Steel compliance using Building Product Information Guide

In Feb 2026, National Building Products Coalition (NBPC) released its Good Practice Conformity Guide. The guide is intended to help businesses navigate conformity. As NBPC explains, “Sourcing credible and verifiable evidence often relies on conformity assessment, which is a set of processes that show a product, service or system meets the requirements of a standard. A key feature of good practice in conformity assessment is the use of impartial and accredited testing, inspection and certification (TIC) of products to establish and verify the claims of manufacturers.”

The NBPC is an industry alliance working to improve confidence in the building products used across Australia. It comprises leading organisations across the sector committed to driving change in building product assurance – crucial for public safety, and for trust, reputation, liability, risk, productivity, and a fair market for members of the construction industry (see a full list at the bottom of this article). The Coalition collaborates to help improve good practice behaviours in product conformity, through the building supply chain from manufacturers and suppliers to specifiers to those installing building products.

In aid of this goal, the NBPC created the Good Practice Conformity Guide to help manufacturers, suppliers, specifiers and installers. The guide helps these stakeholders understand their responsibilities and help meet them, for their part in the supply chain.

Australian building approval and product conformance infrastructure, which the Guide is intended to spell out, can be understood in the following diagram:

This article will explain how ACRS enables validation of conformity for certified steel suppliers within this infrastructure.

The chain of conformance infrastructure

In Australia, accreditation to undertake certification is provided by the Joint Accreditation System of Australia and New Zealand (JASANZ). A certificate from a product body accredited by JASANZ is one type of substantiation allowed to demonstrate product conformity under the National Construction Code. ACRS is JASANZ accredited.

ACRS Certification requires product testing, in addition to other requirements such as site and process inspections. ACRS conducts independent testing of samples (taken by ACRS assessors during site audits) and reviews the test results against the requirements of AS/NZS Standards. This regular testing must be conducted at a NATA- accredited lab (NATA provides accreditation to undertake testing and to carry out inspections). All facilities used by ACRS for independent testing have this accreditation. The report from this lab makes up part of the compliance paperwork:

ACRS regularly visit sites to obtain and assess evidence regarding the product manufacturers, or suppliers’ processes and production, in relationship to the requirements of the standard… 

And if they meet all the requirements of ACRS certification, they are awarded an ACRS certificate, which, in accordance with the NCC can be used to demonstrate compliance:

For designers or product specifiers, under the Building Acts they must seek and assess evidence of compliance with the National Construction Code for relevant products used. A certificate from a recognised authority like ACRS provides both evidence and validation. This in turn can be provided to a certifier as part of securing a building permit:

Good Practice for specifiers/installers

According to the NBPC Good Practice Conformity Guide, there are six key areas of questions to ask, in order to assess whether a product is suitable and conforms.

Good practice for manufacturers/suppliers

In order to be able to respond to these questions from buyers and users, suppliers should undertake actions, according to the Guide (in brief):

1. Processes for creating product information, product recall, unique identifiers:
2. Process for version control of product information
3. Clear, accurate product information
4. Evidence of product testing compliance, docs of and for certification, evidence certification is current
5. Documentation for performance and sustainability claims beyond certification or industry standards
6. Publish characteristics of product on a webpage
7. Documented process for updates to product information
8. Clear, accurate information on product use, installation, maintenance, etc
9. Any warranty should be clear and accurate
10.  Publish helpline details on a webpage
11.  Ensure anyone conveying product information is qualified and competent
12. Provide all information for steps 1-11, without exception

ACRS certification ensures all these steps are met.

Its independence, insistence on traceability, and its secure digital verification technology make ACRS an industry trust anchor for compliance, which can be used to meet NBPC guidelines for good practice in product conformity.

NBPC Members

• Australasian Certification Authority for Reinforcing and Structural Steels
• Australian Glass and Window Association
• Australian Institute of Building Surveyors
• Australian Sustainable Built Environment Council
• Building Designers Association of Australia
• Building Products Industry Council
• Chartered Institute Of Building
• Construction Quality Australia
• Design Matters National
• Engineers Australia
• Frame & Truss Manufacturers Association of Australia
• Green Building Council of Australia
• GS1
• International Code Council – Evaluation Service
• Master Builders Australia
• Master Builders Queensland
• Master Builders Victoria
• Master Electricians Australia
• National Association of Testing Authorities
• Property Council of Australia
• Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors
• Standards Australia