What is the ASTM E84 rating?

 

 

ASTM E84 is a test standard for evaluating the fire resistance properties of various building materials. It is a standard developed by ASTM International (formerly known as the American Society for Testing and Materials) and is commonly referred to as the E84 standard, also known as the UL 723 standard (UL stands for Underwriters Laboratories, a U.S. certification organization for engineering and technical safety).

 

The ASTM E84 standard covers building and decorative materials (including wood, gypsum, license plates, polymers, paper, and other categories) to evaluate their susceptibility to ignition and combustion in a fire. This standard applies only to surface burning materials, such as wallboard, window coverings, etc., and does not apply to structural materials, such as wood framing, steel framing, etc.

 

ASTM E84 is a standard adopted by the U.S. Fire Code and other building code agencies. In addition, a number of other countries have adopted similar standards, such as the European Union's EN 13501 standard and Australia's AS/NZ 3837 standard. The purpose of these standards is to ensure the safety of building materials in the event of fire in order to reduce fire deaths and property damage.

 

 

The ASTM E84 standard requires the measurement of the Fire Spread Index (FSI) and Smoke Developed Index (SDI) of the material under test under specified conditions. These indices reflect the material's combustibility in a fire, with higher indices indicating that the material burns more readily and produces more smoke.

 

Measurement conditions for ASTM E84 include: specifying the dimensions of a sample of the material under test to be 24 inches wide and 20 inches high; establishing a vertical fire source, applying 22,000 BTU/hr of heat to the material under test, and keeping the source of the fire at a distance of 6 feet from the base of the material; and conducting the test for a period of 10 minutes, using the rate of flame spread and smoke production measured during the first 4 minutes as the indices. as an index.

 

Based on the test results, ASTM E84 classifies materials into the following categories:

 

- Class A: FSI ≤ 25, SDI ≤ 450

- Class B: FSI ≤ 75, SDI ≤ 450

- Class C: FSI ≤ 200, SDI ≤ 450

- Not rated: FSI > 200

 

These classifications are based on the performance of the material in terms of the Fire Spread Index and Smoke Development Index, and whether or not the test material extinguishes itself. Classification A indicates the best, and classification C indicates inferior.

 

 

The ASTM E84 standard is one of the key standards for the building industry and fire codes. ASTM E84 testing is required for most building materials to ensure that they meet the standard.