Certified according to Euroclass B-s1,d0

The world-leading fire-retardant agent Dricon, which Woodsafe uses, meets the fire-safety requirements according to Euroclass B-s1,d0.

One of the EU’s foremost aims is free trade between member states. In the building sector, this is regulated by the EU’s CPD directive 89/106/EEG. The CPD directive aims to create a single market for building products by removing technical trade obstacles. When CPD is implemented in national legislation, all products will have to meet the six most important requirements in the directive. These requirements cover, among other things, the norms in the National Board of Housing, Building and Planning’s building regulations.

The CPD directive will soon be replaced by CPR, which is a regulation. This means that all wood products must be CE-marked and monitored by means of a production inspection mechanism. This applies where wood of fire-protection grade is a demand.

Type-approval according to K210/B-s1,d0

Woodsafe impregnated with fire-inhibiting agent Dricon is type-approved as per K210/B-s1,d0 from 12 millimetre thickness, equated with fire classification A2-s1,d0 for non-combustible materials as per the EU’s comparison of fire-resistance properties for building materials.

Since wood is combustible it will always have fire classification B, C or D, but fire classification combination K210/B-s1,d0 is equated with A2-s1,d0. Woodsafe’s products, including Woodsafe Acoustic, also meet the requirements for flame-protective cladding, surface layer class 1 (B-s1,d0).

All the requirements must be met

The requirements are specified, but lack of awareness leads to over-confidence in many situations. The fact that a product meets a standard such as ISO 11925 or EN 13823 does not necessarily mean that the product can be certified according to national standards BBR or BVL or the EU’s building directive CPD 89/106/EEG, subsequently named CPR. The difference between a product with a short-term flame-retardant capability and a product with long-term fire-repellent protection is fundamental.

Certification of a product as per CPD covers quality control of the entire production process, in which third-party supervision plays a decisive role for the entire certification process. Third-party supervision means that the entire chain, from production process with fire-retardant agent to fire-testing, is monitored very thoroughly through certification institutes such as product inspection by the SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden, Warrington, Sintef and similar certification agencies. In addition, high demands are imposed on the fire-retardant’s concentration, verification of each new batch and ongoing analysis of the actual agent used.

Fire tests under the supervision of independent inspectors

All materials from Arch Timber Protection and Woodsafe Timber Protection chosen for testing were selected under the supervision of inspectors from independent institutes such as SP or Warrington so as to eliminate any questions, doubts or other concerns about the test’s veracity.

After all, how could one otherwise know for sure that the samples selected are the genuine article unless a third-party inspector is on site to verify the selection process?

The difference between certification, classification and fire report

Unlike certification, classification is only a result from a fire test that has been conducted - it is not quality-assured. Type-approval is the ultimate proof that the product is what we say it is.

Classification is a result, certification is a quality account and type-approval is a quality certificate that guarantees that the product still meets the applicable regulations and regulations.

The same thing applies to CE-marking. In normal cases, the manufacturer certifies that the end-product meets the standard, but when it comes to fire protection there are also demands on production control in the same way as for type-approval. CE-marking is thus more than just CE-marking.