Chiltern Dynamics offers insulating glass unit testing to EN 1279 - Part 2, Part 3 and Part 6.

EN 1279 has been posted in the Official Journal which means that manufacturers can begin CE marking from March 2006.

IGU manufacturers will then be legally required to prove compliance with the Construction Products Directive by March 2007. The most effective way to do this is by CE marking based on EN 1279 which requires testing to Part 2 for air-filled units and Part 3 for gas-filled (Part 6 is the audit test).

Testing involves exposing a number of specimens to cycles of temperature and humidity in a specially designed chamber to simulate the sort of conditions they would have to withstand over a reasonable life-span. Testing takes about 16 weeks to complete.

The standard also requires manufacturers to meet factory production control requirements.