Fire and Flame Testing

METS Lab offers a wide range of Flammability and fire testing services suited for various types of materials/components ensure your materials and products. Meet industrial regulations and safety standards as well as your own-is critical, so we arm to meet all of your fire testing needs quickly and efficiently.

At METS Lab, we are an expert in fire testing and flammability testing. We offer world wide support to clients across a range of industries, including transportation, construction, industrial, chemical and more.

What is fire and flammability testing? 

At its core, fire and flammability testing is the act of taking a product and testing its resistance to heat, electrical current, open flames and other conditions that might cause a fire. Most importantly, a fire and flammability testing does so in a rigorous, quantifiable manner that creates usable results. 

Fire and flammability test generally include fire reaction, fire resistance, fire spread and also depending on the test program and the industry standards, fire and flammability test may require additional timing and measurements devices-METS Lab can help you ensure a clean and functional product testing environment.Fire tests, or flammability tests, measure how easily materials ignite, how quickly they burn, and how they react when burned. METS Lab use various testing methods, depending on international flammability testing standards and the type of material being tested.

We perform tests on samples in controlled conditions to determine the following:

• Fire resistance – To determine the ability of materials used in the manufacturing of products to withstand fire or provide protection for a period of time.
• Flame spread – To measure the propagation of flames away from the source of ignition, across the surface of the sample and evaluate the potential for flames spreading in the event of a fire.
• Reaction to fire – To evaluate the extent to which a product contributes to fire when exposed to flames.

METS Lab is a certified industry leader in testing industries that need fire and flammability testing aerospace, automotive, marine and rail, military and government, construction and engineering, chemical with years of experience, METS Lab is your Go-To fire testing laboratory.

METS lab is one of the leading fire testing labs in UAE. We are accredited to carry out the fire testing you need to get your products certified for your destination market.

International Fire Testing Standards Which METS follows :

• ASTMD635- Standard test method forrate of burning and/or extent and time of burning of plastics in a horizontal position.
• ASTMD1929- Standard test method for determining ignition temperature of plastics.
• ASTMD3801- Standard test method for measuring the comparative burning characteristics of solid plastics in a vertical position.
• ASTME84- Standard test method for surface burning characteristics of building materials.
• ASTME136- Standard test method for assessing combustibility of materials using a vertical  tube furnace at 750 °c
• ASTME2652- Standard test method for assessing combustibility of materials using a tube furnace with a cone-shaped airflow stabilizer, at 750°c
• ASTME2768- Standard test method for extended duration surface burning characteristics of  building materials (30 min tunnel test)
• BS476-4- Fire tests on building materials and structures- part 4: non-combustibility test for materials.
• BS476-6- Fire tests on building materials and  Method of test for fire propagation for products
• IEC60695-11-10- Fire hazard testing – Part 11-10: Test flames – 50 W horizontal and vertical flame test methods.
• IEC60695-2-10- Fire hazard testing: Glowing/Hot-wire Based Test Methods – Glow-wire Apparatus and Common Test Procedure
• IEC60695-2-11- Fire hazard testing – Part 2-11: Glowing/hot-wire based test methods – Glow- wire flammability test method for end products (GWEPT)
• IEC60695-2-13- Fire hazard testing – Part 2-13: Glowing/hot-wire based test methods – Glow- wire ignition temperature (GWIT) test method for materials
• IEC62115- Electric toys – Safety only Clause 2.2 Resistance to fire non-metallic parts
• ISO1182- Reaction to fire tests for products — non-combustibility test
• UL-94- Standardfor safety of flammability of plastic materials for parts in devices and appliances testing.
• UL 723- Test for surface burning characteristics of building materials.

ASTM E 84

The ASTM E-84 is a test developed by the American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM). It assesses the burning behavior of a material. This fire test provides comparative measurements of surface-level flame spread and smoke density.

This fire-test-response standard for the comparative surface burning behavior of building materials is applicable to exposed surfaces such as walls and ceilings. The test is conducted with the specimen in the ceiling position with the surface to be evaluated exposed face down to the ignition source. The material, product, or assembly shall be capable of being mounted in the test position during the test. Thus, the specimen shall either be self-supporting by its own structural quality, held in place by added supports along the test surface, or secured from the back side.

The requirements for the ASTM E-84 test differ based on the material. According to the International Building Code, the test is required for interior wall and ceiling finishes. The National Fire Protection Agency 101® Life Safety Code® also requires testing for interior wall and ceiling finishes.

The ASTM E-84 test is ranked based on the flame spread index (FSI) and the smoke development index  (SDI) . The FSI is a measure of the speed that flames progress across a material. FSI accounts for flame initiation and flame travel during the test. The SDI measures smoke intensity during the test interval. SDI is obtained with a light obscuration meter. This measures the optical density of the smoke development. In other words, it gives a measure of how much light can travel through the smoke.