EN 13445

Overview

EN 13445 is the harmonized European standard for unfired pressure vessels. It supports compliance with the Pressure Equipment Directive (PED 2014/68/EU) and defines requirements for design, materials, fabrication, inspection, and testing.

Region: Europe (EU)

Type: Unfired Pressure Vessels

Compliance: Supports PED

Approach: Design by Formula & Analysis

Key Features

Harmonized European pressure vessel standard
Supports CE marking under PED
Includes design by analysis and fatigue rules
Strict material and fabrication requirements
Comprehensive inspection and testing procedures

EN 13445 Structure

Part	Title	Coverage
Part 1	General	Scope, definitions, documentation
Part 2	Materials	Plates, forgings, castings, fittings
Part 3	Design	Formula, analysis, fatigue
Part 4	Fabrication	Welding, heat treatment, tolerances
Part 5	Inspection & Testing	NDT, pressure testing, certification
Part 6	Alternative Design	Advanced design rules
Part 8	Aluminium Vessels	Aluminium-specific requirements

Design Approach

Design by formula (standard calculations)
Design by analysis (FEA methods)
Fatigue life assessment
Load combinations (pressure, wind, seismic)

Fabrication & Materials

Approved European material standards
Qualified welding procedures (WPS/PQR)
Heat treatment and forming requirements
Strict dimensional tolerances

Inspection & Testing

Non-destructive testing (RT, UT, PT, MT)
Hydrostatic pressure testing
Material certification and traceability
Documentation for PED compliance

Relation to PED

EN 13445 is a harmonized standard under PED 2014/68/EU. Compliance with this standard provides presumption of conformity with essential safety requirements, enabling CE marking for pressure vessels in the European market.