CRN Registration
CRN number — 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.
Updated
Canadian Registration Number
What is a CRN number in Canada?
A CRN (Canadian Registration Number) is the number a provincial or territorial safety authority issues when it accepts the design of a pressure vessel, fitting or piping system for use in its jurisdiction. It registers the design, not an individual item: one CRN covers every unit built to that design.
Who issues CRN numbers?
Each province and territory registers designs through its own safety authority, for example TSSA in Ontario and ABSA in Alberta. There is no single national application: a Canada-wide CRN means the design has been registered in all 13 jurisdictions.
Does my equipment need a CRN?
- Pressure vessels over 1.5 ft³ (42.5 L) operating above 15 psi
- Smaller vessels, which may register as a Category H fitting
- Pressure-retaining fittings, one CRN per category (A–H)
- Every fitting used in a registered piping system
- Piping systems and mobile skid-mounted piping units
A vessel’s registration must be obtained before construction begins.
Four ways to register a design
Types of CRN application
A CRN registers a design, not an individual item — one registration covers every unit built to that design. Which type applies depends on what the item is.
Registration of pressure vessel designs, including heat exchangers, separators, columns, receivers and storage vessels. A vessel design with an internal volume greater than 1.5 cubic feet (42.5 litres) operating above 15 psi requires registration; below those limits it may instead be registered as a Category H fitting.
The submission package covers the code of construction with edition and addenda, general arrangement and detail drawings, full design calculations, material specifications, MAWP and MDMT, nozzle and support details, and identification of the Authorized Inspection Agency where the vessel is built outside Canada. Registration must be obtained before construction begins.
Registration of pressure-retaining components used within vessels and piping systems. Fittings are registered in the name of the manufacturer, and each category is registered separately — a catalogue spanning several categories receives one CRN per category. Categories are defined by CSA B51 Table 1, independent of size, material, end connection, rating, schedule or method of fabrication.
| A | Piping fittings: couplings, tees, elbows, wyes, plugs, unions, pipe caps and reducers |
| B | All flanges |
| C | Valves: all line valves |
| D | All types of expansion joints, flexible connections and hose assemblies |
| E | Strainers, filters, separators and steam traps |
| F | Measuring and indicating devices — pressure gauges, level gauges, sight glasses, level or pressure transmitters |
| G | Certified capacity-rated pressure relief devices accepted as primary overpressure protection, and fusible plugs |
| H | Pressure-retaining components that do not fall into Categories A to G |
A standard fitting complies with a listed code or standard — the submission needs the standard designation, material specifications, dimensions and pressure–temperature ratings. A non-standard fitting has no listed rating to point at, and additionally needs the maximum allowable working pressure and temperature, detailed dimensions of every pressure part, and either full design calculations or a witnessed proof test report. This is where most overseas submissions stall, and it is the work we handle most often.
Registration of a pressure piping system. Unlike a vessel or a fitting, the registration covers the entire pressure boundary of the system rather than an individual component. A submission typically includes P&IDs, isometric or general arrangement drawings, a line list with design conditions, pipe specification and wall thickness calculations, CRN numbers for every registered fitting used, pipe stress analysis where it governs, and welding, examination and pressure test details.
Every fitting used in a registered system must itself hold a valid CRN, including standard components such as elbows and tees. Equipment within the system registers separately — a heat exchanger in the line carries its own vessel CRN, not the piping registration.
Registration of stand-alone mobile piping units — typically skid-mounted or rig piping built once and deployed to multiple sites rather than installed permanently at one location. Requirements mirror plant piping registration; the difference is commercial rather than technical. For a manufacturer producing a standard skid package, registering the unit design once is usually the difference between one submission and many.
A complete skid frequently needs more than one registration — for example a vessel CRN for a replicated vessel design, a piping CRN for the process piping, and a registration covering the assembly.
Every CRN tells a story
How to read a CRN number
If you’ve ever looked at a CRN stamped on a nameplate and wondered what all those numbers actually mean, here’s the short answer: it’s not random. Every CRN tells a little story about where a piece of pressure equipment was designed, and which provinces have signed off on using it.
