Flame-retardant treatments for timber products

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In many situations, timber and wood-based materials may be used in their natural, untreated state. However, flame-retardant (FR) treatments extend their use to situations that demand enhanced 'reaction to fire' properties.

This Wood Information Sheet (WIS) covers treatments that may be applied to wood and wood-based products both factory and site applied to upgrade their fire performance to Euroclass B or C or National class 0, 1 or 2.


Contents:

  • Types of flame-retardant treatment
  • Compatability of FR timber products and treatments with additional coatings
  • Performance requirements
  • Fire test evidence
  • CE marking


This Wood Information Sheet was revised in March 2017. The key changes include:

  • The description of flame-retardant treatments has been extended to include heat output, smoke and flaming droplets when tested to European standards.
  • The term 'flame retardant' has been better defined to include the addition of chemicals to enhance the reaction to fire performance of wood-based products.
  • Information has been added regarding new surface coating systems.
  • Information on what the Declaration of Performance should include has been provided.
  • Information regarding the reaction to fire has been updated following changes to the standard PDF CEN/TS 15912:2012.
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