Fire Retardant Testing
Firefree Coatings have passed the fire industry's most stringent tests for fire retardants. The first generation of fire coatings ("fire retardants") were based on the now obsolete concept that fires spread mainly horizontally. Thus, these coatings were designed to slow the horizontal progress of a fire (providing little fireproofing) and were only required to pass the simple ASTM E 84 test, which measures horizontal flame spread and smoke development over a 10 minute test period. The testing is usually performed on low or non-combustible materials such as cement board, Douglas fir or red oak.As the industry's understanding of fire grew, it became apparent that the greatest fire spread is vertical flame spread. As the initial materials burn, the flames will travel vertically and gases will collect at the ceiling. These gases ignite causing flashover, a fireball explosion that will burst into other parts of the structure. Firefree coatings are the first coatings to have passed the most comprehensive and stringent fire retardant tests: (i) the vertical flame spread/flashover (UBC 26-3/FM 4880/UBC 8-2 room corner tests) and (ii) the Factory Mutual 4975 hydrocarbon ceiling test, all of which have passed on a wide variety of materials including wood, cellulose ceiling tiles and gypsum board, depending on which Firefree coating needed to be used for a specific assembly.
ASTM E-84, CAN & ULC-S102, BS476, AS1530.3
A. ASTM E-84, Steiner Tunnel Test
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- 1x4" Douglas Fir T&G
- Report number Omega 15810-111045
- 7/16" Oriented Strand Board
- Report number CAN/ULC R14654
- 1/2" Cement board
- Report number Omega 15810-110128
- 1 1/2" Fiberglass/Foam PVC acoustic panels
- Report number SWRI 01-6739-144a
- 2" Foam Co-polymer
- Report number Omega 16941-118444
ASTM E-84-08 (30 minutes)
- 1/2" Plywood panels
- Report number Intertek 3167621SAT-002
Firefree88 has also been tested in accordance to ASTM-E-84 (Extended) published under the following designations (UL 723, NFPA 255)
- 1x4" Douglas Fir T&G
B. British Standard 476 Part 6 & 7
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- 12mm timber OSB
- 12mm timber plywood
- 16 mm Gypsum Type X board
- 12 mm Gypsum board
- Report Number BRE 262682 (Part 6) & BRE 259490 (Part 7)
C. UBC Standard No. 26-3, Room Fire Test Standard for Interior of Foam Plastic Systems
FM 4880/ NFPA 286)
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- 4" polyurethane foam, no protective skin
- Report number WFC 99007
- 5 1/2" low density open-cell foam
- Report number RAD-3321
- 5/8" AC plywood
- Report number WFC 0400
- 4" polyurethane foam, no protective skin
D. UBC 8-2, Room Corner Test
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- 5/8" Douglas fir
- 1/2" Masonite board siding
- Cedar shingles
- 1/4" Mahogany paneling
- 7/16" Oriented Strand Board siding
- 7/16" Lap siding
E. FM 4975 Hydrocarbon Ceiling Test
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- 1x4 Douglas Fir T&G
- 1/2" cellulose ceiling ties
- 1/2" gypsum
F. AS 1530.3 Australia Standard Flame/Smoke Rating
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- 11mm Plywood, Test Report # FNE 7715
- (0-20) Ignitability 1
- (0-20) Spread of Flame 0
- (0-10) Heat evolved 0
- (0-10) Smoked Developed 4
- 11mm Plywood, Test Report # FNE 7715
The first generation of fire coatings ("fire retardants") were based on the now obsolete concept that fires spread mainly horizontally. Thus, these coatings were designed to slow the horizontal progress of a fire and were only required to pass the ASTM E-84, Steiner Tunnel Test.
The E-84 test is used as a means of measuring flame spread and smoke over a horizontal surface for a period of 10 minutes with an 80kw energy source, resulting in either a class A, B or C rating. Firefree88 has been tested to the following materials and have achieved a Class A rating.
The E-84 test is used as a means of measuring flame spread and smoke over a horizontal surface for a period of 10 minutes with an 80kw energy source, resulting in either a class A, B or C rating. Firefree88 has been tested to the following materials and have achieved a Class A rating.
This test determines the performance of a product when it is subjected to the conditions of the test specified in BS 476 Part 6 and 7 "Fire tests on building materials and structures, method for fire propagation for products"
BS 476: Part 6: Specifies a method of test, the result being expressed as a fire propagation index that provides a comparative measure of the contribution to the growth of fire made by an essentially flat material, composite or assembly. It is primarily intended for the assessment of the performance of internal wall and ceiling.
