BS EN 1412:2016

BSI Standards Publication

Copper and copper alloys —

European numbering system
BS EN 1412:2016 BRITISH STANDARD

National foreword
This British Standard is the UK implementation of EN 1412:2016.
It supersedes BS EN 1412:1996 which is withdrawn.
The UK participation in its preparation was entrusted to Technical
Committee NFE/34, Copper and copper alloys.
A list of organizations represented on this committee can be
obtained on request to its secretary.
This publication does not purport to include all the necessary
provisions of a contract. Users are responsible for its correct
application.
© The British Standards Institution 2016.
Published by BSI Standards Limited 2016
ISBN 978 0 580 92585 6
ICS 77.120.30
Compliance with a British Standard cannot confer immunity from
legal obligations.
This British Standard was published under the authority of the
Standards Policy and Strategy Committee on 31 December 2016.
Amendments/corrigenda issued since publication
Date Text affected
 BS EN 1412:2016

EUROPEAN STANDARD EN 1412

NORME EUROPÉENNE
EUROPÄISCHE NORM November 2016

ICS 77.120.30 Supersedes EN 1412:1995

English Version

Copper and copper alloys - European numbering system

Cuivre et alliages de cuivre - Système européen de Kupfer und Kupferlegierungen - Europäisches
désignation numérique Werkstoffnummernsystem

This European Standard was approved by CEN on 30 September 2016.

CEN members are bound to comply with the CEN/CENELEC Internal Regulations which stipulate the conditions for giving this
European Standard the status of a national standard without any alteration. Up-to-date lists and bibliographical references
concerning such national standards may be obtained on application to the CEN-CENELEC Management Centre or to any CEN
member.

This European Standard exists in three official versions (English, French, German). A version in any other language made by
translation under the responsibility of a CEN member into its own language and notified to the CEN-CENELEC Management
Centre has the same status as the official versions.

CEN members are the national standards bodies of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia,
Finland, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania,
Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and
United Kingdom.

EUROPEAN COMMITTEE FOR STANDARDIZATION

COMITÉ EUROPÉEN DE NORMALISATION
EUROPÄISCHES KOMITEE FÜR NORMUNG

CEN-CENELEC Management Centre: Avenue Marnix 17, B-1000 Brussels

© 2016 CEN All rights of exploitation in any form and by any means reserved Ref. No. EN 1412:2016 E
worldwide for CEN national Members.
BS EN 1412:2016
EN 1412:2016 (E)

Contents Page

European foreword....................................................................................................................................................... 3
Introduction .................................................................................................................................................................... 4
1 Scope .................................................................................................................................................................... 5
2 Terms and definitions ................................................................................................................................... 5
3 Details of the system ...................................................................................................................................... 5
3.1 General ................................................................................................................................................................ 5
3.2 Structure of numbers..................................................................................................................................... 5
3.2.1 Complete number............................................................................................................................................ 5
3.2.2 Position of characters .................................................................................................................................... 5
4 Allocation and administration of material numbers ......................................................................... 6
Bibliography .................................................................................................................................................................... 7

Tables
Table 1 — Significance of positions 3 to 6 ............................................................................................................ 6

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 BS EN 1412:2016
EN 1412:2016 (E)

European foreword

This document (EN 1412:2016) has been prepared by Technical Committee CEN/TC 133 “Copper and
copper alloys”, the secretariat of which is held by DIN.

This European Standard shall be given the status of a national standard, either by publication of an
identical text or by endorsement, at the latest by May 2017, and conflicting national standards shall be
withdrawn at the latest by May 2017.

Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of
patent rights. CEN shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.

This document supersedes EN 1412:1995.

In comparison with EN 1412:1995, the following significant changes were made:

a) allocation of ranges for the numeric part of a material number to material groups;

b) addition of provisions how to assign the numeric part of a material number to individual materials;

c) removal of the provisions for not standardized materials.

According to the CEN-CENELEC Internal Regulations, the national standards organisations of the
following countries are bound to implement this European Standard: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria,
Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia,
France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta,
Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland,
Turkey and the United Kingdom.

3
BS EN 1412:2016
EN 1412:2016 (E)

Introduction

The numbering system described in this European Standard is an alternative to the material symbol
designation system given in ISO 1190-1.

4
 BS EN 1412:2016
EN 1412:2016 (E)

1 Scope
This European Standard establishes a numbering system for designation copper or copper alloys
manufactured and/or used in Europe and the responsibility for the allocation and administration of
numbers for individual copper materials.
The system is applicable to copper materials standardized in European Standards.

2 Terms and definitions

For the purposes of this document, the following term and definition applies.
2.1
copper material
general term for copper and copper alloys

3 Details of the system

3.1 General

The number shall be composed of alphabetic (upper case Latin letters) and numeric (Arabic)
characters.
The system shall provide only one number for each material. A number assigned to an individual
material shall not be assigned to another material even if the first mentioned material has been
withdrawn.
3.2 Structure of numbers
3.2.1 Complete number
The number shall consist of six characters.

3.2.2 Position of characters

3.2.2.1 General

The positions of characters are as follows:

1 2 3 4 5 6
3.2.2.2 Position 1
The character for the first position shall be the letter “C” to designate copper material.

3.2.2.3 Position 2
The character for the second position shall be one of the following letters, whose significance is given as
follows:
B materials in ingots form for remelting to produce cast products;
C materials in the form of cast products;
F filler materials for brazing and welding;
M master alloys;
R refined unwrought copper;
S materials in the form of scrap;

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BS EN 1412:2016
EN 1412:2016 (E)

W materials in the form of wrought products.

3.2.2.4 Position 3 to 5
The character for the third, fourth and fifth positions shall be a number from the range allocated to one
of the material groups given in Table 1. There is no particular significance attributed to any of these
characters within one range.
The same number shall be assigned to materials with the same chemical composition (e.g. material in
the form of wrought products and the same material in form of scrap). Materials with a different
chemical composition shall not be assigned to the same number, unless the materials are in a direct
process flow (e.g. material in ingots form for remelting to produce cast products and the corresponding
material in form of cast products).

3.2.2.5 Position 6
The character for the 6th position shall be a letter designating one of the material groups given in
Table 1. There is no particular significance attributed to any of these letters within one material group.

3.2.2.6 Examples
CW024A;
CB752S;
CC383H.

4 Allocation and administration of material numbers

NOTE CEN/TC 133 is responsible for the allocation and administration of material numbers.

Table 1 — Significance of positions 3 to 6

Material group Position 3, 4 and 5a Position 6

(a number in the range) (letter designating
material group)
Copper 000 to 099 A or B
Copper alloys, low alloyed
(less than 5 % alloying 100 to 199 C or D
elements)
Miscellaneous copper alloys
200 to 299 E or F
(5 % or more alloying elements)
Copper-aluminium alloys 300 to 349 G
Copper-nickel alloys 350 to 399 H
Copper-nickel-zinc alloys 400 to 449 J
Copper-tin alloys 450 to 499 K
Copper-zinc alloys, binary 500 to 599 L or M
Copper-zinc-lead alloys 600 to 699 N or P
Copper-zinc alloys, complex 700 to 799 R or S
a Range of 800 to 999 to be used as a reserve.

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 BS EN 1412:2016
EN 1412:2016 (E)

Bibliography

[1] ISO 1190-1, Copper and copper alloys — Code of designation — Part 1: Designation of materials

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