diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index 0785c02b4..7fdf3fb31 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -83,6 +83,8 @@ install(FILES ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/edm4hep/edm4hep/EDM4hepVersion.h
   DESTINATION ${CMAKE_INSTALL_INCLUDEDIR}/edm4hep )
 configure_file(${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/python/edm4hep/__version__.py.in
   ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/python/edm4hep/__version__.py)
+install(DIRECTORY ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/include/edm4hep
+  DESTINATION ${CMAKE_INSTALL_INCLUDEDIR})
 
 #--- add CMake infrastructure --------------------------------------------------
 include(cmake/EDM4HEPCreateConfig.cmake)
diff --git a/edm4hep.yaml b/edm4hep.yaml
index bb30857b2..2ee6dedc6 100644
--- a/edm4hep.yaml
+++ b/edm4hep.yaml
@@ -132,22 +132,8 @@ components:
           constexpr CovMatrix2f& operator=(std::array<float, 3> v) { values = v; return *this; }\n
           bool operator==(const CovMatrix2f& v) const { return v.values == values; }\n
           bool operator!=(const CovMatrix2f& v) const { return v.values != values; }\n
-          constexpr float operator[](unsigned i) const { return values[i]; }\n
-          constexpr float& operator[](unsigned i) { return values[i]; }\n
-          constexpr auto begin() const { return values.begin(); }\n
-          constexpr auto begin() { return values.begin(); }\n
-          constexpr auto end() const { return values.begin(); }\n
-          constexpr auto end() { return values.begin(); }\n
-          float* data() { return values.data(); }\n
-          const float* data() const { return values.data(); }\n
-          /// Get the value of the covariance matrix for the two passed dimensions\n
-          template<typename DimEnum>\n
-          constexpr float getValue(DimEnum dimI, DimEnum dimJ) const { return utils::get_cov_value(values, dimI, dimJ); }\n
-          /// Set a value in the covariance matrix for the two passed dimensions\n
-          template<typename DimEnum>\n
-          constexpr void setValue(float value, DimEnum dimI, DimEnum dimJ) { utils::set_cov_value(value, values, dimI, dimJ); }\n
-        "
-
+          #include <edm4hep/detail/CovMatrixCommon.ipp>
+          "
     edm4hep::CovMatrix3f:
       Description: "A generic 3 dimensional covariance matrix with values stored in lower triangular form"
       Members:
@@ -160,20 +146,7 @@ components:
           constexpr CovMatrix3f& operator=(std::array<float, 6> v) { values = v; return *this; }\n
           bool operator==(const CovMatrix3f& v) const { return v.values == values; }\n
           bool operator!=(const CovMatrix3f& v) const { return v.values != values; }\n
-          constexpr float operator[](unsigned i) const { return values[i]; }\n
-          constexpr float& operator[](unsigned i) { return values[i]; }\n
-          constexpr auto begin() const { return values.begin(); }\n
-          constexpr auto begin() { return values.begin(); }\n
-          constexpr auto end() const { return values.begin(); }\n
-          constexpr auto end() { return values.begin(); }\n
-          float* data() { return values.data(); }\n
-          const float* data() const { return values.data(); }\n
-          /// Get the value of the covariance matrix for the two passed dimensions\n
-          template<typename DimEnum>\n
-          constexpr float getValue(DimEnum dimI, DimEnum dimJ) const { return utils::get_cov_value(values, dimI, dimJ); }\n
-          /// Set a value in the covariance matrix for the two passed dimensions\n
-          template<typename DimEnum>\n
-          constexpr void setValue(float value, DimEnum dimI, DimEnum dimJ) { utils::set_cov_value(value, values, dimI, dimJ); }\n
+          #include <edm4hep/detail/CovMatrixCommon.ipp>
         "
 
     edm4hep::CovMatrix4f:
@@ -188,21 +161,8 @@ components:
           constexpr CovMatrix4f& operator=(std::array<float, 10> v) { values = v; return *this; }\n
           bool operator==(const CovMatrix4f& v) const { return v.values == values; }\n
           bool operator!=(const CovMatrix4f& v) const { return v.values != values; }\n
-          constexpr float operator[](unsigned i) const { return values[i]; }\n
-          constexpr float& operator[](unsigned i) { return values[i]; }\n
-          constexpr auto begin() const { return values.begin(); }\n
-          constexpr auto begin() { return values.begin(); }\n
-          constexpr auto end() const { return values.begin(); }\n
-          constexpr auto end() { return values.begin(); }\n
-          float* data() { return values.data(); }\n
-          const float* data() const { return values.data(); }\n
-          /// Get the value of the covariance matrix for the two passed dimensions\n
-          template<typename DimEnum>\n
-          constexpr float getValue(DimEnum dimI, DimEnum dimJ) const { return utils::get_cov_value(values, dimI, dimJ); }\n
-          /// Set a value in the covariance matrix for the two passed dimensions\n
-          template<typename DimEnum>\n
-          constexpr void setValue(float value, DimEnum dimI, DimEnum dimJ) { utils::set_cov_value(value, values, dimI, dimJ); }\n
-        "
+          #include <edm4hep/detail/CovMatrixCommon.ipp>
+          "
 
