ISO/TR 11696-2:1999

TECHNICAL ISO/TR
REPORT 11696-2
First edition
1999-12-15
Uses of reaction to fire test results —
Part 2:
Fire hazard assessment of construction
products
Utilisation des résultats des essais de réaction au feu —
Partie 2: Évaluation du risque-feu des produits de construction
Reference number
©
ISO 1999
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ii © ISO 1999 – All rights reserved

Contents Page
Foreword.iv
Introduction.v
1 Scope .1
2 References.1
3 Terms and definitions .2
4 Fire characteristics.3
5 Fire hazard assessment .4
6 The decision tree .6
6.1 Step 1 — Definition of fire scenario (probabilistic).6
6.2 Step 2 — Ignition hazard (deterministic).6
6.3 Step 3 — Fire growth hazard (deterministic) .7
6.4 Step 4 — Smoke (deterministic).7
6.5 Step 5 — Rate of hazard development (probabilistic) .7
7 Factors affecting fire growth and the extent of their importance.10
7.1 Step 1 — Definition of fire scenario.10
7.2 Step 2 — Ignition.10
7.3 Step 3 — Fire development.13
7.4 Step 4 — Smoke.17
7.5 Step 5 — Rate of hazard development .18
Annex A An example of a quantitative assessment of fire test data.20
Annex B Guidelines to classification data from ISO fire tests.23
Annex C An example of a calculation of visibility within a building on fire .27
Bibliography.29
© ISO 1999 – All rights reserved iii

Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards bodies (ISO
member bodies). The work of preparing International Standards is normally carried out through ISO technical
committees. Each member body interested in a subject for which a technical committee has been established has
the right to be represented on that committee. International organizations, governmental and non-governmental, in
liaison with ISO, also take part in the work. ISO collaborates closely with the International Electrotechnical
Commission (IEC) on all matters of electrotechnical standardization.
International Standards are drafted in accordance with the rules given in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 3.
The main task of technical committees is to prepare International Standards. Draft International Standards adopted
by the technical committees are circulated to the member bodies for voting. Publication as an International
Standard requires approval by at least 75 % of the member bodies casting a vote.
In exceptional circumstances, when a technical committee has collected data of a different kind from that which is
normally published as an International Standard ("state of the art", for example), it may decide by a simple majority
vote of its participating members to publish a Technical Report. A Technical Report is entirely informative in nature
and does not have to be reviewed until the data it provides are considered to be no longer valid or useful.
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this part of ISO/TR 11696 may be the subject of
patent rights. ISO shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
ISO/TR 11696-2 was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 92, Fire safety, Subcommittee SC 1, Fire initiation
and growth.
ISO/TR 11696 consists of the following parts, under the general title Uses of reaction to fire test results:
� Part 1: Application of test results to predict fire performance of internal linings and other building products
� Part 2: Fire hazard assessment of construction products
iv © ISO 1999 – All rights reserved

Introduction
This part of ISO/TR 11696 provides guidance on how to assess reaction to fire test results for construction products
from tests developed in ISO/TC92/SC1. It provides a basis for reaching an informed judgement when balancing out
any conflicting elements which may arise in a risk assessment exercise, where, of necessity, account must always
be taken of many practical considerations.
The document has been designed to provide guidelines to be followed when assessing reaction-to-fire test results
within the context of the overall hazard presented by a defined fire scenario. When using this guide, account should
be taken of any statutory or control requirements (for example building regulations), information obtained from fire
tests such as those developed by other organizations, published literature on non-standard tests and analytical and
biological studies of fire atmospheres.
By establishing a toolkit of new fire tests, ISO/TC92/SC1 has provided a greatly improved facility for measuring the
fire behaviour of materials and products more meaningfully than hitherto. The new test methods also provide data
which can also be used in extended calculations and computer models to provide predictions of fire performance in
a wide range of environments. The use of the test results in extended calculations and models has been explained
in detail in ISO/TR 11696-1. At present, only a relatively small number of people and organizations are able to
make use of the fire test data in this way, although a much larger number of organizations are able to conduct the
tests and obtain the measurements. ISO/TR 11696-2 is intended to provide advice and guidance on the use of ISO
toolkit test data by people and organizations who do not have facilities for extended calculations or computer
models. Large numbers of test systems have been constructed and installed in many commercial fire test
laboratories, the laboratories of materials manufacturers, universities and research institutions. A large number of
users of the test apparatus currently require guidance in the use and interpretation of the results obtained.
Assessment of test results needs guidance, which provides a simplified method. With such guidance, results from
the tests can be used by those who may not have knowledge of the mathematical modelling and the more complex
fire science calculations. ISO/TR 11696-2 has been designed to encourage widespread acceptance of the tests by
providing simplified guidance on the use of the results.
This guide enables assessment to be made of the likely fire hazards to occupants of existing buildings and
transport as well as the effect that alterations to these structures may have on possible hazards. Experience with
the specific procedure of this guide is limited to a few applications at present and more validation of the decision
tree method is required. The concept of controlling the fire performance of construction products by assessing the
contribution of products in reaction to fire tests is used widely by regulators.
It is recognized that the limitation and control of fire hazards will enable people to be confident in the safety of
buildings and transport since fires would then be unlikely to occur and if one did, people would be able to escape.
Fire testing is, however, only one of the techniques by which fire hazards and risks are limited and controlled. Other
techniques include the application of codes of practice, laws controlling flammable materials and their misuse,
inspection and education services provided by fire brigades, as well as fire detectors, sprinklers and other
firefighting equipment.
© ISO 1999 – All rights reserved v

