Laboratory → Standards

Standards schedule

Ten standards, with the application each one serves and the turnaround measured from specimen receipt rather than from enquiry.

StandardTestApplies toTurnaround
BS EN ISO 1182Non-combustibility testHomogeneous products, components15 working days
BS EN ISO 1716Gross heat of combustionAll products, per component10 working days
BS EN 13823Single burning item (SBI)Wall and ceiling linings20 working days
BS EN ISO 11925-2Ignitability, single flameAll products8 working days
ISO 5660-1Cone calorimeterDevelopment and screening10 working days
BS EN ISO 5659-2Smoke density, single chamberRail, marine, transport12 working days
BS EN 1364-1Fire resistance, non-loadbearing wallsPartitions, glazed screens25 working days
BS EN 1365-2Fire resistance, floors and roofsLoadbearing horizontal elements30 working days
BS 8414-1External cladding, freestanding rigFacade systems40 working days
BS EN 13501-1Reaction to fire classificationReport preparation10 working days

Turnaround assumes specimens arrive conditioned and complete. The most common cause of delay is a specimen schedule met only in part, which forces a partial test that then has to be repeated.

Conditioning

Specimens are conditioned at 23 °C and 50 % relative humidity to constant mass before testing. For products that carry moisture — timber, boards with a hygroscopic core, some insulation — this can add a fortnight, and it is not optional.

We record the as-received condition and the conditioned mass in the report, so that a result can be read against the state the specimen was actually in.

Repeat and replicate

Where a standard specifies replicates we run them all, and we report each one. Averaging three SBI runs into a single figure hides exactly the variability a specifier needs to see.

If a replicate falls outside the expected spread we investigate before issuing, at our cost when the cause is ours.