ETA and CE marking for anchors: what do they mean for your project?

6 min read

You use anchors, threaded rods and clamps every day. When an inspector or quality assurer asks for the ETA of an anchor, you must be able to show what was installed and why that is allowed. Below you read what an ETA is, how it relates to CE marking and what to look for when you choose an anchor.

What is an ETA?

ETA stands for European Technical Assessment. An independent body tests the product and records its performance. What load may the anchor carry, in which base material, at which anchorage depth and edge distance?

On the basis of that assessment, the manufacturer applies the CE marking and draws up a declaration of performance. So CE marking does not say that a product is good. It says that the performance is tested and recorded.

Cracked or non-cracked concrete

Concrete gets hairline cracks, mainly in tension zones on the underside of floors, beams and brackets. You usually cannot see these cracks. An anchor that is assessed only for non-cracked concrete can carry much less in cracked concrete.

The ETA states for which concrete condition an anchor is approved. For structural and safety-relevant fixings, such as sprinkler pipes, you choose an anchor that is assessed for cracked concrete. You use an anchor for non-cracked concrete only when it is certain that the concrete is non-cracked and stays that way.

What is in the declaration of performance?

• Characteristic tensile resistance (N_Rk): the tensile force the anchor can take. It depends on anchor size, anchorage depth, concrete class and crack condition.
• Characteristic shear resistance (V_Rk): the force at right angles to the anchor.
• Edge distances and spacings: how close the anchor may be to a concrete edge or to another anchor.
• Anchorage depth (h_ef): how deep the anchor must sit for the stated values.
• Fire resistance: how long the anchor keeps its load capacity in a fire, for example R120 for 120 minutes.

When do you need an ETA?

The Besluit bouwwerken leefomgeving (Bbl, the Dutch building regulations) sets performance requirements and does not prescribe products. In practice, an anchor with an ETA is the usual way to show that you comply for:

• structural fixings, where failure leads to damage or injury;
• fixings that must keep carrying load in a fire;
• sprinkler systems, which are assessed against NEN-EN 12845, VdS or FM;
• projects under the Wet kwaliteitsborging (Wkb, the Dutch Building Quality Assurance Act), where the quality assurer asks for proof of the materials used.

Anchors with an ETA in our range

Documents for your project file

For each project, keep the ETA and the declaration of performance of every anchor type, together with photos of the fixing points before they are covered up. That is what an inspector or quality assurer wants to see. Fischer publishes the ETAs and declarations of performance of its anchors. Can you not find a document? Ask us, and we will look it up for you.

This article is general information, not design advice. The text was checked on 21 October 2026 against the sources below. The design of your installation and the certifying body decide what applies in your project.

Sources

• ETA-19/0520 for the FAZ II Plus (DIBt)
• fischer product page bolt anchor FAZ II Plus (in German)
• fischer product page hammerset anchor FZEA II (in German)
• fischer product page hammerset anchor EA II (in German)
• Product data per anchor in our webshop