     edm4hep::CovMatrix6f:
       Description: "A generic 6 dimensional covariance matrix with values stored in lower triangular form"
@@ -216,20 +176,7 @@ components:
           constexpr CovMatrix6f& operator=(std::array<float, 21> v) { values = v; return *this; }\n
           bool operator==(const CovMatrix6f& v) const { return v.values == values; }\n
           bool operator!=(const CovMatrix6f& v) const { return v.values != values; }\n
-          constexpr float operator[](unsigned i) const { return values[i]; }\n
-          constexpr float& operator[](unsigned i) { return values[i]; }\n
-          constexpr auto begin() const { return values.begin(); }\n
-          constexpr auto begin() { return values.begin(); }\n
-          constexpr auto end() const { return values.begin(); }\n
-          constexpr auto end() { return values.begin(); }\n
-          float* data() { return values.data(); }\n
-          const float* data() const { return values.data(); }\n
-          /// Get the value of the covariance matrix for the two passed dimensions\n
-          template<typename DimEnum>\n
-          constexpr float getValue(DimEnum dimI, DimEnum dimJ) const { return utils::get_cov_value(values, dimI, dimJ); }\n
-          /// Set a value in the covariance matrix for the two passed dimensions\n
-          template<typename DimEnum>\n
-          constexpr void setValue(float value, DimEnum dimI, DimEnum dimJ) { utils::set_cov_value(value, values, dimI, dimJ); }\n
+          #include <edm4hep/detail/CovMatrixCommon.ipp>\n
         "
 
       # Parametrized description of a particle track
diff --git a/include/edm4hep/detail/CovMatrixCommon.ipp b/include/edm4hep/detail/CovMatrixCommon.ipp
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..845928a8f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/include/edm4hep/detail/CovMatrixCommon.ipp
@@ -0,0 +1,90 @@
+// This file is meant to be included inside the declaration part of the
+// ExtraCode for the CovMatrixNx components. They live in this file because they
+// can be written very generically and reduce the clutter and code repetition in
+// the edm4hep.yaml file
+//
+// NOTE: All of these functions are intended to be member functions, and the
+// only member of a CovMatrixNx component is an apropriately sized std::array
+// named values.
+//
+// NOTE: It is also assumed that the edm4hep/utils/cov_matrix_utils.h header is
+// included via the corresponding ExtraCode: include directive
+
+/// Get the i-th element of the underlying storage
+///
+/// \note The values are stored in a flat array assuming a lower
+/// triangular matrix representation
+constexpr float operator[](unsigned i) const {
+  return values[i];
+}
+
+/// Get the i-th element of the underlying storage
+///
+/// \note The values are stored in a flat array assuming a lower
+/// triangular matrix representation
+constexpr float& operator[](unsigned i) {
+  return values[i];
+}
+
+/// Get the begin iterator to the underlying storage
+constexpr auto begin() const {
+  return values.begin();
+}
+
+/// Get the begin iterator to the underlying storage
+constexpr auto begin() {
+  return values.begin();
+}
+
+/// Get the end iterator to the underlying storage
+constexpr auto end() const {
+  return values.end();
+}
+
+/// Get the end iterator to the underlying storage
+constexpr auto end() {
+  return values.end();
+}
+
+/// Get a pointer to the underlying storage data
+auto* data() {
+  return values.data();
+}
+
+/// Get a pointer to the underlying storage data
+const auto* data() const {
+  return values.data();
+}
+
+/// Get the value of the covariance matrix for the passed dimensions
+///
+/// @tparam DimEnum The enum (class) type that describes the dimenstions of this
+///                 covariance matrix. This will be deduced from the passed
+///                 arguments!
+///
+/// @param dimI The first dimension for which the covariance matrix value should
+///             be obtained
+/// @param dimJ The second dimension for which the covariance matrix value
+///             should be obtained
+///
+/// @returns The value of the covariance matrix for dimension dimI and dimJ
+template <typename DimEnum>
+constexpr float getValue(DimEnum dimI, DimEnum dimJ) const {
+  return edm4hep::utils::get_cov_value(values, dimI, dimJ);
+}
+
+/// Set the value of the covariance matrix for the passed dimensions
+///
+/// @tparam DimEnum The enum (class) type that describes the dimenstions of this
+///                 covariance matrix. This will be deduced from the passed
+///                 arguments!
+///
+/// @param value The value to be set
+/// @param dimI  The first dimension for which the covariance matrix value
+///              should be obtained
+/// @param dimJ  The second dimension for which the covariance matrix value
+///              should be obtained
+template <typename DimEnum>
+constexpr void setValue(float value, DimEnum dimI, DimEnum dimJ) {
+  utils::set_cov_value(value, values, dimI, dimJ);
+}