ASFP Technical Guidance Document 5

Guide to Class 0 and Class 1

As defined in UK Building Regulations

Association for Specialist Fire Protection

Kingsley House, Ganders Business Park, Kingsley, Bordon, Hampshire, GU35 9LU Tel: +44 (0)1420 471 612 web: www.asfp.org.uk

Association for Specialist Fire Protection (ASFP)

The Association was formed in 1976, and currently represents the majority of UK contractors and manufacturers of specialist fire protection products, with associate members representing regulatory, certification, testing and consulting bodies. ASFP seeks to increase awareness and understanding of the nature of fire and the various forms, functions and benefits provided by passive fire protection. It is willing to make available its specialist knowledge on all aspects of fire protection and can assist specifiers and main contractors in identifying products suitable for specific requirements, both in the UK and overseas. Although care has been taken to ensure, to the best of our knowledge, that all data and information contained herein is accurate to the extent that it relates to either matters of fact or accepted practice or matters of opinion at the time of publication, the Association for Specialist Fire Protection assumes no responsibility for any errors in or misinterpretations of such data and/or information or any loss or damage arising from or related to its use. Compliance with this ASFP Technical Guidance Note does not of itself confer immunity from legal obligation. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT This document has been prepared by the Technical Committee of the Association for Specialist Fire Protection in conjunction with Mr Ralph Shaw, Warrington Fire Research, who provided the original text.
FIRE AND YOUR LEGAL LIABILITY 2008 produced the highest UK peace time fire losses of all time, rising over the previous year by 16% to a record 1.3bn. Thats why we must all play our part. Why is this of relevance to me? If you are involved in provision of a fire protection package, at any level, then you share liability for its usefulness and its operation when its needed in fire, and that liability will still be there in the event of a court case. I place the order; it is not my responsibility to install the works! If it is your responsibility to specify the materials and/or appoint the installation contractor, it is also your responsibility to ensure that they can prove competency for the fire protection materials used, or the works to be carried out. Its no longer simply a duty of care or voluntary its a legal obligation. If you knowingly ignore advice that leads to a failure in the fire performance of any element of installed fire protection within a building, then you are likely to be found to be just as culpable as the deficient installer. You share liability for the provision of information required under Building Regulation 16B that tells the user of the building about the fire prevention measures provided in the building. Otherwise, the user cannot make an effective risk assessment under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. What is expected of me? In the event of fire, and deaths, a court will want to know how every fire protection system was selected; the basis for selection of the installer, whether adequate time was provided for its installation, and whether there was adequate liaison between the different parties to ensure it was installed correctly. No ifs, no buts its all contained in the Construction, Design and Management Regulations 2007. The CDM 2007 regulations, enforced by Health and Safety Executive concentrate on managing the risk, and the health and safety of all those who build, those that use the building, those who maintain it and those that demolish it cradle to grave. Be aware the time to consider the above is before the event, not after it!

Association for Specialist Fire Protection 2010 ISBN: 978-1-870409-14-8

Association for Specialist Fire Protection TGD5 Guide to Class 0 and Class 1 www.asfp.org.uk

18 March 2010

INTRODUCTION
Many situations in construction, transport and other areas require products to satisfy the requirements for Class 0 or Class 1. The requirements usually relate to wall and ceiling linings but are also used in other circumstances. The term Class 0 often causes confusion, mainly because it is not a term used by specific Standards but is defined in supporting documents to technical building regulations or other specification and technical documents.

CLASS 0
A Class 0 performance is specified where it is necessary to restrict the use of products which ignite easily, which have a high rate of heat release and/or which reduce the time to flashover. Although there are different methods of complying with the Class 0 requirement (e.g. by the use of "materials of limited combustibility") the most common method is to demonstrate that the product: a) b) gives a Class 1 result when tested in accordance with BS476: Part 7: 1971 or BS476: Part 7: 1987 and amendment slip AMD 6249 and has a fire propagation index (I) of not greater than 12 and a sub-index (i1) of not greater than 6 when tested in accordance with BS476: Part 6: 1981 or BS476: Part 6: 1989 Appendix A (paragraph 12) of Approved Document B, Fire Safety, to the Building Regulations England and Wales 1991. Appendix to Part D (paragraph 6a), Structural Fire Precautions, of the Technical Standards for compliance with the Building Standards (Scotland) Regulations 1990. Section 2 (paragraph 2.4) of Technical Booklet E, Fire Safety, to the Building Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1994.

The definitions for Class 0 products are given in the following Documents.

