Valid CRN number lookup database and CRN registration directory information:

To ensure a strong supply chain, industry often needs to locate manufacturers of CRN registered pressure equipment. Pressure piping, vessels, boilers, and thermal liquid heating systems unexempt from CRN registration need components suitable for CRN number registration and, though it can be difficult to find legitimate manufacturers, locating them and the registered pressure equipment they make is necessary.

Is there a legitimate CRN lookup directory available to the public and industry, that lists the tens of thousands of CRN numbers that exist? And is there a published list of all legitimate manufacturers in a jurisdiction with acceptable quality control programs?

Yes! There already are legitimate and valid CRN directories on official regulator and registrar websites, that are publicly available to everyone that wants to look for CRN registration records. Only regulators have access to all legitimate CRN registration and manufacturer information, keep it complete and up to date as much as possible, and publish it as they see fit in accordance with their governing regulations. However, significantly incomplete, substantially limited, and unofficial lists are found elsewhere on the internet.

CRN’s are considered confidential information and many manufacturers do not want their CRN information published by others, as commonly evidenced by non-disclosure agreements and requirements for confidentiality.

Given the relatively high concentration of pressure equipment per capita in Alberta, it is worthwhile knowing that the Alberta regulator (ABSA) has allowed access to its CRN Directory here: https://bit.ly/2MvnFHi. And though less populated, the maritime provinces’ CRN Directory can be accessed here, with the assistance of the registrar (ACI Central) and permission of the CRN recipients: https://bit.ly/2A8LamR. The ABSA directory is searchable based on particular CRN numbers, while the ACI Central directory is searchable by CRN and / or manufacturer name. ABSA search results provide the manufacturer name, CRN, drawing number, description, and expiry date. The ACI Central site also provides a more detailed description, including notes associated with the registration.

Using these two CRN Directories, manufacturers with pressure equipment registered in Alberta and / or the maritime provinces can be located and, if the equipment is registered in other jurisdictions too, it’s ordinarily noted.

Fitting CRN registration numbers are categorized per Table 1 of CSA B51, according to the following schedule:

Unfortunately, wide searches within a fitting category cannot be manually conducted instantaneously. However, formats of CRN numbers as defined in CSA B51 assists with searching the CRN directories for suitable manufacturers. A fitting category letter is included with all fitting CRN numbers, and so specific searches for manufacturers of fitting categories can be made.

For example, if you want to find a piping fitting manufacturer that initially registered their equipment in Alberta, you can successively conduct a manual search using the 0AXXXXX.2 number format until a manufacturer (or all such manufacturers) are found. Similarly, if you want to find a piping fitting manufacturer that first registered their design in Ontario, then you can successively conduct a manual search using the 0AXXXXX.52 format until a manufacturer (or all such manufacturers) are found.

Spending just a minute or so with the ABSA search template, and starting a search at 0A10000.2, revealed the one of thousands of CRN registrations listed there: 0A10032.2. To the best of ABSA’s knowledge, data published on their site is valid, and includes the manufacturer name, registration details, and the expiry dates of all pressure equipment registered in Alberta. A lengthier search, or a lengthier search within a different fitting category, will yield more lengthy lists of CRN numbers and manufacturers!

For the maritime provinces, similar CRN registration searches can also be conducted with manufacturers’ names, and this can shorten the searching process.

The legality of scraping websites with even a simple VBA software routine, to systematically identify and log all fitting CRNs and manufacturers, is questionable since ABSA has claimed copyright on its website contents. Public access to the CRN registration directory information is freely available to anyone that would like to look for it.

A list of qualified manufacturers is also a good place to start looking for registered fittings that might be of interest to you. ABSA publishes a searchable list of all Alberta companies qualified to manufacturer all categories of pressure fittings here: https://bit.ly/3gXKzFk . Manufacturers with an acceptable quality control program can get CRN registration for fittings, provided that the designs meet code and regulation requirements.