EN 13501-1: Fire Test to Building Material - Classification

Fire test center will provide European Standard EN 13501-1 Fire Test to Building Material


EN13501-1:2007: Fire classification of construction products and building elements-Part1:
Classification using data from reaction to fire tests

EN 13501-1: Fire Test to Building Material－Scope

With the lucubrate and development in fire science and fire protection, right from the combustion
characteristics of flame spread, extend to include the rate of heat release, heat release, toxicity
of smoke density and combustion result and other parameters. The classes is EN 13501-1 actively
consider the above parameters, therefore more scientific. EN 13501-1 also provides a number of test
methods not  only consider the actual fire scene, but also consider the end use of the material,
which is more practical representation.

EN 13501-1: Fire Test to Building Material－Product

> Construction products, excluding floorings and linear pipe thermal insulation products
> Floorings
> Linear pipe thermal insulation products


EN 13501-1: Fire Test to Building Material-Classification

a-

Construction excluding
Flooring
Classification:
A1,A2, B,C,D,E,F

Class F: Test according EN ISO 11925-2 and fail to meet the Class E
Class E: Pass the test according the EN ISO 11925-2
Class D,C,B: Pass the test according EN ISO 11925-2and EN 13823
Class A2: Pass the test according EN 13823 and EN ISO 1182 or EN ISO
1716
Class A1: Pass the test according EN ISO 1182 and EN ISO 1716

b-

Floorings
Classification
A1fl ,A2fl ,Bfl,Cfl,
Dfl,Efl,Ffl

Class Ffl: According EN ISO 11925-2 to test and fail to meet Class Efl
Class Efl: Pass the test specified according to EN ISO 11925-2
Class Dfl,Cfl,Bfl: Pass the test according to EN ISO 11925-2 and ISO 9239-1
Class A2fl: Pass the test according ISO 9239-1 and EN ISO 1182 or EN ISO
1716
Class A1fl: Pass the test according EN ISO 1182 and EN ISO 1716

C-

Linear pipe
Classification：
A1L, A2L,BL,CL,DL,EL,FL

Class FL: Test according EN ISO 11925-2 and fail to meet the Class E
Class EL: Pass the test according the EN ISO 11925-2
Class DL,CL,BL: Pass the test according EN ISO 11925-2and EN 13823
Class A2L: Pass the test according EN 13823 and EN ISO 1182 or EN ISO
1716
Class A1L: Pass the test according EN ISO 1182 and EN ISO 1716

EN 13501-1: Fire Test to Building Material-Products

> Insulated material（mineral wool board，glass wool，plastic parts, etc）
> Textile（curtain, portiere, etc）
> Floorings（Bamboo flooring, wood flooring, plastic flooring, carpet, rubber flooring, etc）
> Pipeline（Air condition hose, etc）

EN 13501-1: Fire Test to Building Material– Reference Standard

> EN 13823, Reaction to fire tests for building products. Building products excluding floorings exposed to
the thermal attack by a single burning item
> EN ISO 1182, Reaction to fire tests for building products. Non-combustibility test (ISO 1182:2002)
> EN ISO 1716, Reaction to fire tests for building products. Determination of the heat of combustion (ISO

1716:2002)
> EN ISO 9239-1, Reaction to fire tests for floorings. Part 1: Determination of the burning behaviour using
a radiant heat source (ISO 9239-1:2002)
> EN ISO 11925-2, Reaction to fire tests. Ignitability of building products subjected to direct impingement
of flame . Part 2: Single-flame source test (ISO 11925-2:2002)

EN 13501-1: Fire Test to Building Material – Similar Standard

> EN ISO 11925-2: Reaction to fire tests – Ignitability of building products subjected to direct
impingement of flame – Part 2: Single-flame source test
> EN 13501-1: Fire classification of construction products and building elements- Part1: Classification
using data from reaction to fire tests
> NF P 92 - 501: Safety against fire - Building materials - Reaction to fire tests - Radiation test used for
rigid materials. or for materials on rigid substrates (flooring and finishes) of all thicknesses. and for
flexible materials thicker that 5 mm
> NF P 92 - 503: Safety against fire - Building materials – Reaction to fire tests. Electrical burner test
used for flexible materials
> BS 476: Fire tests on building materials and structures
> GB 8624: Classification for burning behavior of building materials and products
> GB 20286: Requirements and mark on burning behavior of fire retarding products and subassemblies in
public place

EN 13501-1: Fire Test to Building Material – Classification Overview

Standard Name: 
EN 13501-1:2007 – Fire classification of construction products and building elements – Part 1: Classification using data from reaction to fire tests

Purpose of the Test: 
The purpose of EN 13501-1 is to classify construction products according to their reaction to fire behavior. This includes parameters such as flame spread, heat release rate, smoke production, and flaming droplets. The classification system provides a scientific and practical way to evaluate the fire performance of materials used in buildings.

Scope: 
With developments in fire science, EN 13501-1 now considers multiple factors including:

• Flame spread
• Heat release rate and total heat released
• Smoke production
• Toxicity and combustion residue

The classification accounts for both laboratory test conditions and real-world application scenarios.

Applicable Products:

• Construction materials (excluding floorings and pipe insulation)
• Floor coverings (e.g. carpet, wood, plastic, bamboo, rubber, etc.)
• Linear pipe thermal insulation products (e.g. air conditioning hoses)
• Insulation boards (mineral wool, glass wool, plastic foam, etc.)
• Textiles (curtains, drapes)

Classification System:

a. Construction products (excluding floorings): 
A1, A2, B, C, D, E, F 
From highest to lowest performance

- Class A1: Passes EN ISO 1182 and EN ISO 1716 
- Class A2: Passes EN 13823 and EN ISO 1182 or 1716 
- Class B, C, D: Passes EN ISO 11925-2 and EN 13823 
- Class E: Passes EN ISO 11925-2 only 
- Class F: Fails to meet Class E requirements 

b. Floorings: 
A1fl, A2fl, Bfl, Cfl, Dfl, Efl, Ffl 

- A1fl: EN ISO 1182 + EN ISO 1716 
- A2fl: EN ISO 9239-1 + EN ISO 1182 or 1716 
- Bfl, Cfl, Dfl: EN ISO 11925-2 + ISO 9239-1 
- Efl: EN ISO 11925-2 
- Ffl: Fails to meet Efl 

c. Linear Pipe Insulation: 
A1L, A2L, BL, CL, DL, EL, FL 

- A1L: EN ISO 1182 + EN ISO 1716 
- A2L: EN 13823 + EN ISO 1182 or 1716 
- BL, CL, DL: EN ISO 11925-2 + EN 13823 
- EL: EN ISO 11925-2 
- FL: Fails to meet EL 

Main Reference Standards:

• EN ISO 11925-2 – Ignitability test (single-flame source)
• EN 13823 – Single burning item (SBI) test
• EN ISO 1182 – Non-combustibility test
• EN ISO 1716 – Heat of combustion test
• EN ISO 9239-1 – Radiant panel test (for floorings)

Similar / Related Standards:

• NF P 92-501 / 503 – French reaction to fire tests
• BS 476 – British fire test methods
• GB 8624 / GB 20286 – Chinese classification for burning behavior

Conclusion: 
EN 13501-1 offers a comprehensive classification framework for fire performance of building materials. It considers multiple fire behavior characteristics, and aligns testing with realistic application, making it one of the most widely adopted fire classification standards in the construction industry.