Some products; for example certain types and thicknesses of thermoplastic products, cannot be adequately tested to one or both of the test methods and should be assessed using other methods. Special requirements are given in certain Building Regulations. It should, however, also be noted that: i) ii) iii) Class 0 is not a classification identified in any British Standard. Class 0 is a material/product performance classification for wall and ceiling linings. It should not be assumed that a material/product with a Class 0 classification is non-combustible. Class 0 does not imply non-combustibility or limited combustibility.

The highest product performance classification for lining materials is Class 0.

Association for Specialist Fire Protection TGD5 Guide to Class 0 and Class 1 www.asfp.org.uk

18 March 2010

SURFACE SPREAD OF FLAME

Class 1 is usually readily understood because it is a result of test to BS476: Part 7: 1987, Method for classification of the surface spread of flame of products, (and its predecessor BS476: Part 7: 1971). The test is a classification system based on the rate and extent of flame spread and classifies products 1,2,3 or 4 with Class 1 being the highest classification. BS476: Part 7: 1987 specifies a method of test for measuring the lateral spread of flame along the surface of a specimen when it is mounted at right angles to a high intensity radiation panel. The radiant panel measures approximately 900mm square and the specimens measure 885 mm wide by 270 mm high. For the first minute of the test a small pilot flame is applied to the surface of the specimen in the hotter region. Each specimen is tested for a total of 10 minutes and throughout that period the extent of flame spread over the surface, measured along a horizontal reference line, is recorded. Six specimens are normally tested but provision is made in some cases for up to nine specimens to be tested. The extent and rate of flame spread on each specimen are used to determine the classification given to the specimens which range from Class 1 (the best) down to Class 4. In some cases a prefix or a suffix may be added to the classification to denote some characteristic which may be relevant to interpretation of the results. A D prefix denotes that the specimens were a modified version of the actual product; an R suffix indicates that more than six specimens were required to obtain six valid test results and a Y suffix warns that softening or other behaviour occurred which may have affected the flame spread during the test. The presence of prefixes or suffixes to the classification is not normally considered by building regulations or specifiers. Class 1 products are specified in certain circumstances in Building Regulations where flame spread over wall and ceiling linings require to be controlled to a high level. In some limited cases (e.g. small rooms) Class 3 products are acceptable.

FIRE PROPAGATION
BS476: Part 6: 1989 specifies a method of test that is intended to provide a comparative measure of the contribution to the growth of fire of a product. Specimens measuring 225mm x 225mm are mounted vertically into a special combustion chamber which contains a horizontal gas burner tube, two electrical heating elements and a steel chimney and cowl. Each specimen is subjected to direct flame impingement from the gas burner tube throughout the 20 minute duration of the test, and from approximately 3 minutes, to heat radiation from the electrical heating elements. The temperature of the combustion gases, as measured by thermocouples positioned in the chimney and cowl arrangement, are measured at defined periods during the test. The test results are obtained by using a special calculation which uses the temperature data from the test on the specimen and from a calibration exercise using a specified non-combustible reference material. The test result is expressed in terms of a fire propagation index, I, and three subindices, i1, i2 and i3. The higher the fire propagation index, the greater is the influence of the product in accelerating the growth of a fire. The method of computation of the subindices ensures that greater significance is placed on those factors affecting the early stages of the test compared with those affecting the later stages.
Association for Specialist Fire Protection TGD5 Guide to Class 0 and Class 1 www.asfp.org.uk 4 18 March 2010

Normally three specimens are tested and the results of the test are average values of the three specimens. In certain cases up to five specimens may be tested to achieve three valid test results and in that case a suffix R is added to the fire propagation index. The presence of a suffix is not normally considered by building regulations or specifiers.

QUALITY ASSURANCE
Correct interpretation of test results is extremely important and the detailed description of test specimens given in test reports issued by independent laboratories should be carefully checked to ensure that the specimens tested are adequately representative of the product to be used and the method of use. Small differences in specimen details; such as thickness, substrate, colour, form, fixings, adhesive etc., may significantly affect the rating. Although the building regulations explain the requirements for Class 0 and Class 1 no recommendations are given to explain how these are to be determined or checked. It is the responsibility of the person making any claim (e.g. the manufacturer or the supplier) to ensure that the claims are correct. Historically, claims have been based on test reports issued by independent test laboratories and claims are rarely questioned by users or specifiers; apart from some requests for copies of test reports. Recent incidents have indicated an increased interest by Trading Standards Departments in questioning claims for fire performance and heavy fines have been imposed in some cases. It is important, therefore, that any claims are based on sound evidence which includes a check that the claimed result can be consistently achieved on the product which is supplied in practice. This can be demonstrated in different ways such as regular quality control tests and/or careful control over manufacturing tolerances. Product Certification schemes for Class 0 and Class 1 are available which include a requirement for manufacture under BS EN ISO 9000, an indepth technical assessment of the product to ensure that adequate type-tests have been conducted and audit testing of randomly selected products. Product Certification is designed to ensure that the end user, specifier and manufacturer all have complete confidence in the claimed performance of the product.

