Finland has established mandatory technical and type approval requirements for multilayer pipes and couplings used in building water supply systems to ensure safety and performance.
Finland’s Ministry of the Environment has notified the European Commission of two draft decrees that reset the rules for multilayer water pipes and their fittings sold for buildings, with the European Union’s standstill period running until early December 20261.
In short, Finland is keeping its strict national rules on strength, heat, corrosion and marking for these pipes. It is removing only its own drinking-water hygiene rules, because an EU procedure under the Drinking Water Directive will now cover that question1.
What are the two Finnish pipe decrees?
The first draft is the Decree on essential technical requirements for multilayer pipes and their fittings used in the water supply systems of buildings1. It was registered with the Commission as notification 2026/0462/FI on Sept. 2, 20261. Essential technical requirements are the minimum performance rules that a building product must meet in Finland.
The second draft amends the decree on the type approval of the same pipes and fittings2. Type approval is a national approval: a body checks a product by testing, and the approval then shows that the product meets Finland’s requirements2. This draft was registered as notification 2026/0475/FI and listed on Sept. 14, 20263.
Both drafts cover pipes and fittings that carry drinking water and hot household water inside buildings and on properties1. Both come from the Ministry of the Environment, with the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment acting as Finland’s contact office for the notification1.
Why is Finland changing its multilayer pipe rules?
The reason is the EU Drinking Water Directive, Directive (EU) 2020/21841. Its hygiene requirements have already been put into Finnish law through rules of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health1.
That left two ministries regulating the same question. The notification says the overlapping provisions in the environment ministry’s rules "must be repealed"1. It adds that there must be no overlapping national rules on hygiene requirements1.
The environment ministry says the change will have no impact1. From now on, a maker will show that a pipe is safe for drinking water through a procedure that follows the Drinking Water Directive1.
What is being removed from the existing decrees?
In the essential requirements decree, the provisions on suitability for carrying drinking water in the existing Decree 500/2019 are repealed1. In all other respects, the decree does not change1.
In the type approval decree, Section 4 and Annex 1 of Decree 4/19 are repealed2. The type approval notice says these are the provisions on suitability for conveying drinking water, and that nothing else changes in substance3. Section 3 and several test tables in Annexes 2 and 3 are rewritten to fit the new structure2.
The rewritten Section 3 states what type approval proves. It shows that multilayer pipes and their fittings meet the essential technical requirements in section 33 of the Building Act (751/2023) and the rules issued under it2.
Which pipes and fittings are covered?
The essential requirements draft covers multilayer pipes from DN 16 to DN 110 and their fittings4. DN is the nominal size of a pipe.
Minimum fitting opening, % of pipe opening
The draft defines the goods in plain terms:
- A multilayer pipe has a wall with at least two pressure-resistant layers, made of plastic or of plastic and metal together4.
- A multilayer pipe fitting is made of plastic or a corrosion-resistant material and is fixed to the pipe mechanically4.
- A pipe system is the pipes together with the fittings that join them4.
The type approval tables separate "M pipes", which have a metal layer, from "P pipes", which are all plastic2. Fittings are split into metal fittings and plastic fittings2.
What must the pipes and fittings meet?
The pipe system must be designed for a continuous water temperature of 70 °C, a short-term temperature of 95 °C and a water pressure of 1 megapascal4. Its service life must be at least 50 years4.
Key technical limits for multilayer pipes
| Requirement | Limit |
|---|---|
| Design conditions | 70 °C continuous, 95 °C short-term, 1 megapascal |
| Service life | At least 50 years |
| Light let through | No more than 0.2% of visible light |
| Dezincification depth | No more than 200 micrometres |
| Layer bonding, M pipes | At least 15 newtons per centimetre |
| Seal loss after 3,000 hours | No more than 30% |
Inside and outside surfaces must be smooth and clean, with no visible scratches or defects4. Fittings must have no sharp edges, and pipe ends must be cut cleanly and square4. A plastic pipe or fitting exposed to light must not let through more than 0.2% of visible light4.
Fittings and their metal compression rings must be made of corrosion-resistant material4. Dezincification, the loss of zinc that weakens brass in water, may reach no more than 200 micrometres in depth4. A maker need not prove this if the fitting holds no more than 15% zinc4. Brass parts must show no stress corrosion4.
Other rules cover the build of each part:
- Fitting opening: the flow opening must be at least 30% of the pipe’s opening for sizes up to 20, rising to 60% for sizes of 50 and above4.
