Note for Guidance
The Fire Safety Advice Centre
British Standard 478 Fire Tests
When designing a building a very important consideration is how it will behave in fire and ensure the elements of structure will not collapse but remain standing or hold back the fire for a prescribed time. The building regulations stipulates the rules and the degree of fire resistance of the elements of structure. However the British standard 476 dictates the appropriate fire tests for these elements of structure/materials and grades the level of fire resistance. The following is a list of the current standards.
- BS 476-3:2004. Fire tests on building materials and structures. Classification and method of test for external fire exposure to roofs
- BS 476-4:1970. Fire tests on building materials and structures. Non-combustibility test for materials
- BS 476-6:1989+A1:2009. Fire tests on building materials and structures. Method of test for fire propagation for products
- BS 476-7:1997. Fire tests on building materials and structures. Method of test to determine the classification of the surface spread of flame of products
- BS 476-10:2009. Fire tests on building materials and structures. Guide to the principles, selection, role and application of fire testing and their outputs
- BS 476-11:1982. Fire tests on building materials and structures. Method for assessing the heat emission from building materials
- BS 476-12:1991. Fire tests on building materials and structures. Method of test for ignitability of products by direct flame impingement
- BS 476-13:1987, ISO 5657:1986. Fire tests on building materials and structures. Method of measuring the ignitability of products subjected to thermal irradiance
- BS 476-15:1993, ISO 5660-1:1993. Fire tests on building materials and structures. Method for measuring the rate of heat release of products
- BS 476-20:1987. Fire tests on building materials and structures. Method for determination of the fire resistance of elements of construction (general principles)
- BS 476-21:1987. Fire tests on building materials and structures. Methods for determination of the fire resistance of load bearing elements of construction
- BS 476-22:1987. Fire tests on building materials and structures. Methods for determination of the fire resistance of non-load bearing elements of construction
- BS 476-23:1987. Fire tests on building materials and structures. Methods for determination of the contribution of components to the fire resistance of a structure
- BS 476-24:1987, ISO 6944:1985. Fire tests on building materials and structures. Method for determination of the fire resistance of ventilation ducts
- BS 476-31.1:1983. Fire tests on building materials and structures. Methods for measuring smoke penetration through doorsets and shutter assemblies. Method of measurement under ambient temperature conditions
- BS 476-32:1989. Fire tests on building materials and structures. Guide to full scale fire tests within buildings
- BS 476-33:1993, ISO 9705 Fire tests on building materials and structures. Full-scale room test for surface products
Check out your local reference library or purchase copies from BSI Online insert the BS number to see what standards are available and their titles. These links may not be inclusive but do indicate some of the standards that are available.
This handout provides a general overview and basic information on this topic. It may not apply to everyone, consequently to find out if this guide applies to you and to get more information on this subject, study all the relevant legislation, guides and British/European Standards. Also you should seek advice from an expert on the subject or your local Fire Safety Officer or Fire Safety Professional.
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This page was last checked and modified on Thursday, 8 July, 2010 22:26
