If you are designing to Eurocode right now, you are designing during a transition. The second generation of Eurocodes is being released to national standards bodies, the first generation has a withdrawal deadline, and which one applies to your project depends on your National Annex rather than on the publication date of the standard. This guide sets out what is changing, when, and what it means for work in progress.
The ten Eurocodes, and the eleventh
The Eurocodes are a coordinated suite rather than a single document. The established ten:
| Reference | Subject |
|---|---|
| EN 1990 | Basis of structural design |
| EN 1991 (Eurocode 1) | Actions on structures |
| EN 1992 (Eurocode 2) | Design of concrete structures |
| EN 1993 (Eurocode 3) | Design of steel structures |
| EN 1994 (Eurocode 4) | Design of composite steel and concrete structures |
| EN 1995 (Eurocode 5) | Design of timber structures |
| EN 1996 (Eurocode 6) | Design of masonry structures |
| EN 1997 (Eurocode 7) | Geotechnical design |
| EN 1998 (Eurocode 8) | Design of structures for earthquake resistance |
| EN 1999 (Eurocode 9) | Design of aluminium structures |
The second generation adds an eleventh, EN 19100, covering structural glass. Two further Technical Specifications, CEN/TS 19101 for fibre-polymer composite structures and CEN/TS 19102 for tensioned membrane structures, are being developed toward full standards.
In total the second generation suite runs to 11 EN standards across roughly 65 parts, supported by about 12 CEN Technical Specifications and 7 CEN Technical Reports.
What "second generation" means
This is not a routine amendment. It is a coordinated revision of every Eurocode part, undertaken together so that the suite stays internally consistent, with new parts and new materials brought in. The first generation was published between 2002 and 2007 and has been amended piecemeal since. The second generation replaces it wholesale.
The timeline that matters
| Milestone | Date |
|---|---|
| European Commission Mandate M/515 issued, unlocking funding | End of 2012 |
| Drafting of the second generation begins | 2015 |
| First second generation standard released to national standards bodies | 2022 |
| Final Formal Vote cycle for outstanding documents | October 2025 |
| All second generation parts available to national standards bodies | No later than 30 March 2026 |
| Backstop for withdrawal of first generation documents | Early 2028 |
The date that governs your project is none of the above. It is the date your national standards body publishes the National Annex for the relevant part, because until that exists the second generation part cannot be used for design in that country.
EN 1990 splits in two
The most consequential structural change for many practices is that EN 1990 becomes two documents. EN 1990-1 covers the basis of design for new structures. EN 1990-2 covers the assessment of existing structures, and it is entirely new.
Until now, assessing an existing building against Eurocode meant applying a standard written for new design to a structure whose material properties, geometry and load history were partly unknown. Engineers handled that with conservative assumptions and professional judgement, and the resulting assessments varied widely between practices.
A dedicated part for assessment changes that. It gives the discipline a code basis of its own, which matters for change of use, added loading, life extension and post-damage evaluation. If a significant part of your work is structural assessment and retrofit, EN 1990-2 is the single part of the second generation worth reading first.
The scope of EN 1990 also widens to cover geotechnical design alongside structural, reflecting a closer integration between EN 1990 and EN 1997.
New parts in Eurocode 1
Actions on structures gains two parts that did not previously exist:
- EN 1991-1-8, actions from waves and currents on coastal structures. Relevant to marine and coastal work that previously drew on a mix of national guidance and offshore practice.
- EN 1991-1-9, atmospheric icing. Relevant to lattice towers, masts, transmission structures and exposed steelwork in cold climates.
Structural glass gets its own Eurocode
EN 19100 brings structural glass into the suite. Glass has been structural for decades, carried by national guidance, manufacturer data and specialist judgement rather than a harmonised code. For anyone working on facades, glass fins, structural glazing or glass floors, this is the first time the material has had Eurocode treatment.
National Annexes decide your project
A Eurocode part is not usable for design on its own. Each country publishes a National Annex setting the nationally determined parameters: partial factors, load combination coefficients, climatic maps and a set of permitted choices the base standard deliberately leaves open. Two engineers applying the same Eurocode part in different countries can legitimately arrive at different designs.
During a transition this becomes the practical control. Second generation parts become usable country by country as National Annexes appear, and they will not appear simultaneously. A multinational practice will be running first generation in one jurisdiction and second generation in another, for the same material, at the same time.
What to do if you are designing now
- Establish the generation in the design basis. Name the exact part, including edition and year, and the National Annex. Do this before modelling, not at submission.
- Check the client and authority position. A client may require first generation for consistency with an existing portfolio even where second generation is available.
- Watch projects that will still be live in 2028. Long programmes started on first generation may need a documented position on whether and when they transition.
- Do not mix generations within a structure. Partial factors and combination coefficients are calibrated as a set. Taking actions from one generation and resistance from another is not conservative, it is undefined.
- Budget time for software. Analysis and design packages implement new code parts on their own release cycles, and the National Annex parameters have to be available in the tool as well as in the standard.
Where Eurocode sits on UAE projects
Eurocode is not confined to Europe, and in the UAE it governs a specific and important part of the work. The Dubai Building Code adopts US codes and standards for the structure but BS EN for geotechnics. A Dubai project therefore runs ACI 318-19 for concrete and ASCE 7-16 for loading, while foundation and geotechnical design sits under EN 1997.
That split surprises teams new to the market, and it is exactly the kind of thing that has to be settled at design basis stage rather than discovered at submission. Our guide to the Dubai Building Code structural requirements covers the full basis, and the foundation design service is where that dual-code position bites hardest in practice.
For RCC design and steel structure design on European and Commonwealth projects, we confirm the generation and the National Annex in writing at design basis stage, for the straightforward reason that getting it wrong invalidates everything downstream.
Frequently asked questions
What are the second generation Eurocodes?
The second generation is a coordinated revision of every Eurocode part, undertaken together so the suite stays internally consistent, with new parts and new materials added. It runs to 11 EN standards across roughly 65 parts, plus about 12 CEN Technical Specifications and 7 CEN Technical Reports. It replaces the first generation, which was published between 2002 and 2007.
When must the first generation Eurocodes be withdrawn?
All second generation parts were to be available to national standards bodies no later than 30 March 2026, with a backstop of early 2028 for countries to withdraw their first generation documents. In practice the governing date for any individual project is when the national standards body publishes the National Annex for the relevant part.
What is EN 1990-2 and why does it matter?
EN 1990-2 is a new part covering the assessment of existing structures. EN 1990 splits into EN 1990-1 for new structures and EN 1990-2 for assessment. Until now, assessing an existing building against Eurocode meant applying a standard written for new design, handled through conservative assumptions and professional judgement. EN 1990-2 gives assessment its own code basis, which matters for change of use, added loading, life extension and post-damage evaluation.
Can first and second generation Eurocodes be mixed on one structure?
No. Partial factors and load combination coefficients are calibrated as a consistent set within each generation. Taking actions from one generation and resistance from another is not conservative, it is undefined. Establish the generation in the design basis, name the exact part and edition and the National Annex, and stay within it.
Does Eurocode apply to projects in the UAE?
In part. The Dubai Building Code adopts US codes and standards for the structure but BS EN for geotechnics, so a Dubai project uses ACI 318-19 for concrete and ASCE 7-16 for loading while foundation and geotechnical design falls under EN 1997. That split should be settled at design basis stage rather than discovered at submission.