G/TBT/N/ECU/372  
18 April 2019 
(19-2600) Page: 1/4 
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade  Original:  Spanish  
 
  
NOTIFICATION  
The following notification is being circulated in accordance with Article 10.6.  
 
1. Notifying Member : ECUADOR  
If applicable, name of local government involved (Articles 3.2  and 7.2):   
2. Agency responsible:  
Servicio Ecuatoriano de Normalización , INEN (Ecuadorian Standardization Service)  
Calle Baquerizo Moreno E8 -29 y Diego de Almagro  
Tel.: (+593 -2) 3825960 to 90  
Website: http://www.normalizacion.gob.ec/  
Name and address (including telephone and fax numbers, email and website 
addresses, if available) of agency or authority designated to handle comments 
regarding the notification shall be indicated if different from above:  
Subsecretaría de Calidad  (Under -Secretariat for Quality)  
Ministerio de Producción, Comercio Exterior, Inversiones y Pesca , MPCEIP (Ministry of 
Production, Foreign Trade, Investment and Fisheries)  
Address : Av. Amazonas entre Unión Nacional de Periodistas y Alfonso Pereira, Piso 8, 
Bloque amarillo  
Tel.: (+593 -2) 3948760, Ext. 2254 - 2272 
Email: puntocontactoOTCECU@produccion.gob.ec ; 
puntocontactoO TCECU@gmail.com ; aramon@produccion.gob.ec ; 
cyepez@produccion.gob.ec ; jsanchez@produccion.gob.ec  
Website: http://www.industrias.gob.ec/  
3. Notified under Article 2.9.2 [X], 2.10.1 [ ], 5.6.2 [ ], 5.7.1 [ ], other:   
4. Products covered (HS or CCCN where applicable, otherwise national tariff 
heading . ICS numbers may be provided in addition, where applicable) : 
6907.21.00 - Of a water absorption coefficient by weight not exceeding 0.5% ; 6907.22.00 
- Of a water absorption coefficient by weight exceeding 0.5% but not exceeding 10% 
6907.23.00 - Of a water absorption coeffi cient by weight exceeding 10% ; Bricks, blocks, 
tiles and other ceramic goods of siliceous fossil meals (for example, kieselguhr, tripolite 
or diatomite) or of similar siliceous earths (HS 6901) ; Refractory bricks, blocks, tiles and 
similar refractory ceram ic constructional goods, other than those of siliceous fossil meals 
or similar siliceous earths (HS 6902) ; Unglazed ceramic flags and paving, hearth or wall 
tiles; unglazed ceramic mosaic cubes and the like, whether or not on a backing.  
5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document : Proyecto de 
Tercera Revisión del Reglamento Técnico Ecuatoriano PRTE INEN 033 (3R) "Baldosas 
cerámicas" (Draft third revision (3R) of Ecuadorian Standardization Institute Technical 
Regulation PRTE INEN No. 033 "Ceramic tiles") (14 pages, in Spanish)  G/TBT/N/ECU/372  
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  6. Description of content : The notified Technical Regulation establishes the requirements 
to be met by ceramic tiles, prior to the marketing of domestic and imported products, 
with the aim of preventing misleading practices.  
The notified Technical Regulation applies to the following products:  
Ceramic tiles listed in annexes A to M of ISO 13006:  
Annex  Type of tile  
Annex A  Extruded ceramic tiles - Group AI b, 0.5%  
Annex B  Extruded ceramic tiles - Group AII a-1, 3% &lt ; Eb ≤ 6%  
Annex C  Extruded ceramic tiles - Group AII a-2, 3% &lt ; Eb ≤ 6%  
Annex D  Extruded ceramic tiles - Group AII b-1, 6% &lt ; Eb ≤ 10%  
Annex E  Extruded ceramic tiles - Group AII b-2, 6% &lt ; Eb ≤ 10%  
Annex F  Extruded ceramic tiles - Group AIII, E b &gt; 10% 
Annex G  Dry-pressed ceramic tiles - Group BI a, Eb ≤ 0.5%  
Annex H  Dry-pressed ceramic tiles - Group BI b, 0.5% &lt ; Eb ≤ 3%  
Annex J  Dry-pressed ceramic tiles - Group BII a, 3% &lt ; Eb ≤ 6%  
Annex K  Dry-pressed ceramic tiles - Group BII b, 6% &lt ; Eb ≤ 10%  
Annex L  Dry-pressed ceramic tiles - Group BIII, E b &gt; 10% 
Annex M  Extruded ceramic tiles - Group AI a, Eb ≤ 0.5%  
The notified Technical Regulation does not apply to:  
Tiles manufactured using a process other than the normal extrusion or  dry-pressing 
process.  