BS 476: Part 7: Specifies a method of test for measuring the lateral spread of flame along the surface of a specimen of a product orientated in the vertical position, and a classification system based on the rate and extent of flame spread. It provides data suitable for comparing the performances of essentially flat materials, composites, or assemblies, which are used primarily as the exposed surfaces of walls or ceilings.
The following materials were tested at BRE Global Laboratories:
BS 476: Part 6: Specifies a method of test, the result being expressed as a fire propagation index that provides a comparative measure of the contribution to the growth of fire made by an essentially flat material, composite or assembly. It is primarily intended for the assessment of the performance of internal wall and ceiling.
BS 476: Part 7: Specifies a method of test for measuring the lateral spread of flame along the surface of a specimen of a product orientated in the vertical position, and a classification system based on the rate and extent of flame spread. It provides data suitable for comparing the performances of essentially flat materials, composites, or assemblies, which are used primarily as the exposed surfaces of walls or ceilings.
The following materials were tested at BRE Global Laboratories:
This test was originally designed to evaluate a product's ability to reduce or eliminate fuel contribution, flame spread and prevention of flashover within a room.
The test is performed inside an 8'x12' room with 8' ceilings using an ignition source consisting of a 30-pound wood crib. The walls and ceiling of each room was paneled with plywood, which is commonly found in building structures, as many buildings have wood paneling in their interiors. Additionally, wood is highly combustible, thus making the test a worst-case scenario.
This test standard is designed to evaluate a product's ability to reduce or eliminate fuel contribution, flame spread and prevention of flashover of foam products within a room.
The test is performed inside an 8'x 12' room with 8' ceilings using an ignition source consisting of a gas powered sand burner generating a 50kw heat source for 5 minutes and 160kw for 10 minutes. The walls and ceiling of each room are coated with 3 inches of foam on the walls and 51/2 inches of foam on the ceiling, with a foam coating thickness variation of plus or minus 1/2 inch. This stringent test standard has been adopted by NFPA as a result of the dramatic foam fires that have occurred and continue to occur with the increased use of foam products in building structures.
We have tested Firefree88 in accordance to Room Corner Test on the following substrates:
The test is performed inside an 8'x12' room with 8' ceilings using an ignition source consisting of a 30-pound wood crib. The walls and ceiling of each room was paneled with plywood, which is commonly found in building structures, as many buildings have wood paneling in their interiors. Additionally, wood is highly combustible, thus making the test a worst-case scenario.
This test standard is designed to evaluate a product's ability to reduce or eliminate fuel contribution, flame spread and prevention of flashover of foam products within a room.
The test is performed inside an 8'x 12' room with 8' ceilings using an ignition source consisting of a gas powered sand burner generating a 50kw heat source for 5 minutes and 160kw for 10 minutes. The walls and ceiling of each room are coated with 3 inches of foam on the walls and 51/2 inches of foam on the ceiling, with a foam coating thickness variation of plus or minus 1/2 inch. This stringent test standard has been adopted by NFPA as a result of the dramatic foam fires that have occurred and continue to occur with the increased use of foam products in building structures.
We have tested Firefree88 in accordance to Room Corner Test on the following substrates:
This test was originally designed to evaluate a product's ability to reduce or eliminate fuel contribution, flame spread and prevention of flashover within a room. The test is performed inside an 8'x12' room with 8' ceilings using an ignition source consisting of a gas powered sand burner generating a 40kw heat source for 5 minutes and 150kw for 10 minutes. Firefree88 was tested on numerous highly volatile wood substrates shown below and, in each case, the test showed no material flame spread, smoke development or room flashover.
We have tested @ The University of California / Forest Laboratories on the following substrates:
We have tested @ The University of California / Forest Laboratories on the following substrates:
This test measures the rate at which fire will travel on a ceiling and shows a product's ability to prevent smoke, flame spread and heat release across an expansive ceiling area such as would be found in a large industrial building. In the tests we used highly combustible substrates to show the product's ability to perform on other substrates, which are less combustible. To our knowledge, no other coating has ever passed this test for this range of substrates. The following substrates were tested @ Factory Mutual Laboratories:
This test standard describes methods for fire tests on building materials, components and structures according to; a) tendencies to ignite; b) tendencies to propagate flame; c) heat release once ignition has occurred; d) tendencies to release smoke. The following substrates have been tested: