN 10204 3.1 certificates with every production shipment?
Yes. Every production batch poured at our Pingdu foundry includes a full EN 10204 3.1 Material Test Report covering OES ladle chemistry, mechanical properties from heat-matched test bars, heat-treatment records, and CMM dimensional inspection reports.
How does EN 10204 3.1 relate to PED 2014/68/EU for pressure equipment castings?
Under European Pressure Equipment Directive (PED 2014/68/EU) Annex I Section 4.3, main pressure-bearing parts in Category II, III, and IV equipment require specific product control certification: EN 10204 3.1 if the material manufacturer holds an accredited quality system for materials (such as ISO 9001 + PED/AD 2000-W0 assessment by a European Notified Body), or EN 10204 3.2 otherwise.
Related Foundry Specifications & Engineering Guides
Core Capabilities: Quality Assurance System · In-House CT, CMM & OES Lab · Energy & Pressure Equipment Castings · Pillar Guide: EN 10204 3.1 vs 3.2 Material Certificates for Metal Castings: MTR, Heat Traceability & PED Guide
- Heat Treatment for Cast Steel Parts: How It Affects Strength, Hardness, Distortion, and Machining
- Casting Defects Guide: How OEM Buyers Identify, Prevent, and Resolve Common Metal Casting Problems
- Heat Treatment for Castings: How OEM Buyers Specify and Understand Heat Treatment Requirements
- Custom Metal Parts Quality Inspection Checklist: What OEM Buyers Should Verify Before Accepting Parts
- Sand Casting Defects: A Buyer's Guide to Prevention, Detection, and Remedy
Casting Defects, Non-Destructive Testing (NDT), Inspection & Heat Treatment Directory (66 Technical Guides)
Direct Foundry & Industry Solutions: Quality Assurance System · In-House CT, CMM & OES Lab · Energy & Pressure Equipment Castings
- Heat Treatment for Cast Steel Parts: How It Affects Strength, Hardness, Distortion, and Machining
- Casting Defects Guide: How OEM Buyers Identify, Prevent, and Resolve Common Metal Casting Problems
- Heat Treatment for Castings: How OEM Buyers Specify and Understand Heat Treatment Requirements
- Custom Metal Parts Quality Inspection Checklist: What OEM Buyers Should Verify Before Accepting Parts
- Sand Casting Defects: A Buyer's Guide to Prevention, Detection, and Remedy
- Cast Clamp Support Surface Design: How Buyers Prevent Distortion During Machining and Inspection
- Cast CMM Probe Access Planning: How Buyers Make Inspection More Reliable and Less Expensive
- Cast Inspection Access Design: How Buyers Make Sure Critical Areas Can Actually Be Checked
- Datum Pad Placement on Castings: How Buyers Create Better Machining and Inspection Truth
- Local Reinforcement Strategy in Castings: How Buyers Add Strength Without Triggering Defects
- Mounting Ear Design on Castings: How Buyers Avoid Cracks, Distortion, and Machining Instability
- Isolated Boss Design on Castings: How Buyers Add Features Without Creating Porosity Magnets
- Thermal Hot Spot Reduction in Castings: How Buyers Lower Shrinkage Risk Through Better Geometry
- Mold Venting Considerations for Castings: How Buyers Reduce Gas Defects Before They Start
- Annealing vs Normalizing: The Difference That Matters for Castings
- Quenching and Tempering: What It Does to Steel Castings
- NDT Methods for Castings: MPI, DPT, UT and RT Compared
- Free-State Inspection for Machined Castings: How Buyers Judge the Part That Ships, Not the Part in the Fixture
- Heat Treatment of Steel Castings: Annealing, Normalizing, Q&T and Solution Treatment
- CMM Inspection for Castings: What It Measures and When to Require It
- Machined vs As-Cast Reference Surfaces: How Buyers Stop Mixed Geometry From Confusing Production and Inspection
- Boss Design for Castings: How Buyers Prevent Sink, Porosity, and Thread Failures Before Tooling
- Rib Design for Castings: How Buyers Add Strength Without Creating Shrinkage and Machining Trouble
- CMM Inspection for Cast and Machined Parts: What Buyers Should Expect From a Useful Report
- Casting Wall Thickness Design: How Buyers Avoid Shrinkage, Porosity, and Costly Rework
- Incoming Inspection Plan for Metal Parts: How Buyers Set Sampling, Severity, and Release Rules
- Material Certificates for Custom Metal Parts: How Buyers Verify What They Are Actually Receiving
- Dimensional Inspection Report for Custom Metal Parts: What Buyers Should Request and Review