It does not apply to decorative accessories or trims such as borders, corners, skirting 
boards, cornices, ceramic beads, stairs, curved tiles and other accessory pieces or 
mosaics (that is, any piece that can fit into an area of 49 c m2). 
7. Objective and rationale, including the nature of urgent problems where 
applicable : Consumer information ; labelling ; prevention of misleading practices ; 
consumer protection.  
8. Relevant documents:  
Regulatory references:  
1. ISO 2859 -1:1999+Amd 1:2011, Sampling procedures for inspection by attributes 
- Part 1 : Sampling schemes indexed by acceptance quality limit (AQL) for lot -by-
lot inspection;  
2. ISO 10545 -1:2014, Ceramic tiles -- Part 1 : Sampling and basis for acceptance;  
3. ISO 10545 -2:2018, Ceramic tiles -- Part 2 : Determination of dimensions and 
surface quality;  
4. ISO 10545 -3:2018, Ceramic tiles -- Part 3 : Determination of water absorption, 
apparent porosity, apparent relative density and bulk density;  G/TBT/N/ECU/372  
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  5. ISO 10545 -4:2019, Ceramic tiles -- Part 4 : Determination of modulus of rupture 
and breaking strength;  
6. ISO 10545 -6:2010, Ceramic tiles -- Part 6 : Determination of resistance to deep 
abrasion for unglazed tiles;  
7. ISO 10545 -7:1996, Ceramic tiles -- Part 7 : Determination of resistance to surface 
abrasion for glazed tiles;  
8. ISO 10545 -11:1994, Ceramic tiles -- Part 11 : Determination of crazing resistance 
for glazed tiles;  
9. ISO 10545 -13:2016, Ceramic tiles -- Part 13 : Determination of chemical 
resistance;  
10. ISO 10545 -14:2015, Ceramic tiles -- Part 14: Determination of resistance to 
stains;  
11. ISO 13006:2018, Ceramic tiles -- Definitions, classification, characteristics and 
marking;  
12. ISO/IEC 17067:2013, Conformity assessment - Fundamentals of product 
certification and guidelines for product certificati on schemes;  
13. European Standard EN 14411:2016, Ceramic tiles - Definitions, classification, 
characteristics, assessment and verification of constancy of performance and 
marking.  
TRACEABILITY:  
1. G/TBT/N/ECU/31  
2. G/TBT/N/ECU/31/Add.1  
3. G/TBT/N/ECU/31/Add.2  
4. G/TBT/N/E CU/31/Add.3  
5. G/TBT/N/ECU/31/Add.4  
6. G/TBT/N/ECU/31/Add.5  
7. G/TBT/N/ECU/31/Add.6  
8. G/TBT/N/ECU/31/Add.7  
9. G/TBT/N/ECU/31/Add.8  
10. G/TBT/N/ECU/31/Add.9  
11. G/TBT/N/ECU/31/Add.10  
12. G/TBT/N/ECU/31/Add.11  
13. G/TBT/N/ECU/31/Rev.1  
9. Proposed date of adoption : 165 days from the date  of notification  
Proposed date of entry into force : 180 days from date of adoption  
10. Final date for comments : 60 days from the date of notification  G/TBT/N/ECU/372  
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  11. Texts available from : National enquiry point [X] or address, telephone and fax 
numbers and email an d website addresses, if available, of other body:  
Contact and/or National Enquiry Point:  
Subsecretaría de Calidad  (Under -Secretariat for Quality)  
Ministerio de Producción, Comercio Exterior, Inversiones y Pesca , MPCEIP  (Ministry of 
Production, Foreign Trade, Investment and Fisheries)  
Address : Av. Amazonas entre Unión Nacional de Periodistas y Alfonso Pereira, Piso 8, 
Bloque amarillo  
Tel.: (+593 -2) 3948760, Ext. 2254 - 2272 
Email: puntocontactoOTCECU@produccion.gob.ec ; 
puntocontactoOTCECU@gmail.com ; aramon@produccion.gob.ec ; 
cyepez@produccion.gob.ec ; jsanchez@produccion.gob.ec  
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