NSF/ANSI 61 is the standard for chemical safety of products in contact with drinking water. Required certification for materials used on potable water reservoirs in the EU and US.
NSF-61 (NSF/ANSI 61) is the standard for chemical safety of any product in direct contact with drinking water — pipes, fittings, mechanical devices, joining materials, and floating cover materials all fall under its scope. Certification confirms that material contact does not contribute regulated contaminants (heavy metals, residual monomers, leachable additives) to the water.
What NSF-61 certifies
NSF-61 is a normative consensus standard maintained by NSF International (now NSF) and accredited as an American National Standard by ANSI. The certification process requires:
- Material composition disclosure to NSF.
- Independent laboratory contaminant-extraction testing under simulated potable-water exposure.
- Toxicology review of every detected leachate against US EPA drinking-water health criteria.
- An audited production-batch traceability programme so the certified material is actually what ships.
A material certified as “NSF-61 / Standard 61” carries a documented contaminant profile and is approved for direct potable-water contact for the duration of the certification (typically annual renewal).
NSF-61 and the EU Drinking Water Directive
The EU Drinking Water Directive (Directive (EU) 2020/2184, the recast DWD) introduced harmonised material-approval requirements for products in contact with drinking water across all EU member states. Article 11 mandates that materials must meet hygienic requirements established under Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2024/367 and successor acts. NSF-61 certification is accepted by EU member-state regulators as documentary evidence of compliance with the material-safety requirements, in parallel with country-specific schemes (UK DWI Regulation 31, German UBA, French ACS, Dutch KIWA).
NSF-61 and floating covers
Floating covers used on potable reservoirs sit on the air-water interface and contact the water surface continuously. Cover material must therefore be NSF-61 certified for any reservoir feeding a public drinking-water supply. The most common compliant material is virgin food-grade HDPE with UV stabiliser; recycled HDPE typically fails because the upstream contaminant history is not auditable. NSF-61 certification is variant-specific — covering a specific resin grade, additive package, and processing route — so a manufacturer’s certification on one product does not transfer to another.
Related products and standards
| Standard / item | Relevance |
|---|---|
| Hexprotect® AQUA | AWTT-certified to NSF/ANSI 61 with a documented variant scope |
| Hexofloat® | EuroCover-tooled, NSF/ANSI 61 variant on request — confirm specific grade with EuroCover |
| UK DWI Regulation 31 | UK-specific potable-water-contact approval; NSF-61 accepted as supporting evidence |
| German UBA Coatings + Hygiene Guideline | German potable-water material approval; parallel to NSF-61 |
| French ACS (Attestation de Conformité Sanitaire) | French equivalent; NSF-61 typically reviewed as part of dossier |
Sources & further reading
- NSF International — NSF/ANSI 61 standard portfolio
- EU Drinking Water Directive 2020/2184 (recast DWD)
- Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2024/367 — hygienic requirements for materials in contact with drinking water
- AWTT — Hexprotect® AQUA product reference (manufacturer source for NSF/ANSI 61 variant scope)
- UK DWI Regulation 31 (UK potable-water material approval)
Also known as: NSF/ANSI 61