Ahead of the new European standard for fire testing of building cladding launching in early 2026, DBI – Danish Institute of Fire and Security Technology is urging manufacturers to begin implementing the revised standard in their fire tests now
Doing so will offer objective and “uniform safety levels” across countries, DBI said, “eliminating misleading fire tests”, and provide flexible opportunities for manufacturers.
As DBI explains, plasterboards, wall panels, ceilings, and other types of building cladding are normally tested and classified according to fire exposure. The cladding standard determines how well the cladding protects underlying materials during a fire. However, current testing methods rely on visual assessment, which could be interpreted subjectively and result in disagreements over borderline cases, “… for example, it is up to a visual assessment to decide whether the underlying particleboard is charred after the test. This can produce different results depending on which laboratory conducts the test.”
The new standard removes these challenges by utilising a temperature-based method in which a pass or fail result is determined from measured temperatures. DBI has helped to develop specifications regarding where and how temperature sensors should be placed during testing. Their aim is “to provide an accurate picture of whether the underlying material risks becoming charred”.
Jeanne B. Kirk, Resistance to Fire Engineer at DBI, said: “It’s about getting data sets that show how the material actually performs. If the temperature exceeds the limit, it automatically fails. This makes the conclusion much more objective.”
The new standard will also enable manufacturers to take advantage of three types of standard test substrates for multiple application areas: EPS (expanded polystyrene), low-density materials such as insulation, and particleboard.
DBI added that the new approach will ensure the test methods are more reliable and remove the need to carry out separate tests. For instance, a plasterboard producer who previously had to conduct a separate test for each desired substrate type, such as cellulose, seagrass, PIR, and PUR, will now be able to conduct a single test on EPS to cover them all.
There is also the possibility of testing cladding as wall-mounted rather than ceiling-mounted, and incorporating bio-based materials into construction.
Having taken seven years to produce, the new standard is expected to come into effect on 31 January 2026. Manufacturers are recommended to begin applying the new standard to their fire tests now.
As Kirk explained, “When you plan a fire test, it typically takes several months. So, if you start now, you’ll be ready when the standard will come into effect. And you already know what you need to test for.”
More information about the European standard can be found here.