Association for Specialist Fire Protection TGD5 Guide to Class 0 and Class 1 www.asfp.org.uk

18 March 2010

CAUTIONARY NOTES
Although the tests required for Class 0 and Class 1 designations appear to be relatively simple the technical considerations are often complex. Each type of product has to be evaluated and representative specimens tested to ensure that the effect of all variables are considered. The following list details some factors which can affect test performance but is not exhaustive. Thickness. There is not a simple general rule relating to the effect of thickness as some specimens give better results at reduced thickness whilst the reverse is true of other products. There is often a complex relationship (e.g. in some cases thicker specimens can start the tests better due to higher heat absorbing capacity but deteriorate due to higher fuel content). Density. In general higher density products tend to perform better due to higher heat absorbing capacity but in some cases the resulting higher fuel content can lead to poor performance in the later stages of the test. Colour. Although this does not normally lead to major differences in performance for most products in some cases it can have a significant effect. Faced products. These must be tested in a representative manner to include all variables. The characteristics of the facing, the substrate and the adhesive or fixing method can all have a significant effect on the performance. Coatings. The substrate, the preparation of the substrate, the method of application of the coatings, the number and types of coating and the rates of application can all have a significant effect. Special considerations apply when the coating is designed to improve the performance of combustible substrates. The application of coatings to existing coated surfaces is an extremely complex subject and can seriously affect the overall performance (classification). Wallcoverings. The substrate, the preparation of the substrate, the adhesive used and the characteristics of the wallcovering are all important factors. The evaluation of a range of wallcoverings requires careful procedures. Plastics. These can, particularly in the case of thermoplastics, create special problems and care must be taken to ensure that specimens are representative. Composites. These need to be fully representative of the practical situation and include all layers in a representative formation, including fixing details. Thin panels. Where a lining product or glazing will be used in practice with an air space behind it, it is important that it is tested in a manner which simulates the air space.

The correct evaluation of the performance of different types of product must therefore be addressed carefully to ensure that all relevant factors are considered. Test laboratories have detailed knowledge of the complexities of the test and the factors which must be addressed. Their staff are pleased to assist in designing appropriate test programmes by working with the manufacturer to identify all relevant factor's.

Association for Specialist Fire Protection TGD5 Guide to Class 0 and Class 1 www.asfp.org.uk

18 March 2010

DEFINITIONS NON-COMBUSTIBLE MATERIALS

i) ii) Any material/product classified as non-combustible when tested in accordance with the requirements of BS476: Part 4: 1970. Any material which, when tested to BS476: Part 11: 1982, does not flame nor cause any rise in temperature on either the specimen or furnace thermocouples. Any material which is totally inorganic, such as concrete, fired clay, ceramics, metals, plaster and masonry containing not more than 1% by weight or volume of organic material.

iii)

Any material conforming with the above requirements can be classified as Class 0 in accordance with Approved Document B of the England and Wales Building Regulations 1991.

MATERIAL OF LIMITED COMBUSTIBILITY

i) ii) A material performance specification that includes non-combustible materials tested to the method specified in BS476: Part 11: 1982. Any material of a density of 300kg/m or more which, when tested to BS476: Part 11: 1982, does not flame nor cause the rise in the temperature of the furnace thermocouple to be more than 20C. Any material of density less than 300Kg/m, which when tested to BS 476: Part 11: 1982 does not flame for more than 10 seconds and the rise in temperature on the centre specimen thermocouple is not more than 35C and, on the furnace thermocouple, is not more than 25C Any material with a non-combustible core at least 8mm thick having combustible facings, on one or both sides, of not more than 0.5mm thick. (Where a flame spread rating is specified, these materials must also meet the appropriate test requirements).

iii)

iv)

Where such materials/products are exposed as linings they should also meet any appropriate flame spread rating.

Association for Specialist Fire Protection TGD5 Guide to Class 0 and Class 1 www.asfp.org.uk

18 March 2010