Element offers a complete range of fire testing services for building materials, including fire resistance and flame spread testing, to help ensure that they meet regulatory requirements and are safe in their end application.
Fire testing standards and building codes are an important aspect of manufacturing products with safe designs and materials to protect the end-user. Failure to meet flammability testing requirements poses a risk to public safety and can also limit or prevent market access. The insight you gain from fire testing of building materials helps you to prevent the use of materials that could compromise public safety due to their excessive flammability potential.
Fire Testing of Building Materials Services & Methods
Element's Material fire testing services focus on assessing the material's burning behavior, from ignition until all combustion has ceased. To do so, we employ various standard methods of test and specified combustion challenges, including:
- Surface flammability using Steiner Tunnel Testing
- Heat release rate using the Cone Calorimetry
- Critical radiant flux using the Flooring Radiant Panel Testing
- Non-combustibility testing
- Smolder resistance testing
Our depth of knowledge and experience allows us to provide testing of a large variety of building materials and assemblies, including:
- Building interior wall and ceiling finishes
- Flooring and floor covering systems
- Non-melting foam plastic building materials
- Thermal and acoustic insulation for indoor use in building construction
- Flame-resistant fabrics of natural, synthetic, or combinations of natural and synthetic fibers, or plastic films intended for such use as tents, awnings, draperies, inflatable structures, or decorations
- Materials used in non-combustible construction
Fire Testing of Building Materials Within our Laboratories
Operating in modern facilities outfitted with cutting-edge fire testing equipment, Element's experts provide reaction to fire tests on various interior finish materials used in buildings, including wall and ceiling finishes, textiles, building insulation, and flooring.
Our goal is to help you demonstrate compliance with the relevant regional building codes and the requirements set out by jurisdictional authorities and architects. Element's fire testing services are beneficial in material development, for quality control purposes, or to demonstrate a competitive advantage in the marketplace.
Material Fire Testing Standards
Our fire testing laboratories are accredited to the ISO 17025 standard to conduct fire testing of building materials under the following national and international standards:
- ASTM E84, ASTM E136, ASTM E1354, ASTM D2863, ASTM E648
- CAN/ULC-S102, CAN/ULC-S102.2, CAN/ULC-S102.3, CAN/ULC-S127, CAN/ULC-S129, CAN/ULC-S135, CAN/ULC-S114, CAN/ULC-S109
- ISO 5660-1
- NFPA 253, NFPA 701
- UL 723
If you don't see the standard you require testing, contact us to see how we can help you.
The Element Advantage
As part of our fire testing services of building materials, we offer non-combustibility testing on materials like concrete that are usually part of a structure or are developed for use in construction applications.
In addition to our reaction to fire testing capabilities, Element's experts supply a full range of testing and evaluation services for building materials used in the construction industry. We carry out various fire tests to validate the materials' mechanical properties, water penetration, corrosion resistance, or weathering effects.
We offer complete on-site testing programs, failure analysis investigations, and consulting services to ensure the materials we test comply with building codes and are safe in their application.
For more information about our fire testing services or to speak with an expert, contact us today.
Flame Propagation of Textiles and Films: a comparative analysis of CAN/ULC-S109 and NFPA 701 Fire Tests
A guide to understanding a material's reaction to fire by comparing CAN/ULC-S109 and NFPA 701 test methods. READ MORECone Calorimeter Testing
A guide to understanding the fire response and the smoke production of materials. The Cone Calorimeter is currently the most advanced test method to assess how materials and products behave when exposed to a radiant heat insult.
READ MORESteiner Tunnel Testing: reaction-to-fire testing on interior finish materials
A guide to understanding the Steiner Tunnel test and the differences between ASTM E84 and CAN/ULC-S102. READ MORERadiant Panel Test: assessing the response of flooring materials to heat and flame
A guide to understanding the critical radiant flux of flooring materials. Flooring materials used in a building corridor or exitway must be tested for their flammability characteristics to gain an understanding of how they will contribute to fire spread.
READ MOREMore from Element
Steiner Tunnel Testing
Learn about reaction-to-fire testing on interior finish materials. A white paper on the differences between ASTM E84 and CAN/ULC-S102 Steiner Tunnel tests.
Building Materials Testing
Element offers a complete set of building materials testing to ensure the materials are safe in their application, compliant and ultimately fit for purpose.
Radiant Panel Test
Learn about Element's radiant panel test, the determination of the relative critical radiant flux, and the common standard methods of test ASTM E648 and NFPA 253.
Furniture Flammability Testing
Element provides furniture flammability testing against CAL TB 117, NFPA 260, and other standards to ensure your product is fit for purpose and safe to use.