Technical documents to ask a concrete products supplier for, before you specify or order

Before you specify concrete coping, pier caps, brick slips or stone cladding from a supplier you have not used before, the documents tell you more than the photos. This checklist covers what to ask for with a quotation, and why each document matters.

1. The technical data sheet

The data sheet is the starting point. For each product, it should give:

• dimensions and tolerances (for coping and pier caps: length, width, overhang and drip; for slips: length, height, thickness);
• weight per piece and per box or per m²;
• colours and finishes, with the product codes;
• packing: pieces per box, boxes per pallet;
• intended use: internal, external, on which substrates.

Ask for the current sheet, with a date. Catalogue pages and old PDFs may describe a previous version of the product.

2. Installation instructions

Installation instructions show what the manufacturer has planned for: the substrate, the adhesive or mortar, joint widths, how corners and edges are finished and how water is kept off the wall. If you are cladding over an external thermal insulation system (ETICS), the insulation system’s own documentation decides as well: EAD 040287-00-0404 provides an assessment framework for ETICS kits with insulation panels and discontinuous exterior cladding (EOTA). Ask for the system’s European Technical Assessment (ETA) and installation instructions for the exact configuration. The EAD alone does not establish that a particular Ristone cladding is compatible with a system.

3. Declaration of performance and CE marking

Under Regulation (EU) No 305/2011, where a harmonised standard covers a product or a European Technical Assessment has been issued for it, the manufacturer draws up a declaration of performance (DoP) and affixes CE marking, subject to the regulation’s exceptions. The DoP states the product’s performance for its essential characteristics.

The legal framework is changing. Regulation (EU) 2024/3110 applies in its main part from 8 January 2026, but product families move to it one by one: a product covered by a standard cited under the old Regulation (EU) No 305/2011 in principle follows the old rules until a new harmonised standard is cited. The old regulation is repealed in 2039, while the new framework introduces a declaration of performance and conformity and provides for a digital product passport integrating it (European Commission, CPR 2024 revision).

In practice: ask the supplier which framework applies to the product and for the applicable declaration and CE marking information where required. If a required document is unavailable, resolve that with the supplier and specifier before specifying or ordering. Do not assume a performance class from the product type.

4. Test reports for what your project needs

Some projects need evidence for a specific property, for example freeze-thaw resistance for coping in a cold climate, or reaction to fire on a building where the rules require it. If the DoP does not cover the property you need, ask whether a test report exists, which standard it follows and when it was issued.

For tall residential buildings in England, see the external-wall fire requirement in our brick slips guide.

5. Batch and delivery information

For a large order, ask how the batch is identified on boxes or pallets and whether the whole quantity can come from one batch. Concrete pigmented through the mix can show small shade differences between batches.

What to send with your enquiry

1. the products, sizes and quantities;
2. the substrate and the intended use;
3. the documents your project needs (DoP, test reports, data sheets);
4. the delivery country and timeline.

Ristone confirms with the quotation which documents exist for each product. See technical data or send your project enquiry.