Building Product Conformity Evidence Pathways in Australia

What it is

The National Construction Code does not list every approved product. Instead, it sets Performance Requirements and asks the person using the product to prove that this particular product meets them. The proof is called evidence of suitability. The rules sit in NCC Part A5, and the practical detail is in clause A5G2 of NCC 2022.

If a product is being installed in a Class 1 to 10 building anywhere in Australia, the builder, certifier or designer needs to be able to point at one of the accepted forms of evidence before that product goes in. The state regulators inspect against this requirement, and a surveyor who signs off without it is exposed.

The five accepted forms of evidence

NCC A5G2 lists the forms of evidence that may be used, alone or in combination. The list is closed. If a document does not fit one of these five categories, it is not evidence of suitability under the NCC.

1. CodeMark Certificate of Conformity

A current CodeMark certificate from a Conformity Assessment Body accredited by JAS-ANZ is the strongest form for a manufactured product. It lists the Performance Requirements the product meets and the scope of use. Surveyors in every state accept it without further question, provided the install matches the scope.

2. JAS-ANZ Certificate of Accreditation

A certificate issued by a product certification body that is itself accredited by JAS-ANZ. This is the broader category that CodeMark sits inside. Other JAS-ANZ schemes can issue certificates that the NCC accepts.

3. Accredited Testing Laboratory report

A report from a laboratory accredited by the National Association of Testing Authorities (NATA) for the specific test method. The report shows the product was tested to a defined standard (an AS/NZS standard, a relevant ISO method or an NCC-cited test) and the result. This is the usual evidence for fire-rated assemblies, structural connections and many imported products.

4. Professional engineer or qualified person certificate

A statement from a Registered Professional Engineer in the relevant discipline that the product or design satisfies the Performance Requirements. The engineer takes personal liability. Common for Performance Solutions on bespoke structural items and for site-specific designs.

5. Other documentary evidence

A catch-all for documentation that demonstrates suitability, for example a Product Technical Statement, manufacturer literature with supporting test data or in-service history. The bar is higher than a brochure. The surveyor has to be satisfied the evidence is enough for the level of risk.

Which form fits which product

The choice of pathway depends on the product, the risk and the project. A few rules of thumb hold across most jobs.

Mass-manufactured products that go in by the thousand, such as plasterboard, cladding panels, fixings and waterproof membranes, are usually evidenced by CodeMark or by a current NATA test report against the relevant AS/NZS standard. Buying these without the cert sheet is asking for trouble at frame inspection.

Custom or one-off items, such as a steel transfer beam or a Performance Solution for an unusual facade detail, are usually evidenced by a professional engineer certificate. The engineer must be registered in the state and qualified in the discipline.

Plumbing and drainage products are different. They sit under NCC Volume Three and require WaterMark certification under the WaterMark Certification Scheme. CodeMark and the other A5G2 pathways do not apply to plumbing items inside a regulated installation.

Where it goes wrong

Three failure modes show up over and over. The first is expired or withdrawn CodeMark certificates. The certificate had a five-year life and the product changed. The supplier still has the old PDF. The surveyor checks the public register and rejects it.

The second is scope mismatch. The certificate covers the panel system at heights up to 10 metres in Class 1a use. The job is a Class 2 building at 15 metres. The product is fine. The evidence is not.

The third is a test report for a different product. Suppliers sometimes hand over a NATA report that tested an earlier version, a different thickness or a different fixing. Read the product name and revision on the report and confirm it matches the SKU on the delivery docket.

Paper trail to keep on the job

Three documents per regulated product, filed in the job folder before the product is installed: the current evidence (CodeMark, JAS-ANZ, NATA report, engineer cert or PTS), the supplier delivery docket that names the same product and a photo or batch number that ties the docket to what physically arrived. With those three items aligned, the audit defence is straightforward. Without them, the surveyor's signature carries the risk.