Description

Reaction to fire performance relates to the conbustability and ignitability of a material ie its contribution to fire growth, rather than its ability to resist the passage of fire (which is provided by fire resistance testing). How a fire develops in the early stages is of crucial importance to ensure safe evacuation.

The tests tend to be smaller in scale than for fire resistance and are carried out on specific components or materials representative of end-use application.

The test specimens are representative of items that may be exposed to a growing fire, including:
Wall linings.
Ceiling linings.
External wall surfaces

Reaction to fire tests are commonly called up in codes and regulations in both the building and the transport sectors.