EN 13501-1 is a European standard that outlines the classification of construction products based on their reaction to fire. It provides detailed guidelines for the fire performance classification and testing methods of building materials.
EN 13501-1
- Scope: The standard covers a broad range of construction products, including building materials (excluding floorings and ductwork), floorings (e.g., flooring boards, floor coverings), and linear ducts.
- Classification: EN 13501-1 categorizes building materials into seven classes: A1, A2, B, C, D, E, and F. For floorings, the classes are A1fl, A2fl, Bfl, Cfl, Dfl, Efl, and Ffl. Linear ducts have a similar classification system: A1L, A2L, BL, CL, DL, EL, and FL.
- Testing and Criteria:
Class A1: Materials must meet the requirements of EN ISO 1182 and EN ISO 1716.
Class A2: Materials must meet the requirements of either EN ISO 1182 or EN ISO 1716, and EN 13823.
Classes B, C, and D: Materials must meet the requirements of EN ISO 13823 and EN ISO 11925-2.
Class E: Materials must meet the requirements of EN ISO 11925-2.
Class F: Materials fail to meet the requirements of EN ISO 11925-2.
- Additional Classes: The standard also includes additional classifications for smoke production (s1, s2, s3) and flaming droplets/particles (d0, d1, d2).
- Current Version: The latest version is EN 13501-1:2018, which supersedes EN 13501-1:2007+A1:2009.
- EU Regulations: All construction products must meet at least class E according to EN 13501-1. For high-rise building exteriors, the minimum requirement is class B.
EN 13501-1: Class B Fire-Resistant Boards
For a material to be classified as class B according to EN 13501-1, it must meet the following requirements:
- Testing Standards: EN ISO 13823 and EN ISO 11925-2.
- EN ISO 13823: Single-burn test, requiring a FIGRA (Flame Growth Rate Index) ≤ 120 W/s, and LFS (Length of Flame Spread) less than the specimen edge.
- EN ISO 11925-2: Single-flame source test, requiring an ignition time of 30 seconds, flame spread distance Fs ≤ 150 mm within 60 seconds, and THR600s (Total Heat Release Rate at 600 seconds) ≤ 7.5 MJ.
- Additional Classes: Additional classes for smoke production (e.g., B-s1) and flaming droplets/particles (e.g., B-d0) can be added.
- Class B Definition: Class B products have a limited contribution to fire, may produce a moderate amount of smoke or flaming particles, and are considered relatively low-risk combustible materials.
Comparison of EN 13501-1 and GB 8624-2012
While there's no direct one-to-one correspondence between EN 13501-1 and the Chinese standard GB 8624-2012, they share similar objectives in classifying the fire performance of building materials. GB 8624-2012 divides materials into four classes (A, B1, B2, B3), while EN 13501-1 uses a more granular seven-class system. Overall, GB 8624-2012 has adopted some of the classification criteria from EN 13501-1.