- Layer bonding: in M pipes, the metal film must stick to the inner layer with at least 15 newtons per centimetre in a pull test4.
- Seals: rubber seals may lose no more than 30% after 3,000 hours in water at 110 °C, and may swell by no more than 15% after 7 days at 95 °C4.
- Fittings: an installer must be able to see that the pipe is pushed fully into a compression fitting, and push-in fittings may be removed only with tools4.
How must multilayer pipes be marked?
Makers must mark pipes and fittings permanently so that each one can be identified and traced4. On pipes, the marks may be no more than one metre apart and must stay readable after storage and installation4.
The pipe mark must show at least these details4:
- the maker’s name or brand;
- the outer diameter and wall thickness, for example 16 x 2 mm;
- the pipe’s layers, for example PE-Xb/Al/PE-Xb;
- the temperatures, 70°C/95°C, and the pressure, 1 MPa (10 bar);
- the class, Class 2/10 bar, and production time and place.
Fittings must show the maker’s name or brand and the size. Brass fittings must also carry the symbol "CR" or "DZR", which shows they resist dezincification4.
How does testing work for type approval?
Makers must find the technical properties of their products by testing4. The test method must be one generally approved in a European Economic Area country or in Turkey4. On request, makers must give the methods and results to a builder and to building and market surveillance authorities4.
For type approval, the amended Annex 2 sets which properties are tested and on how many samples2. For M pipes, these include appearance, dimensions, long-term strength, heat resistance, welded joints and delamination, which is the separation of layers2. A full type test covers all of them. A smaller change, such as a new adhesive or a wider product range, needs only some tests2.
Fittings are tested for dimensions and, for metal fittings, for material, dezincification and stress corrosion2. The joined pipe system is tested for tightness under pressure, bending, temperature change and suction, and for pulling strength2.
What checks continue after approval?
Annex 3 sets the ongoing quality-control checks once a product is approved2. Rigid pipes face tests of appearance, dimensions, delamination and pressure resistance at 95 °C for at least 1,000 hours2. Each test uses 3 samples per size group per year2.
For fittings, material makeup is checked once every one to two years2. Seals are analysed once a year for each material2. Pipe system tests use 3 pieces per size in 2 sizes each year, and the sizes tested must change every year2.
When will the pipe decrees take effect?
The drafts do not yet carry a date. Each states only that it will enter into force on a date still to be filled in2. Both were notified under the EU’s rules for draft technical regulations, Directive (EU) 2015/15351.
Dates for the two draft decrees
That standstill period ends on Dec. 3, 2026 for the essential requirements draft1. For the type approval draft, the comment period ends on Dec. 4, 20263.
For makers abroad and importers, the practical change is small. The strength, heat, corrosion and marking rules stay as they are1. The proof of drinking-water safety moves to the procedure under the Drinking Water Directive1.
Key points on Finland’s multilayer pipe decrees
The table sums up the two draft decrees.
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| What changes? | National drinking-water hygiene rules repealed |
| Who issued it? | Finland’s Ministry of the Environment |
| Which goods? | Multilayer pipes and fittings for building water systems |
| Which sizes? | DN 16 to DN 110 |
| Design limits | 70 °C continuous, 95 °C short-term, 1 MPa |
| Service life | At least 50 years |
| Hygiene rules now | Drinking Water Directive (EU) 2020/2184 |
| Approval route | Finnish type approval under Building Act 751/2023 |
| Brass fitting mark | "CR" or "DZR" |
| EU notifications | 2026/0462/FI and 2026/0475/FI |
| Standstill ends | Dec. 3 and Dec. 4, 2026 |
The next date is Dec. 3, 2026, when the standstill on the first draft ends1. After that, Finland can adopt the decrees, and the drinking-water test for these pipes will follow the EU procedure rather than Finnish type approval.
Sources
- ↩ tris-notification-28543.pdf https://technical-regulation-information-system.ec.europa.eu/en/notification/28543/print
- ↩ Ministeriön asetus — D / EN https://technical-regulation-information-system.ec.europa.eu/en/notification/28556/text/D/EN
- ↩ Detail / SWITEC https://www.switec.info/de/notifikationen/detail/?nr=2026/0475/FI&id=105538
- ↩ Ministeriön asetus — D / EN https://technical-regulation-information-system.ec.europa.eu/en/notification/28543/text/D/EN