8. Tolerances

This is an essential subject, and the volume devoted to it in the EN 1090-2 is a case in point: no fewer than 43 tables of tabulated values are grouped together in an appendix dedicated to geometric tolerances.

It's a good idea for the specifier or designer to use this appendix as a checklist, taking care to question the tables as to their suitability for the project.

The tolerances addressed by the EN 1090-2 are grouped into 2 types:

• essential tolerances ;

• functional tolerances.

Essential tolerances are those directly related to the concepts of mechanical strength and stability;...