Eurocodes 0 and 1

Eurocode 0

Eurocode, BS EN 1990 'Eurocode: Basis of structural design' is the head document in the Eurocode suite. Known as Eurocode 0, it describes:

  • the basis and general principles for structural safety, serviceability design and durability. It covers the verification of buildings and civil engineering works including geotechnical aspects,

  • the principles and requirements for safety and serviceability of structures and

  • guidelines for related aspects of structural reliability in all circumstances in which a structure is required to give adequate performance in fire and seismic events.

Consisting of only one part, Eurocode 0 is the basis upon which all the other Eurocodes (1 to 9) operate for the design of structures.

Eurocode 1

Eurocode 1, Actions on structures, contains within its 10 parts (see table below) all the information required by the designer to assess the individual actions on a structure. It is generally self-explanatory and the actions to be used in the UK (as advised in the UK NAs) are typically the same as those in the old British Standards (BS 6399: Loading for buildings and BS 648: Schedule of weights of building materials). The most notable exception is the bulk density of reinforced concrete, which was increased to 25 kN/m3.

Reference Title
BS EN 1991-1-1 Densities, self-weight and imposed loads
BS EN 1991-1-2 Actions on structures exposed to fire
BS EN 1991-1-3  Snow loads
BS EN 1991-1-4  Wind actions 
BS EN 1991-1-5 Thermal actions 
BS EN 1991-1-6 Actions during execution 
BS EN 1991-1-7 Accidental actions due to impact and explosions
BS EN 1991-2 Traffic loads on bridges
BS EN 1-3 Actions induced by cranes and machinery
BS EN 1-4 Actions in silos and tanks

Extract from How to Design Structures using Eurocode 2 (page 5, table 8)