- Quality Inspection Checklist for Metal Parts: What OEM Buyers Must Check on Every Incoming Order
- First Article Inspection vs Mass Production: How OEM Buyers Should Manage the Transition
- Casting Porosity Acceptance Criteria: What Buyers Should Reject, Rework, or Approve
- Casting Shrinkage Allowance: How Buyers Prevent Size Drift Before Tooling Starts
- Control Chart for Machined Parts: How Buyers Use Process Signals to Catch Drift Before Defects Spread
- Last-Off Inspection for Machined Parts: Why the Last Piece Matters Before the Batch Closes
- First-Off Inspection for Machined Parts: Why Buyers Should Care Before Full Production Starts
- Source Inspection for Custom Metal Parts: When Buyers Should Check at the Supplier Before Shipment
- Lot Traceability for Custom Metal Parts: How Buyers Link Material, Process, and Inspection Data
- Perpendicularity Control for Machined Parts: How Setup, Datum Strategy, and Inspection Affect Results
- Ballooned Drawings for Inspection Reports: Why Buyers Need Them and How Suppliers Should Use Them
- Incoming Inspection for Custom Metal Parts: What Buyers Should Check Before Parts Enter Production
- AQL Sampling for Metal Parts Inspection: When Buyers Should Use It and When They Should Not
- Measurement Uncertainty in Dimensional Inspection: What Buyers Need to Understand Before Rejecting Parts
- X-Ray vs CT Scan for Castings: Which Inspection Method Buyers Should Use and Why
- Visual Inspection Standards for Castings: What Buyers Can Check, What They Cannot, and How to Write Clear Acceptance Rules
- Runout Inspection for Machined Shafts: What Buyers Should Measure and How to Avoid Assembly Problems
- First Piece Approval vs First Article Inspection: What Buyers Should Ask for and When
- Gauge R&R for Metal Parts Inspection: Why Measurement Systems Fail Before Production Does
- Coating Thickness Inspection for Metal Parts: What Buyers Should Measure and How to Read the Report
- GD&T for Cast Parts: How Buyers Use Datums and Tolerances Without Creating Inspection Chaos
- Datum Selection for Machined Parts: How Buyers and Suppliers Prevent Inspection Confusion
- Vacuum Impregnation for Castings: When It Solves Porosity and When It Does Not
- Sealing Surface Machining for Cast Housings: How Finish, Flatness, and Porosity Affect Leak Risk
- Thread Inspection for Machined Parts: Gauges, Measurement Methods, and What Buyers Should Verify
- Magnetic Particle Inspection for Castings: Where It Fits, What It Finds, and What It Can Miss
- Dye Penetrant Inspection for Castings: What Surface Defects It Finds and When to Specify It
- Ultrasonic Testing for Castings: When It Works Best and What Buyers Should Expect
- Hardness Testing for Cast Parts: What It Confirms, What It Cannot Prove, and How Buyers Should Use It
- CT Scan Inspection for Castings: When X-Ray Is Not Enough and What Buyers Learn from It
- CMM Inspection for Metal Parts: What OEM Buyers Should Verify Before Approval
- Dimensional Inspection Reports for Custom Metal Parts: What Buyers Should Request and How to Read Them
- Heat Treatment for Cast Steel Parts: How It Affects Strength, Hardness, Distortion, and Machining
- How Casting Defects Change by Process: Porosity, Shrinkage, and Misruns
- Common Casting Defects and How Engineers Prevent Them
- How Full-Dimensional Inspection Improves Part Consistency
- First Article Inspection for Custom Metal Parts: What OEM Buyers Should Check Before Production Approval
- Material Certificates, Inspection Reports, and Traceability: What OEM Buyers Need
Explore Other Master Engineering Directories: ADC12 vs A380 vs A356 Aluminum Casting Alloys: Composition, T6 Strength & Process Selection | Bronze & Copper Casting Alloys Guide: C95400 & C95800 Aluminum Bronze vs C83600 & C93200 (SAE 660) | Top Investment Casting Manufacturers: How to Audit Silica Sol Foundries & Turnkey CNC Suppliers | ISO 8062 Casting Tolerance Grades (CT4 to CT12): Investment Casting vs Sand Casting Dimensional & RMA Chart | CA15 vs CA6NM Martensitic Stainless Steel Castings (ASTM A217 / A487 / A743): Properties, Heat Treatment & Selection | GG25 Cast Iron (EN-GJL-250): Chemical Composition, Properties & ASTM A48 Class 35 / HT250 Equivalent | ASTM vs EN/DIN vs JIS vs GB Casting Material Grade Cross-Reference & Equivalent Calculator