Flame retardant
IN FIRE SAFETY, RESISTANCE TO FIRE IS CODIFIED AT NATIONAL AND EUROPEAN LEVEL AND IS HIGHLY REGULATED.
Resistance to fire is the representation of a material as fuel for fire (combustibility, flammability), as defined by the French Order of 21 November 2002. There are strict fire regulations for the use of textile fabrics in establishments. You can consult the details of this regulation on the Securofeu website.
French classification
In France, there is a rating scale with 5 categories that define the fire resistance of materials:
- M0 : non-combustible
- M1 : combustible (non-flammable)
- M2 : combustible (flame retardant)
- M3 : combustible (moderately flammable)
- M4 : combustible (highly flammable)
- NC : not classified
European classification
The European classification (euroclasses) is defined in European standard EN 13501-1.
There are five categories of requirement: A1, A2, B, C, D, E, F (F being equal to the NC category of the M classification).
This classification also takes into account two other criteria:smoke opacity (quantity and speed) marked “s” for smoke
- s1 : low quantity/speed
- s2 : average quantity/speed
- s3 : high quantity/speedignited
droplets and debris marked “d” for droplets
- d0 : no debris
- d1 : no debris with a combustion lasting more than 10 seconds
- d2 : neither d0 nor d1
| Classifications according to BS EN 13501-1 | French Classification | ||
| A1 | - | - | Non-combustible |
| A2 | s1 | d0 | M0 |
| A2 | s1 | d1 | M1 |
| A2 | s2 s3 |
d0 d1 |
|
| B | s1 s2 s3 |
d0 d1 |
|
| C | s1 s2 s3 |
d0 d1 |
M2 |
| D | s1 s2 s3 |
d0 d1 |
M3 |
| M4 rating (noon-drip) | |||
| All classes other than E-d2 and F | M4 | ||
IMO Standard
IMO is the fire reaction standard in the marine sector. It applies to all types of boats and merchant ships.
BS EN 12 952 STANDARD
Fire behaviour of bedding items.
Standard BS EN 12952 parts 1 and 2, requires that the bedding articles concerned pass tests for non-ignition resistance to cigarettes.
TECHNICAL PROPERTIES
The properties of Flame retardant fabric:
- ensures compliance with legislation and standards
- delays the onset of combustion
- limits post-combustion
- delays the fall of mechanical properties
French Flame retardant M1 rating explanatory note
All our fabrics are tested by an approved laboratory, meaning we have M1 certification, in the form of a report valid for 5 years. For more information on reading a non-flammable report, take a look at our explanatory note to check the veracity of a French fireproof M1 report.
