What goes into a structural steel fabrication dossier
A structural steel fabrication dossier collects the evidence that components were fabricated, welded, inspected and treated in accordance with the contract, the execution specification and EN 1090-2. Typical contents include material test certificates for plate, sections, bolts and consumables (usually EN 10204 3.1), welding documentation (WPS, WPQR and welder/operator qualifications, plus the welding coordinator's records), the weld inspection results — visual testing and, where required, MT, UT or RT to the relevant testing levels — dimensional and geometric inspection records, surface-preparation and corrosion-protection reports (commonly to EN ISO 12944), bolt assembly and preloading records for preloaded connections, and the marked-up as-built drawings. The exact extent depends on the execution class and the project specification.
Normative context: EN 1090-2 and execution classes
Structural steelwork in Europe is executed to EN 1090-2, which assigns one of four execution classes (EXC1 to EXC4) according to the consequence, service and production categories of the structure. The execution class drives how much inspection, testing and documentation each weld and component requires. Welding quality management typically follows EN ISO 3834 (with the appropriate part for the execution class), weld acceptance is assessed against EN ISO 5817 quality levels, and base materials are supplied to EN 10025 and related standards. An MDB platform should reflect what the execution class and specification already require — it should not invent acceptance criteria.
Why a generic document workflow falls short
Steel fabrication generates a large, distributed paper trail: heat-traceable material certificates, weld records across many welders and procedures, NDT subcontractor reports, galvanising or paint certificates, and dimensional checks — often across multiple sub-assemblies and erection marks. Keeping that aligned in spreadsheets and shared folders is workable until the volume rises, at which point missing certificates, mismatched revisions and incomplete handover files become a recurring source of rework, especially when a client or inspection body asks for the complete dossier per mark.
How MDB Builder helps
MDB Builder gives a steel fabricator a structured place to compile the fabrication dossier the way it is reviewed: by project, by assembly and by document type. Material suppliers, NDT subcontractors and coating vendors can be invited to upload directly into the sections they own, without an account. Each document is tracked with its revision status (IFR / IFA / Approved), and the platform assembles the bookmarked dossier — cover, index, certificates, weld and inspection records — automatically, rebuilding it when a revision lands. The client or inspection body reviews it online and approves it with a single action.
What MDB Builder does not do (FPC, DoP, CE)
This is important: MDB Builder is a documentation-compilation platform, not a CE-marking system. It does not operate your Factory Production Control (FPC), it does not generate the Declaration of Performance (DoP), and it does not replace the certified FPC and the notified-body involvement that CE marking of structural components under EN 1090-1 requires. Those remain the manufacturer's responsibility. What MDB Builder does is gather, track and compile the fabrication evidence — material certificates, weld and inspection records, dimensional and coating reports — into a structured dossier you can hand over and reuse.