Breaking down the format
Let’s say a nameplate shows the number B7890.2671. Here’s what each piece is doing:
Example CRN B7890.2671
- B7890
- This is the design’s identifier. Think of it like a serial number for the design itself, not the individual part.
- .
- The decimal point is where things get interesting. Everything after it tells you about where the design has been approved.
- 2
- The very first digit after the decimal is the most important one. It tells you which province or territory approved this design first.
- 671
- Any digits after that are extra provinces that approved the same design later on, listed in the order they signed off.
Reads as: design B7890 · first approved in Alberta · then Quebec, New Brunswick, British Columbia
So in plain terms: a CRN isn’t just a stamp of approval — it’s a timeline of approvals, one province at a time.
Which number belongs to which province
Every province and territory has its own code.
| Code | Province / Territory |
|---|---|
| 1 | British Columbia |
| 2 | Alberta |
| 3 | Saskatchewan |
| 4 | Manitoba |
| 5 | Ontario |
| 6 | Quebec |
| 7 | New Brunswick |
| 8 | Nova Scotia |
| 9 | Prince Edward Island |
| 0 | Newfoundland & Labrador |
| Y | Yukon |
| T | Northwest Territories |
| N | Nunavut |
There is no single national application — a Canada-wide CRN means the manufacturer has obtained all 13 individual registrations. We advise on where to register first, and whether Canada-wide registration is worth pursuing at all for your product and market.
End to end, until the number is issued
How to get a CRN number
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.
- 1
Scope assessment
Establishing what requires registration, in which jurisdictions, and under which type of application.
- 2
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.
- 3
Calculation and documentation
Design calculations, FEA where the geometry requires it, drawings, and the supporting documentation package.
- 4
P.Eng. review and stamp
Canadian Professional Engineer review and stamp on the submitted package.
- 5
Submission and follow-through
Filing with the authority and handling requests for information until the registration is issued.
Manufacturers outside Canada
Registering a CRN from outside Canada
Overseas manufacturers register the same way, with two things to plan for. First, a vessel built outside Canada must identify its Authorized Inspection Agency in the submission. Second, a non-standard fitting needs full design calculations or a witnessed proof test report, which is the step where most overseas submissions stall.
We work with manufacturers worldwide from Ahmedabad, India, and submit to jurisdictions across Canada.
Start a CRN applicationFAQ
CRN number questions
A CRN (Canadian Registration Number) is the number a provincial or territorial safety authority issues when it accepts the design of a pressure vessel, fitting or piping system for use in its jurisdiction. It registers the design, not an individual item: one CRN covers every unit built to that design.
Submit the design to the safety authority of the province or territory where the equipment will be used: the code of construction, drawings, design calculations and material specifications. Once the design is accepted, the authority issues the CRN, and each further province that registers it adds its own digit. We prepare the package, have it reviewed and stamped by a Canadian P.Eng., submit it and follow it through to acceptance.
The CRN is stamped on the equipment nameplate and appears in the manufacturer’s documentation for the design. If you can’t find it, the manufacturer, or the safety authority of the province that registered the design, can confirm it.
A pressure vessel with an internal volume greater than 1.5 cubic feet (42.5 litres) operating above 15 psi needs a vessel CRN; below those limits it may instead be registered as a Category H fitting. Pressure-retaining fittings need a fitting CRN by category, every fitting in a registered piping system must hold a valid CRN, and a vessel’s registration must be obtained before construction begins.
Each province and territory registers designs through its own safety authority, for example TSSA in Ontario and ABSA in Alberta. There is no single national application: a Canada-wide CRN means the design has been registered in all 13 jurisdictions.
There are four: Vessel CRN, Fitting CRN, Piping CRN and Mobile Piping CRN. Which type applies depends on what the item is.
Take B7890.2671. B7890 is the design’s identifier, like a serial number for the design itself, not the individual part. The first digit after the decimal point (2) is the province or territory that approved the design first. Any digits after that (671) are extra provinces that approved the same design later on, listed in the order they signed off.
1 British Columbia, 2 Alberta, 3 Saskatchewan, 4 Manitoba, 5 Ontario, 6 Quebec, 7 New Brunswick, 8 Nova Scotia, 9 Prince Edward Island, 0 Newfoundland & Labrador, Y Yukon, T Northwest Territories, N Nunavut.