EN 12201 is the European standard for polyethylene piping systems for water supply and for pressure drainage and sewerage. It is the document written into tenders from Ireland to Romania, and its requirements are the ones a European client's inspector will hold a pipe against. Since its 2011 revision it has been aligned with ISO 4427, so the dimension tables, material classes and test regimes are the same; what differs is the wording, the colour and marking rules, and the fact that EN 12201 is the reference for European product certification.
Its five parts mirror ISO 4427: Part 1 general and material, Part 2 pipes, Part 3 fittings, Part 4 valves, Part 5 fitness for purpose of the system. Part 2 defines pipe as black, blue, or black with blue stripes for water; black with brown or other identification for pressure sewer. Coloured or striped pipe uses the same PE100 compound, but only black pipe carries the carbon black that permits unlimited outdoor storage.
Batch testing follows the same pattern as ISO 4427 — hydrostatic strength at 20 °C and 80 °C, MFR, OIT, carbon black content and dispersion, reversion, tensile strength of butt-fused joints — and the certificate of conformity should quote the batch results. European projects normally add a third-party product certificate on top: DVGW in Germany, KIWA in the Netherlands, WRAS or BSI Kitemark in the UK. Those are separate schemes, granted to the compound and the manufacturer, not implied by EN 12201 itself.
We produce and mark to EN 12201-2 on request, with black, blue-striped and blue pipe. Where a tender asks for a national approval as well, tell us which one at the enquiry stage — the material grade may be fixed by the approval, and that has to be settled before extrusion, not at inspection.
Key features
- Five parts, technically aligned with ISO 4427 since 2011
- Water pipe colours: black, blue, or black with blue stripes; only black stores outdoors indefinitely
- PE80 and PE100, SDR 41 to SDR 6, PN 3.2 to PN 25 at C = 1.25
- Batch tests as ISO 4427 plus butt-fusion joint tensile test
- National approvals (DVGW, KIWA, WRAS) sit on top of the standard, not inside it
Specifications
| Full title | Plastics piping systems for water supply, and for drainage and sewerage under pressure — Polyethylene (PE) |
|---|---|
| Parts | 12201-1 General · 12201-2 Pipes · 12201-3 Fittings · 12201-4 Valves · 12201-5 Fitness for purpose |
| Relationship | Aligned with ISO 4427; identical dimensions and material classes |
| Colours | Black, blue, black with blue stripes (water); black with brown stripes (pressure sewer) |
| Size range | DN16 to DN2500 |
| Typical add-on approvals | DVGW (DE), KIWA (NL), WRAS / Kitemark (UK), ÖVGW (AT), SVGW (CH) |