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Explanatory Note on
Certifications


All Canadian steel buildings must be CSA-A660 Certified. Factories that are CSA-A660 certified have invested significant time and money to ensure that all Canadian standards are met. You may experience major problems obtaining building permits for a building manufactured by a factory that is not CSA-A660 certified.

All buildings manufactured in the U.S. should have a factory of origin written on all purchased contracts along with a copy of their A660 certificate for that factory.

CSA-A660 Certification assures any Canadian purchaser that a certified building is manufactured to adhere to the standards of the CSSBI: Canadian Sheet Steel Building Institute. Not all steel building system companies are able to meet the high standards of quality set by CSA-A660 and the CSSBI.

Buyer Beware: there are steel building system manufacturing competitors selling buildings in Canada that DO NOT have CSA-A660 Quality Certification.

What is CSA-A660 Certification and what does it mean for you? The CSA-A660 Standard was developed to assist code enforcement officials in reviewing building permit submissions incorporating steel building systems and to help purchasers receive a quality certified building. As part of the CSA-A660 compliance, the manufacturer will provide a “Certificate of Design and Manufacturing Conformance” signed and sealed by a licensed Professional Engineer for each building project.

It is important to note that ISO Accreditation is not the same as CSA-A660 Certification. ISO certification only verifies that a company can manufacture a product consistently and does not satisfy CSA-A660 requirements. It does not address whether a steel building system has been designed in accordance with the applicable codes or whether the staff is qualified to undertake the work. The CSA-A660 certification includes a quality control audit like ISO, but in addition undertakes an engineering design and personnel audit.

CSA-A660 Standard compliance means that the manufacturer has been audited for:

  1. Personnel
  2. Design and Engineering
  3. Materials Control
  4. Fabrication
  5. Warehousing, Packaging and Shipping
  6. Erection Responsibility
  7. Plant Quality Program

WARNING

Several U.S. companies have misled customers by telling them that they buy their buildings from U.S. Suppliers that are CAN/CSA A660 certified.These companies have given names of U.S. Suppliers that indeed do have some manufacturing facilities that are certified. When the building is actually ordered it comes from a facility that is not on the list provided by the Canadian Welding Bureau, Quasar certification division.