TECHNICAL REPORT ISO/TR 11696-2:1999(E)
Uses of reaction to fire test results —
Part 2:
Fire hazard assessment of construction products
1 Scope
This part of ISO/TR 11696 provides guidance on the principles and use of fire test data and other relevant
information concerning construction products and their end-use environment, so that potential fire hazards and/or
risks may be assessed. It suggests procedures for expressing results and how to interpret the data to aid the fire
hazard assessment process. The guidance given is aimed at materials manufacturers and convertors, designers,
wholesalers and retailers, specifiers and regulating bodies, and consumer representatives.
2 References
ISO/IEC Guide 52, Glossary of fire terms and definitions.
ISO 1182, Reaction to fire tests for building products — Non-combustibility test.
ISO 1210, Plastics — Determination of the burning behaviour of horizontal and vertical specimens in contact with a
small-flame ignition source.
ISO 1716, Reaction to fire tests for building products — Determination of the gross calorific value.
ISO 5657, Reaction to fire tests — Ignitability of building products using a radiant heat source.
ISO/TR 5658-1, Reaction to fire tests — Spread of flame — Part 1: Guidance on flame spread.
ISO 5658-2, Reaction to fire tests — Spread of flame — Part 2: Lateral spread on building products in vertical
configuration.
ISO 5658-4, Reaction to fire tests — Spread of flame — Part 4: Intermediate-scale test of vertical spread of flame
with vertically oriented specimen.
ISO 5659-2, Plastics — Smoke generation — Part 2: Determination of optical density by a single-chamber test.
ISO 5660-1, Reaction to fire tests — Heat release, smoke production and mass loss rate — Part 1: Heat release
rate (Cone calorimeter method).
ISO 5660-2, Reaction to fire tests — Heat release, smoke production and mass loss rate from building products —
Part 2: Smoke production rate (dynamic measurement).
ISO 6925, Textile floor coverings — Burning behaviour — Tablet test at ambient temperature.
ISO 6941, Textile fabrics — Burning behaviour — Measurement of flame spread properties of vertically oriented
specimens.
© ISO 1999 – All rights reserved 1

ISO/TR 9122-6, Toxicity testing of fire effluents — Part 6: Guidance for regulators and specifiers on the
assessment of toxic hazards in fires in buildings and transport.
ISO 9239-1, Reaction to fire tests for floor coverings — Part 1: Determination of the burning behaviour using a
radiant heat source.
ISO 9239-2, Reaction to fire tests — Horizontal surface spread of flame on floor coverings — Part 2: Flame spread
at higher heat flux levels.
ISO 9705, Fire tests — Full-scale room test for surface products.
ISO 10093, Plastics — Fire tests — Standard ignition sources.
ISO 10351, Plastics — Determination of the combustibility of specimens using a 125 mm flame source.
ISO/TR 11696-1, Uses of reaction to fire test results — Part 1: Application of results to predict fire performance of
internal linings and other building products.
ISO/TR 11925-1, Reaction to fire tests — Ignitability of building products subjected to direct impingement of
flame — Part 1: Guidance on ignitability.
ISO 11925-2, Reaction to fire tests — Ignitability of building products subjected to direct impingement of flame —
Part 2: Single-flame source test.
ISO 11925-3, Rea
...