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CRN — Canadian Registration Number
Design registration for pressure equipment, fittings and piping across Canada, prepared and submitted with Canadian Professional Engineer (P.Eng.) review and stamp.
Section 01
Types of CRN Applications
Canadian regulations classify pressure equipment registrations into distinct application types, each with its own documentation requirements, fee structures, and renewal cycles.
Vessel CRN
Boilers, pressure vessels, heat exchangers, air receivers, and pressure-retaining process equipment designed to ASME Sec VIII-1, VIII-2, Sec I, or Sec IV. Requires complete design calculations, manufacturing drawings, material specifications, and P.Eng. stamp. Vessel registrations do not expire unless the design or governing code changes.
Fitting CRN (Category A to H)
Valves, flanges, pipe fittings, strainers, expansion joints, measurement devices, and non-standard pressure-retaining components registered under CSA B51 fitting categories A through H. Fitting registrations are valid for 10 years and must be renewed prior to expiration.
CSA B51 Fitting Categories
| Category | Description |
|---|---|
| Category A | Pipe fittings, including couplings, tees, elbows, Ys, plugs, unions, pipe caps, or reducers |
| Category B | All flanges |
| Category C | All line valves |
| Category D | Expansion joints, flexible connections, and hose assemblies |
| Category E | Strainers, filters, separators, and steam traps |
| Category F | Measuring devices, including pressure gauges, level gauges, sight glasses, levels, or pressure transmitters |
| Category G | Certified capacity-rated pressure relief devices acceptable as primary overpressure protection |
| Category H | Pressure retaining components that do not fall into categories A to G (non-standard fittings, sample coolers, etc.) |
Piping CRN
Process piping systems, boiler external piping, power piping, and refrigeration piping systems designed to ASME B31.1, B31.3, B31.5, or B31.12. Registered for specific plant installations or modular skid packages.
Mobile Piping CRN
Transport tanks, road tankers, portable piping systems, and mobile pressure equipment intended for operation across multiple provinces or transit routes.
Section 02
Jurisdictions, Provincial Digits and Canada-Wide Registration
Canada regulates pressure equipment provincially rather than federally. There are 13 jurisdictions — ten provinces and three territories — and each has its own safety authority responsible for reviewing designs, issuing registrations and enforcing compliance. A design accepted in one jurisdiction is not automatically accepted in another.
Reading a CRN number
A CRN consists of a letter and four digits, followed by a decimal point and then up to ten digits and three letters. The letter and four digits are part of a sequential numbering system used by the issuing jurisdiction. Everything to the right of the decimal identifies where the design is registered.
Fitting CRNs carry an additional identifier: a leading zero followed by the category letter, so the category is readable from the number itself. A single catalogue registered across three categories would be issued as 0A0675.5, 0B0675.5 and 0C0675.5 — the same sequential number, one CRN per category.
Provincial and territorial digits
Each jurisdiction is represented by a digit or letter appearing after the decimal point.
| Digit | Jurisdiction | Digit | Jurisdiction |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | British Columbia | 8 | Nova Scotia |
| 2 | Alberta | 9 | Prince Edward Island |
| 3 | Saskatchewan | 0 | Newfoundland and Labrador |
| 4 | Manitoba | Y | Yukon |
| 5 | Ontario | T | Northwest Territories |
| 6 | Quebec | N | Nunavut |
| 7 | New Brunswick |
How the digits accumulate
The first digit after the decimal is the jurisdiction of first registration. Each subsequent registration adds a further digit, in the order the registrations were obtained.
• 0G8483.5 — a Category G fitting, registered in Ontario.
• 0G8483.52 — the same design, registered first in Ontario, then in Alberta.
• 0G8483.521 — first Ontario, then Alberta, then British Columbia.
Canada-wide CRN
Where the letter C follows the jurisdiction of first registration, the design has been registered in all Canadian jurisdictions. A number such as 0G8483.5C indicates a design first registered in Ontario and subsequently registered across Canada.
One point is commonly misunderstood, and it affects both cost and schedule. No jurisdiction issues the letter C, and there is no single national application. A Canada-wide CRN means the manufacturer has obtained all 13 individual registrations; the C is a stamping convenience that avoids marking every jurisdiction digit on the nameplate.
In practice this means the sensible starting point is a considered one. The first jurisdiction reviews the design in full, and a package that satisfies a demanding reviewer travels more easily than one that does not. We advise on where to register first, and whether Canada-wide registration is worth pursuing at all for your product and market.
Section 03
How We Work
We handle the submission end to end — scope definition, calculation, drawings, P.Eng. review and stamp, submission, and correspondence with the authority through to acceptance.
• Scope assessment. Establishing what requires registration, in which jurisdictions, and under which type of application.
• Design review. Checking the design against the code of construction before anything is submitted, so review comments are resolved in advance rather than in correspondence.
• Calculation and documentation. Design calculations, FEA where the geometry requires it, drawings, and the supporting documentation package.
• P.Eng. review and stamp. Canadian Professional Engineer review and stamp on the submitted package.
• Submission and follow-through. Filing with the authority and handling requests for information until the registration is issued.
Send us the scope. We’ll tell you what it takes.
A design to review, a calculation to stamp, or a full package prepared to your market’s code — start with a drawing and a datasheet.