EN/ISO Standards for Building Physics: A Practical Navigator

Choose a standard by the physical task and its scope. An ISO number does not replace checking the method, edition and national context.

Thermal transmission

ISO 6946:2017 addresses resistance and transmittance for specified building elements. Its official scope excludes windows and ground heat transfer, among other cases; do not apply a wall method indiscriminately.

Thermal bridges

ISO 10211:2017 concerns detailed heat-flow and surface-temperature calculations in two- and three-dimensional models. Geometry, materials and boundary conditions are required.

Surface moisture

ISO 13788:2012 addresses defined simplified hygrothermal tasks. It is not a complete model of rain, air leakage or all transient drying processes.

Airtightness

ISO 9972:2015 describes fan-pressurisation testing of air permeability. The measurement procedure and the building’s target performance are separate parts of the brief.

Ventilation and energy

Select applicable methods for the system type and national requirements. An unverified catalogue of reference numbers is not reproduced here.

Scope of this review

Official abstracts were checked, not complete paid texts. National adoption, mandatory application and individual clauses need separate project-specific verification.

ZeroHouse assessment diagram; not a construction detail.

Project review matrix
Item	Parameter	Check / result
ISO 6946:2017	Plane elements	Scope has exclusions
ISO 10211:2017	Bridges	2D/3D model
ISO 9972:2015	Air leakage	Measurement

What this means for your project

Request the method, edition and assumptions in the calculation report. Identify questions the method does not cover.

Sources and scope of review

Checked: 2026-09-09. Editorial guidance; not evidence of compliance for an individual building.