Standards

Flammability testing is key

The Construction Products Regulation (305/2011) is used in the floorcoverings sector across Europe. This requires the product to be assessed against one or more test standards specified in EN 14041 – ‘Resilient, textile and laminate floor coverings. Essential characteristics’ (or EN 14342 – ‘Wood flooring and parquet. Characteristics, evaluation of conformity and marking’).

A major part of these requirements is reaction to fire testing. This is carried out in accordance with EN 13501-1 – ‘Fire classification of construction products and building elements. Classification using test data from reaction to fire tests’. This classification is then used to inform customers of the ‘reaction to fire’ performance. In the case of floorcoverings it is also used to CE mark products against the mandatory product specification requirements.

Although the classification is acceptable throughout Europe and will be recorded on the CE label, it does not mean that a product is suitable for the same applications in different countries.

For manufacturers of textile, resilient, laminate and hardwood flooring products, EN ISO 11925-2 and EN ISO 9239-1 are the most important test methods called up for classification.

EN ISO 9239-1 ‘Reaction to fire tests for floorings. Part 1: Determination of the burning behaviour using a radiant heat source’ describes a test procedure for assessing the burning behaviour (spread of flame and smoke development) of horizontally mounted floorcoverings firstly exposed to a radiant heat source and then ignited with a pilot flame.

EN ISO 11925-2 – ‘Reaction to fire tests – Ignitability of building products subjected to direct impingement of flame. Part 2: Single flame source test’ determines the ignitability of a vertically mounted test specimen when a small flame is directly applied to its surface and/or one of its edges. No other heat source is used.

Email: floorcoverings@satra.com