Fire class

National standards	DIN, ÖNORM
Area	Fire protection
Regulates	Fire classes
Brief description	Fire classes A, B, C, D, F
Latest edition	2005-01

As fire classes refers to a classification of fires after its inflammable material . This classification is primarily necessary in order to make a correct selection of appropriate extinguishing agents in the event of a fire.
The term fire class is sometimes used incorrectly when actually building material class is meant (which describes the fire performance of building materials according to EN 13501-1).

According to the European standard EN 2 , flammable substances are classified into fire classes A, B, C, D and F. EN 2 replaced national standards such as DIN standards (DIN 14406) or ÖNORM (F 1003).

Fire classes

Fire class symbols

The color of the symbols is variable. It is usually shown in black on a white background, and often white on a red background on small fire extinguishers .

Fire class table
Fire class ^*	Description ^*	Examples	Extinguishing agent	Note
A.	Fires involving solid substances, mainly of an organic nature, which normally burn with embers	Wood , paper , coal , hay, straw, some plastics (especially thermosets), textiles, etc.	Water , aqueous solutions , extinguishing foam , ABC powder , extinguishing gel
B.	Fires involving liquids or liquefied substances	Petrol , ethanol , tar , wax , many plastics (especially thermoplastics), ethers , lacquers , resin	Extinguishing foam, ABC powder, BC powder, carbon dioxide	Also substances that become liquid due to the increase in temperature
C.	Gas fires	Ethyne (acetylene), hydrogen , natural gas , methane , propane , butane , town gas	ABC powder, BC powder, carbon dioxide only in exceptional cases (there are very seldom specially designed fire extinguishers with gas jet nozzles for this purpose), cut off the gas supply by shutting off the line	Gas fires generally only extinguish when the gas supply can be cut off, as otherwise an explosive gas-air mixture can form
D.	Metal fires	Aluminum , magnesium , sodium , potassium , lithium and their alloys	Metal fire powder (D powder) and, as a makeshift extinguishing agent, dry sand, dry gritting or cattle salt, dry cement, gray cast iron shavings	Never use water as an extinguishing agent on class D fires
F.	Burns of edible oils / fats (vegetable or animal oils and fats) in deep-frying and fat frying devices and other kitchen equipment and appliances	Edible oils and fats	Special extinguishing agent for fats (usually an extinguishing foam for saponification)	Never use water as an extinguishing agent on Class F fires

^*Fire classes and descriptions correspond exactly to the wording of EN 2. Examples, extinguishing agents and notes serve for explanation and are not part of EN 2. The extinguishing agents listed as examples relate primarily to extinguishing agents that can be safely used in normal use by people. In individual cases and in the case of fire extinguishing systems, there may be further suitability or exclusions, some of which are based on complex grounds.

Fire class F

Fire class F includes fires caused by edible oils / fats in deep-frying and deep-frying appliances and other kitchen equipment and appliances. In principle, fats belong to fire class B, but fat fires are assigned to their own fire class due to their special dangers and peculiarities.

The background for the separation of the substances of fire class F from fire class B is the fact that the standard extinguishing agents for fire classes A, B and C can only be used to a very limited extent on these substances. The use of unsuitable extinguishing agents can under certain circumstances be ineffective or even be dangerous.

Former fire class E

In 1978 fire class E, which was intended for fires in electrical low-voltage systems (up to 1000 volts), was abolished. All current fire extinguishers can be used in low-voltage systems, provided that the safety distance printed on the fire extinguisher is observed.

literature

Lothar Schott, Manfred Ritter: Fire Brigade Basic Course FwDV 2 . 20th edition. Wenzel-Verlag, Marburg 2018, ISBN 978-3-88293-220-1 .
Roy Bergdoll, Sebastian Breitenbach: Die Roten Hefte, Issue 1 - Burning and Extinguishing . 18th edition. Kohlhammer, Stuttgart 2019, ISBN 978-3-17-026968-2 .
Reimund Roß, Peter Symanowski: Die Rote Hefte, Issue 14 - fire extinguishers . 10th edition. Kohlhammer, Stuttgart 2001, ISBN 3-17-011287-2 .

Web links

The new fire class F (based on the Wikipedia article at the time → Fettbrand )
Fire classes (accessed on February 28, 2020)
Classification according to EN 2 (accessed on February 28, 2020)
Fire classes and labeling of fire extinguishers (accessed on February 28, 2020)
Technical rules for workplaces Measures against fires (accessed on February 28, 2020)

Individual evidence

↑ Fire classes - an overview. WEKA MEDIA GmbH & Co. KG, March 27, 2017, accessed on April 27, 2020 .

[1] Fire classes - an overview. WEKA MEDIA GmbH & Co. KG, March 27, 2017, accessed on April 27, 2020 .