Fire Classifications: What Do They Mean?

In Europe, we all use the same system to classify fire resistance, not only for fire stop materials but also for walls, floors, doors, and more. In fire stopping, only a few letters are used to indicate the result and the type of protection provided by the installation. Integrity (E): E refers to the time it takes for fire to physically spread through a fire stop material. At the point of failure, the glow of the fire can be seen through the seal, flames come through, or a cotton pad ignites when held close to the seal by the test technician. This is the simplest classification to achieve. Insulation (I): I indicates the increase in temperature, measured on the non-fire side, which has risen by 180°C on either the fire stop material or the services. This is measured through many strategically placed thermocouples. The goal is to replicate the lowest possible temperature that could actually start a fire, even though the fire itself has not passed through the fire stop material. This is the more difficult classification to achieve. In most European countries, there is a requirement that fire classifications include both integrity (E) and insulation (I). However, if the fire stop material is in an area where there are no combustible materials nearby and no likelihood of such materials being placed close by, an engineering judgment may be made to approve the use of the integrity classification only. For this reason, we list both classifications in this guide. The letters are followed by a number, which indicates the duration in minutes for which integrity and insulation were maintained. For example, the classification E 60 means integrity for one hour, while EI 120 means both integrity and insulation for two hours.